An MMO Fan Shot by Gregg Cambareri
It’s late August and the Mets sit atop the National League East. Although they are playing well, they still seem to catch plenty of flak for their record against teams with winning records. Last week ESPN’s Dave Schoenfield opined that whoever wins the NL East isn’t that good, just better than the field, “…they’re probably on par with the Arizona Diamondbacks and maybe not even as good as the Milwaukee Brewers, who have a .426 winning percentage in baseball’s best division.”
So, because the NL East has a collective win percentage near what the Brewer’s win percentage is, that means the Mets are no better than Milwaukee?
There is no doubt that the NL Central is baseball’s best division, and the NL East is one of the league’s worst, but the Mets don’t owe anyone an explanation for being in first place: you play with the cards in which you are dealt. Some will argue that the Mets record against top competition is poor, as evidenced by an 0-13 record vs. the Cubs and Pirates.
However, many fail to consider that the Mets are a respectable 29-25 against all other teams with records of .500 or better. And as for the winless record against Chicago and Pittsburgh? Ten of those thirteen losses came before the several July trades that drastically improved the roster.
Even more noteworthy, are past seasons in which the Mets have been on luck’s wrong side. Let’s not forget that the last time the Mets played postseason baseball, they were eliminated by an 83 win Cardinal team in 2006.
The next year, as the Mets collapsed en route to an 88 win season which was a game short of the playoffs, the Cubs won the central winning 85 games. In 2008, the Mets won 89 games, falling one game short of a playoff spot. That same season, the Dodgers won the NL West with just 84 wins.
What’s even better about the 06, 07, and 08 seasons that the Mets were unlucky to be eliminated in — Schoenfield referenced them all in his blog post! So, if the Mets are fortunate enough to return to October, and were to eliminate a team that won more games than they did, justice will be served.
Say what you will about the Mets weak division, record against NL central foes, road record, and what have you, but the calendar is quickly approaching September and the Mets aren’t planning on quitting. As we saw last season, it’s just a matter of making it to October, as the Royals and Giants both were wild card playoff winners who sprinted to the World Series.
Since the end of 2006, the Mets have endured an ownership with an unwillingness to spend, multiple collapses, devastating injuries to marquee players, prolonged rebuilding, and have been told to wait until next year over and over. The Mets have paid their proverbial dues. For the first time in almost a decade, luck might actually be on their side.
It’s about damn time.
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This Fan Shot was contributed by Gregg Cambareri. Have something you want to say about the Mets? Share your opinions with over 25,000 Met fans who read this site daily.
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