2019 was a lost season.
There were many times where it looked as though the season could be saved, but it was not.
There was no playoff run. There were no titles. There was finishing the season over .500. But once the regular season ended, so did the Mets season.
Well, I guess in terms of games the season ended, but in terms of winning, it did not end there for the Mets.
Pete Alonso went on to win the NL Rookie of the Year. Jacob deGrom went on to win his second NL Cy Young Award.
Now I know what many Mets fans are thinking, and to be honest, I thought it too – with guys like Alonso and deGrom on the team, how is it possible that the Mets didn’t make it to the postseason?
Well, any Mets fan who watched the 2019 season knows the answer to that. The bullpen, which was not fixed by the trade deadline as many fans wished it would be, was not fixed. There were many questionable managerial decisions as well. I could go on, but none of us want to relive that, do we?
Rather than focusing on the negative, let’s look at all of this with a bit of positivity and hope.
The Mets have the reigning Rookie of the Year on their team. They also have the back-to-back Cy Young Winner on their team. These are two big awards that should not be taken lightly. Instead it should give the rest of the team momentum. It should show them all that they have the best assets possible at their disposal, and utilize it to their advantage. It should make the team work harder.
During the GM meetings, Brodie Van Wagnen discussed three areas in which the Mets are lacking and said that they are areas the organization will focus on this offseason. I’m sure you all can name these three areas but just to reinforce, they are the rotation, bullpen, and centerfield. If the Mets do add to these three key parts, and with Alonso and deGrom still playing like Alonso and deGrom, the 2020 playoffs should be a shoe-in.
This is a big if, I know. But the elements are there. The Mets know what they have to do. They already have key pieces, now they just need to add to that. And let’s be real, Alonso and deGrom are not shabby pieces to build around, now are they?
Rather than focusing on the fact that these two players won these great awards in a lost season, let’s focus on the fact that these two Mets players won these great awards, and they will be back on the team in 2020 to compete once again. It’s critical to build off this momentum and excitement. But if two guys could team up together to share their personal wins with the entire team, it’s Alonso and deGrom.
