Patience or Panic 2: New York Mets

Going into 2017, I cited that the Mets were 26th in scoring runs, an issue I thought would prevent them from beating the Nationals in this division.  Now they are 12-15 after 27 games, and it is not due to this lineup.  Cespedes is always a formidable force hitting third, but this year young Michael Conforto has slashed at .371 with 7 homers already and Jay Bruce has smacked 9 home runs.  As a result, the Mets are 7th in scoring in the entire MLB.  They finally have some pop in the middle of their lineup, so what’s the issue?   The problem is this hyped rotation (by everyone, including me) is underperforming expectations.  Noah Syndergaard was looking great as usual, but he was initially diagnosed with a partially torn lat muscle in his back, an injury that if confirmed usually sidelines pitchers for 2-3 months.  At this point the Mets aren’t in a position to adequately replace him, especially with Stephen Matz and Seth Lugo both hurt as well with elbow issues.  While Jacob deGrom has proven himself to be back to top form, the Mets need former ace Matt Harvey (5.14 era), promising Zach Wheeler (4.78 era), and young hurler Robert Gsellman (6.75 era) to step up and provide some stability with three injuries.   Harvey started out hot, but has gotten shelled his last two starts.  His 20:13 strikeout/walk ratio reflects the struggles he is facing. Wheeler admittedly is just coming off Tommy John, so he might need some time to find his stride, while Gsellman seems to have been overhyped.

Now the news breaks today that Cespedes could be out longer than initially expected with a hamstring injury.  Even though the Mets are scoring runs, much of their production has been from the long ball.  Cespy is the only proven all around hitter on this team, and now he will see time off.  There is one plus .300 hitter on the Mets (Conforto), and he hit a dismal .220 last season.  I like Conforto a lot, and I believe his strong start is more than just luck.  His hitting coach Kevin Long says “His confidence is sky high”. Strong Mets fans could also cite his strong performance in the 2015 playoffs, but with Cespedes out, there will be heavy weight thrusted on this kid’s shoulders.  He and Jay Bruce will have to be more than streaky home run hitters to help this lineup produce. Guys like Lucas Duda (.238), Jose Reyes (.186), Neil Walker (.220), and Travis D’Arnaud (.203) also have pitched in with home runs, but similarly, they don’t hit for average. The Mets had a similar home run total (5th in MLB last year), but they will end up at the bottom if they do not hit for more average.

With low averages all across the lineup, I see the Mets scoring less runs, especially in the short term with Cespy out. While the talent in this rotation and bullpen leads me to believe they will improve at preventing runs, there is not enough stability in this rotation to be elite without Syndergaard.  Panic Mets fans.  Tell your GM he should have added some bats in the offseason, and ask him why you are being outspent by 12 teams in the league as a “Big Apple” team.  You’re in for a long season.

Written by Will McGuinness