If you told most Mets’ fans during the long, cold, winter recess between October and the start of spring training that halfway through the upcoming season their team would sit within a few games of first place in the division, most would be thrilled.
To have simply achieved a legitimate level of competitiveness following six consecutive losing seasons should do much to lift the spirits of the typical Metophile, but the frustration level linked to the appalling offensive output of the 2015 club is doing much to temper the overall enthusiasm of the fan base.
A look at the numbers tells the story: as July arrives, the Flushing crew has fleshed out a starting rotation largely populated by young, drool-worthy arms whose collective abilities have undoubtedly inspired a wave of dynasty-related fantasies amongst the faithful. With good reason, too, as despite the loss of one member of the projected arsenal to surgery and the uncertainty that accompanies the arrival of rookie talent, heralded or not, the team’s mound staff has performed brilliantly to the point of registering as fourth best overall in the league and fifth best in MLB.
Ah, but that pesky offense. Following a spring training where fans were teased into thinking that a secret juggernaut was lurking, the Met offensive story has been one of injuries and underperformance.
While no one expected Michael Cuddyer to necessarily maintain the elevated level of slugging he displayed in Florida (6 HR’s in a month), most did not expect a repeat of that output to stretch out over half a season along with a jump in strikeout rate and plunge in OPS to well below typical career numbers.
Nor did one foresee the loss of David Wright for who knows how long, or for the injury bug to seemingly focus on whoever was most productive while actually in the lineup. Ultimately, the result has been that the Met offense now sits next to last in the league with only the joke that the Phillies bats have become to act as a buffer.
Predictably, the calls for action on the part of the front office to DO SOMETHING and import some bodies that can inject a degree of firepower into a collection of orange and blue popguns have been loud and insistent. Even the talking heads on the various sport shows on TV and radio have begun to seemingly lose any sense of realism with regard to what might actually be accomplished in an age when their simply isn’t much to be had on the trade market for a team with the financial constraints of the Mets.
Troy Tulowitzki? Don’t be ridiculous. Even if the team could somehow shoulder a significant enough portion of his titanic contract to interest the Rockies in making a deal, there aren’t many examples of players with his injury history suddenly becoming more durable as they move into their 30’s. Not to mention the talent that would have to be surrendered in return. You ain’t getting something like that done for Niese, Montero, and a couple of pieces from A-ball.
No, with the division being what it is, essentially the weakest in MLB, the Mets don’t need to think about making huge moves to stay in the hunt. With pitching being as dominant a component as it is, the team needs only to find a way to move closer to league average on the offensive side to have a good chance of punching a ticket for the postseason.
Those who remain skeptical of this are advised to examine the records and stats of the mid-1960’s editions of the LA Dodgers for a good example. Yes, those teams had Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale leading the way, but they also generally had lineups where no one approached 100 RBI or 100 runs scored in a season. But between 1959 and 1966 they made it to the World Series no fewer than four times, winning three of them.
So, if the Mets can somehow get Daniel Murphy and Travis d’Arnaud back in the lineup and keep them there for the bulk of what remains of the season, odds are that this would serve better than any desperation trade that might be accomplished in terms of future value and present return. Why? Simply because these two have consistently shown a knack for that most rare of accomplishments in the realm of Metdom: the timely hit.
Compare their rate of runs driven in per at-bat to the rest of the regulars and you will see what has been missing. Granted, we are working with a small sample size with D’Arnaud, but his performance reflects the character demonstrated last season after his return from a mid-season exile to Las Vegas, so it should be regarded as more than a statistical outlier.
Perhaps adding to these a useful bat from outside the organization would provide enough of a makeover to make dreams of October a reality (my personal wish is for a player along the lines of Ben Zobrist who can fill in all over the diamond and generally be counted on to hit better than the average Met).
If you need more encouragement from a scenario such as this, keep in mind that it is a long season and that players who have underperformed to date often wind up closer to their career numbers when the dust settles. In the Mets’ case, this would suggest that better things lie in store for players like Lucas Duda and Michael Cuddyer, the current heart of the order which has shown signs of cardiac arrhythmia.
It is said that patience is a virtue. Well, if so, Met fans are certainly a virtuous bunch.
