Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

MMO Fan Shot by The Hammer

The first half is officially in the books and the 2022 Mets are 23 games above .500 (first place in the NL East). That’s quite an accomplishment considering the hits to the rotation, injuries, league-average slugging, tough schedule, and heavy travel. This brand of winning baseball is light years away from the LOLMets of years past, and the source of this on-field rennaisance can be tied to one man–Buck Showalter.

Gil Hodges, Bobby V., and Terry Collins have to be considered in the pantheon of Mets field managers that held players accountable, but the steely-eyed skipper currently at the helm certainly deserves recognition. Considered an old-school manager (or dinosaur), out of touch with the young breed of bling millionaires and unable to incorporate modern analytics, Buck has vaporized those myths, establishing a winning culture on a team in desperate need of leadership. Always behind his players, in a recent post-game Buck was asked about the impending trade deadline (and the need to acquire some team reinforcements). His response was simple and direct, “I’m not thinking about any of that. Given a choice, I’d go to war with the guys we have now.” I’m paraphrasing, but it underscores Buck’s own accountability to his players (and the organization), and the players have certainly responded in kind.

Few managers come as prepared for a game (or a series) as Buck (hello Gabe Kapler) and it’s pretty obvious the team has embraced that ethos. It warms my heart to see players stealing a minute of their managers time during games, still humble enough to learn the subtleties of the game from a guy who’s been there, done that. When was the last time you saw Mets pitchers in the dugout comparing notes, batters relaying tips to each other, on-deck batters directing runners for plays at the plate, players upset they didn’t grab an extra base, coaches actively engaged with players? Honestly, not in my lifetime, at least not at such frequency. That’s a winning atmosphere for any sports team, and it stems from preparation, execution, and attention to detail.

With Buck at the helm, here’s my break-down of the differences we’ve seen from the team this season.

Defense:

The Mets were one of the best defensive teams in the league in 2021, but they’ve only gotten better under Buck. Recognizing the importance of a strong defense, Buck’s very first move was to install the strong-armed Starling Marte in RF. With the DOM/JD left-field experiment officially over and Jankowski added, that cleared the log jam in left and brought much-needed stability to the outfield mix. The emergence of Guillorme at 2B also reflects that welcome defensive trend. In fact, Lindor’s defensive play at SS has been elevated a notch with LG manning the keystone.

Fundies:

There is a much different vibe with this team when it comes to fundamentals. At the plate, I suppose Eric Chazez deserves a nod for the impressive team results. No longer trying to hit 5-run bombs (and whiffing a ton), we now see guys doing the little things to keep the base gears turning: moving guys over, hitting against the shift, not swinging at garbage, sacrificing, fouling pitches off at an insane rate, and more than willing to accept a walk. On the fielding side, all the routine plays are made, the analytics have players well-positioned, excellent communication out there, and they turn an inordinate number of clutch double-plays. While the team doesn’t have many stolen bases, we’ve seen how extremely aggressive they can be on the base paths–putting a ton of pressure on opposing defenses.

All Hands On Deck:

For position players, Buck has utilized the whole active roster in the season’s first half. Understanding the season is a marathon, not a sprint, his insightful methods to rest the older ballplayers (for multiple days) may cause indigestion for some fans, but should reap huge dividends when the playoffs arrive. Despite the calls getting louder for a DH replacement, Buck has calmly stuck to his strategy, utilizing the DH spot to rest his players and keep the bench engaged. When your DH is batting eighth and you’re still winning at a .624 clip, something is obviously working. Which brings me to the batting order.

Batting Order:

It’s become clear Buck prefers good balance up and down the lineup (using the players at his disposal). Assuming full health, outside of the rigid top 4 (or 5), which features two switch-hitters and good speed at the top, the rest of the lineup is all geared toward the pitching match-up. Batting McNeil in the 8-hole (against certain teams) supports the argument Buck is thinking well past the starting pitcher, giving opposing managers match-up fits in the middle and late innings. How many starting pitchers have we seen reach their pitch limit before the 5th inning against these Mets? It’s death by a thousand cuts and their atypical offensive approach has burned quite a few bullpens in their wake.

Pitching:

Clearly, Buck (and Jeremy Hefner) have pieced together the pitching on the fly, and the results have been more than palatable. Of course, July saw the starting staff put some eye-popping numbers up, and with the return of Max Scherzer (and Jacob Degrom), the Mets are well-positioned for the second-half. But as most fans realize, the bullpen can be the weakest link to a ticker tape parade. Outside of the Mets shut-down closer (Edwin Diaz), it’s been essentially bullpen by feel and committee. With a (gratefully) quick hook–sometimes a pitcher doesn’t have it, Buck has also employed an interesting strategy this year, multiple inning duty. Unsure if this goes against the grain in the league or he’s doing it out of desperation (or even if it will continue), but that novel BP approach is certainly worth noting. With the trade deadline weeks away, May hopefully returning soon, the emergence of Holderman, Ottovino and Williams (and inspiring performances by Adonis Medina and Yoan Lopez), the problems don’t look as daunting. With the starters increasing their work load (and the hopeful return of Tylor Megill), my gut says there will be less chatter about the pen come August. Wink Wink. Nudge nudge.

Reflecting back on Buck’s influence on the first-half of play, it appears Mets fans already have something very special in Flushing—a unified and focused team. With strong play in the field and few dramatic side-shows, it’s all business for the men in orange and blue this year. It’s scary to contemplate what this team could accomplish in the second half with more weapons in Buck’s winning arsenal.