Doc Gooden was a guest on the Boomer and Carton show last week. Like most Met fans, Gooden is hyped over all the young pitching in the Mets system believing the Citi Field boys are a lot closer to relevancy than most people give them credit.
But, Gooden was incredulous over management’s recent chatter that once again the fences might be moved closer to home plate at Citi Field.
“One thing I can’t understand is the talk about moving the fences in,” Gooden told the WFAN hosts. Gooden went on to say that teams need to build their rosters around the dimensions of the park they play in, not move the fences in and out to accommodate one or two players which seems to be the motivation. With a pitching strong team like the Mets, the former ace feels it’s foolhardy to move the fences in again. The other team’s batters hit at Citi Field, too.
Gooden claims the Mets need to be on the lookout for solid line drive hitters, hitters that play well to the dimensions of Citi Field. Although he never said it, Gooden could have been talking about Daniel Murphy like hitters, guys who can take what the pitcher gives them and shoots the ball anywhere from foul line to foul line. Then again, it’s highly unlikely Murphy will be playing for the Mets next year.
The good doctor says the Mets are lacking the big bats they need and that altering the dimensions of Citi is not going to transform poor performances into great ones. If you want better offensive production you go out and get better players.
He’s right.
Let’s stop the subterfuge with this fence moving nonsense. It’s just a cunning cover to nudge Met fans into believing the dimensions of their home park is the real reason performance has lagged badly since the team took up residence at Citi Field.
The truth is the Mets shed their most productive assets in favor of promising prospects because they did not have the financial capacity and/or resolve to pay them the salaries their performance demanded on the open market. It was the perfect time for a rebuild and that takes time.
With the obvious upgrade of our minor league system, our young pitching proving to be as good as advertised, and the team at the brink of contention. it would be hard to argue that the strategy is without many successes. But, attributing our poor offensive output during this rebuild process on the dimensions of Citi Field is inventive at best. What was it the front office preached when they first took over? Develop and stockpile the pitching… Buy the bats… It’s time.
Tell it like it is, Doc.
