Postcard from Port St. Lucie: New Faces in Old Places

If there is something particularly comforting for those of us who make the pilgrimage to Port St. Lucie on an annual basis to celebrate the first hint of spring and the return of the greatest game on God’s green earth, it is familiarity. We are accustomed to getting as up close and personal as we ever do to the guys we have watched at a considerable distance over the years.

So despite in-depth knowledge of the dizzying number of transactions on the field and in the front office during the void (AKA the off-season), it was jarring to arrive at the practice facility surrounding First Data Field and see so many unrecognizable faces.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that. But old habits die hard – I half-expected to see Jose Reyes taking his reps in yet another stint with the team.

As uniformed players signed autographs in random locations spread across the Mets’ Spring Training complex (which will apparently be upgraded in the years ahead), one was surrounded by whispering onlookers: Who is that guy? I think it’s a minor leaguer; wait, maybe that’s, what’s his name, J.D. Davis? Or maybe not, I thought he was bigger, or smaller. Is that Pete Alonso taking grounders at first? I think so, but I’m not sure. Where is that Keon Broxton guy? What does Jed Lowrie look like anyway? Help me out here, is that handsome guy over there the Dutch hotshot who’s now running the show?

It’s a new day for the New York Mets, no doubt. That’s a good thing to be sure, but initially disconcerting for the faithful who watch spring workouts expecting to proudly identify for their kids all those familiar players from summers past. What made things more difficult is that so many players chose to wear generic Mets’ pullovers instead of jerseys with their names and numbers on the back.

Sure, there was Thor and Wheels and Matz. But no Reyes. Or David Wright. Or Yoenis Cespedes (for now). Or Jay Bruce. Or Sandy Alderson. On the other hand, there again was Jeurys Familia, apparently gone for good but now back in the saddle.

Once oriented to the reality of these facelifted Mets, there was time to make a few observations from the truncated workout before the team headed to the stadium for an intersquad scrimmage (closed to the public) before Saturday’s spring opener.

Mr. Alonso looked more fluid than expected around the first base bag. His range is surely limited, but his hands appear soft enough and his reflexes sound. One gets the impression that his much-discussed deficiencies with the glove will not prevent his impending ascent to the big show.

Amed Rosario appeared to be in mid-season form – or hopefully second-half-of-2018 form. He was driving the ball with authority to the opposite field and showcasing surprising power. It is more than possible to envision 20+ big flies when his body fills out.

Wilson Ramos looked every bit the same beast as when he tormented the Mets during his days in DC. He deposited over a dozen balls over the fence during one session in the batting cage.

It was quite the opposite for the one-time starter and now backup behind the plate. Travis d’Arnaud was not cutting loose in the cage, producing mostly pop-ups and tepid line drives. He looks like he needs time to build back from his latest surgery.

And of course, there was Tim Tebow, who continues to generate the same buzz as the last two springs. Cynicism over his signing has been well-documented, but is hardly evident here. The biggest gathering of onlookers came when he stepped into the cage. And while this author is hardly a swingologist (is that a word?), the 31-year-old “rookie” certainly seemed quicker to the ball with a shorter swing than when he first began his seemingly impossible quest to reach the majors.

Through all the changes this team made during the off-season, the most notable non-change was in the manager’s seat. Mickey Callaway’s, shall we say, checkered performance last season has flown largely under the radar this winter amidst the frenetic activity which commenced with the hiring of Brodie Van Wagenen. It was almost shocking to see Mickey running about, bending over and retrieving balls after a batting session. Can you envision Terry Collins or Bobby Valentine doing that? I guess ol’ Mickey is a man of the people, or a players’ manager, as they say.    

For all the depth added to the roster since last season, perhaps it is the depth added at the manager’s position that will turn out to be as important as any on the field. In new Bench Coach Jim Riggleman, we get an oxymoron – a permanent interim manager – who has already taken the helm in the midst of a season four times. At the very least, the organization now has something it did not have in the waning days of Alderson: a ready-made, in-house replacement whose mere presence will put the heat on the current skipper. We’ll see if Mickey can handle the pressure.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step. This reshaped squad will be much better, we’re told, because of the newfound, vaunted depth and versatility in their lineup and bullpen added to a rotation with a spectacular upside. But we have heard this before. So as the 2019 Mets prepare for the long march into battle in a highly competitive division, there remains a very open question: Have the new powers-that-be built an unsinkable ship, or simply re-arranged the deck chairs on the Titanic?