By Tim Ryder
As the incomparable Gary Cohen stated when Dominic Smith crossed the plate on Sunday evening, “the never-say-die Mets finish the season on an incredible note”.
After Smith’s walk-off three-run homer in the bottom of the 11th beat Atlanta in the season finale — his first at-bat since July 26 after being activated off the 60-day IL earlier in the week — he told WCBS’ Eddie Coleman, “this is the start of something special”.
Neither Gare or Dom are wrong. And what a ride this season has been.
When Mickey Callaway told the team’s media corps on June 11, midway between a day-night doubleheader at Yankee Stadium with the team sitting at 32-34, that once the Mets “eclipsed” the .500 mark, it would give them the opportunity to “take off”, it was a bit hard to believe.
At the time, inconsistencies were holding this group back. If the offense was producing the pitching was underperforming, and vice versa. Then, when everything seemed to be clicking, the bullpen would crack.
It was a vicious cycle that, even through the end of the year, the Mets had a tough time evading.
After losing their first game of the second half in Miami on July 12, dropping them to 11 games under .500 (40-51, 14.5 GB in the NL East), a turnaround of that magnitude seemed even more unlikely.
But, in almost fairy-tale fashion, this resilient group picked themselves up. For a while there, this team was firing on all cylinders and it was glorious.
From July 13 through the end of the month they went 12-4 and won 17-of-28 in August, pulling themselves back into the National League Wild Card race.
A 17-11 final month wasn’t enough to overcome a slow start and a handful of gut-wrenching losses, and the Milwaukee Brewers’ 20-of-27 September run pretty much sealed the deal, ending the Mets’ hopes of adding another miracle to their organizational resume.
Though make no mistake, despite missing out on the postseason for the third consecutive season, progress was made in 2019 and a sturdy foundation has been set in Flushing.
Callaway — whose future with the Mets is nowhere near guaranteed despite his team’s impressive 180 — spoke about the future of this ballclub during his final post-game presser of the season on Sunday (video via Mets).
“[This team] has been through a lot together. They’ve grown a lot together. There’s been a lot of highs to this season, some unbelievable individual performances. There’s been some lows, some games that you’re just like ‘how did that slip away?’.”
“There’s been stretches where it’s been tough. There’s been stretches when it’s been unbelievable. When you go through tough times and great times together, you form this bond, you know? And they’ve definitely formed a bond.”
“That’s a special team in there. They can accomplish a lot. Do you have to perform? Absolutely. That’s what it always comes down to. But this might be the hardest part — to form as a team […] To become a team, like they are, that’s tough.”
The core that’s in place — Pete Alonso, Jeff McNeil, Brandon Nimmo, Michael Conforto, Amed Rosario (his 177 hits led the Mets this season), J.D. Davis, Dom Smith, Wilson Ramos, Robinson Cano — provides buckets of hope.
The starting pitching will remain as close to elite as it can get with Jacob deGrom and (presumably) Noah Syndergaard leading the way and Steven Matz and Marcus Stroman providing solid depth.
Whether the Mets tender Zack Wheeler a qualifying offer — and whether he accepts that offer or chooses to test the market — remains to be seen. But the fact is, this group is one power arm short with Wheels out of the picture. Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen must address that.
As for the bullpen, Seth Lugo and Justin Wilson provide stability. Edwin Diaz and Jeurys Familia — both under contract next season and beyond — were anything but stable in 2019.
Whether they can be relied upon in big spots will hold considerable sway in the Mets’ 2020 fortunes, and relief pitching is simply too valuable of a facet to skimp out on. Brodie will need to reinforce here as well.
If Yoenis Cespedes is healthy enough to return next season, great. But the Mets can’t take that for granted. Same goes for Jed Lowrie, who finished the season hitless in nine plate appearances and is due $10 million in 2020. Guess another bat couldn’t hurt either, huh?
In any case, Van Wagenen’s going to have his work cut out for him this winter. The developmental leaps that were taken in 2019 and the fight this core exhibited must fuel this franchise’s fire to compete.
And Brodie, don’t feel pressured to make the sexy moves. They might not be what the 2020 New York Mets need. Just please, we implore you, make the right moves.
Here’s to the future. Thanks for the support this season and LFGM!
