When the word of the Bryce Harper signing with the Phillies was spreading like wildfire here in Jupiter, I heard a conversation between two Met fans in the stands. One said to the other, “The Mets will never win the NL East with Bryce Harper in the division.” And that is the notion I got from the media sitting in the press box as well which in my humble opinion, can’t be more wrong.
First of all, the Mets have already won a pennant back in 2015 and had to deal with a Bryce Harper team so they had already done that but more to my point–this 2019 Met team is deeper and better than any team in this division. In my view, great pitching still generally beats good hitting and this Met staff is off the charts excellent in both the rotation and the bullpen.
Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, Steven Matz, Zack Wheeler and yes-Jason Vargas are the best quintet of starters in the senior circuit as a group and their bullpen has a lights out closer, an All Star type-set up man plus loads of different other looks in that pen including the curve balling Seth Lugo. The offense is tons better than last year as Robinson Cano was added to the middle of a lineup that already has Michael Conforto, plus the new catcher Wilson Ramos. Brandon Nimmo, Pete Alonso, Amed Rosario, Jed Lowrie and Todd Frazier add stability and depth to a bench that will include two Gold Glove caliber center fielders in Keon Broxton and Juan Lagares.
That to me this is a potential division winning roster in every way and might even change the way baseball teams build rosters returning us to the glory days of starting pitcher being the core of every winning team. Brodie Van Wagenen has been very open and direct about his thoughts about the team he constructed and did not back down an inch from his off-season evaluation of his roster after the Harper signing.
The Mets may address needs in the next few months and remember I am not even factoring in the potential Yoenis Cespedes impact in mid-season. If he returns to his productivity, the NL East might feel like they are in the baseball version of Ground Hog Day reliving 2015 all over again. Speaking of that, I also firmly believe that Pete Alonso will have the same impact on the 2019 team that a young kid named Michael Conforto had on 2015 team. In the words of Yogi Berra, ”Deja Vu all over again.”
I know I am not presenting the popular version of the Mets when it comes to how the media views this team. And I could care less if I am criticized over and over again. This 2019 roster is a very special blend of players coupled with a culture change that winning teams possess. What is the culture change you ask? That every player in that locker room cares as much about their teammates as they do about themselves. And they got that emotion from the general manager who embodies it every single waking moment.
The Phillies got a great player in Bryce Harper but unlike the NBA, baseball is about a collection of players not a single superstar. In the NBA, you get Lebron because he can take the ball to the basket every single possession down the stretch of a game but in baseball your lineup dictates who comes to the plate in crunch time and that’s why you need a collection of players–not one mega-superstar. It is also the only sport where the defense holds the ball and that is why pitching always reigns supreme no matter what baseball analytic gurus might tell you.
The Red Sox had a collection of players in 2018 and proved that in the off-season. They also proved that pitching can capsize the launch angle boat that tries to cruise past you even if that name is a third tier guy like Eovaldi. I remember after Game 2 the media said the Yankees had the Red Sox right where they wanted them with their ace going but Severino was anything but an ace while the Red Sox got ace-like performances up and down their staff. That is because World Championship teams need a collection of players.
When I look at the NL East, I believe Braves and Phils both have better lineups than the Mets and Nats but I contend Mets have best top-to-bottom starting rotation and clearly the best bullpen which is why I believe the Braves and Mets will be in a two-team race come September with the Nats and Phils clinging to faint wild card hopes. When I watch Met pitchers throw, I believe this staff could be compared to some great Met staffs of the past. And I believe that wins divisions as the Braves proved in the 90’s.
And that makes Brodie Van Wagenen properly feel confident about this team’s chance to be in baseball’s post-season fraternity. Bryce Harper could have an MVP-type year in Philly but that does not guarantee a thing unless their pitching could match the Mets which I firmly believe is a very unlikely scenario unless they spend more of their “stupid money.”
The “smart money” spent by Brodie Van Wagenen will prove to be much more efficient during the 2019 season because it was spent on a collection of players–not one superstar. That is the simple truth.
