Check out the latest poll results from MetsBlog on where his readership voted on the question of Are the Mets are headed in the Right or Wrong Direction:
If there was an option that said “Not Sure” that’s what I would have chosen. Maybe that’s why he only got 2,600 people to vote instead of his usual 5K+. I also suspect that those who were unsure and voted, gave the team the benefit of the doubt and voted “Right Direction”. That’s strictly my opinion.
Last year at this time, I was very sure we were going in the right direction. It was fueled mostly by their performance in the 2011 First Year Player Draft and the trade that got us Zack Wheeler. It felt like progress despite where we were in the standings.
However, much of that enthusiasm dissipated after last offseason for me. Losing Jose Reyes hurt a little, but not using the money to reinvest in the team went against everything Sandy Alderson promised heading into the offseason. The fact we spent most of our resources on revamping the bullpen followed by the disappointing results turned me into a skeptic.
My skepticism turned to confusion when the 2012 Draft came along. They discarded the brilliant philosophy of the now departed Chad MacDonald who was the Mets scouting director in 2011 and oversaw last year’s draft.
This year they went back to drafting based on signability and not pursuing high ceiling talent. It was learned that three of the top four picks already had agreements in place before they were selected. It is most likely that they didn’t sign their second round pick simply because pitcher Teddy Stankiewicz wouldn’t sign for less than slot and that it was a message to him and future draft picks. Turns out that everyone else who wouldn’t sign below slot, which included the majority of the second half of their draft, went unsigned as well. I thought it was odd to hear Paul DePodesta say that even if the Mets had the No. 1 overall selection last season, he still would have picked Gavin Cecchini. That’s the problem with having prearranged agreements in place. If a top player falls into your lap during the draft, you let him fall to the next team like Courtney Hawkins did to the White Sox.
Historically, this was a page out of Omar Minaya’s playbook, and next season you can expect only players who will play along with this new Mets negotiating tactic to be selected and signed, and that most if not all will most likely have agreements in place already. Remember Eddie Kunz? I wonder if this tactic had anything to do with MacDonald resigning as he did? This is not about drafting the best players. This is something different.
Another thing that bothers me is the uncertainty regarding David Wright and R.A. Dickey – without question the team’s top hitter and pitcher. I’ll reserve my judgement until I see how this pans out, but I am deeply concerned that there is a chance that we could lose one or both. I get a terrible feeling in the pit of my stomach when I imagine Wright being traded and not being a Met next season.
Anyway, I think all Mets sites are different and have their own different and unique mix of readers. What are your thoughts about which direction this team is heading in? Are we heading in the right or wrong direction? Or are many of you simply unsure at this point, like I am?
