After an off-season where the New York Mets did a lot of retooling of the roster, there is really one question to ask. Is this a good start for the Mets? Can you make an argument that last year’s 11-1 start is better than this year’s 6-3 start? The roster is seemingly better but the results so far are not.
What Has Gone Right
Jacob deGrom
Jacob deGrom is undoubtedly the brightest spot for the Mets. Recently signing a five-year contract extension, deGrom has made the Mets look very smart by pitching 13 straight scoreless innings in his first two starts, both of which the Mets won. He has picked up where he left off last season but seems to be getting better.
Mets Young Core
The two young players Met fans have wanted to see play every day are Jeff McNeil and Pete Alonso. Boy have they not disappointed. McNeil is batting .409 and Alonso leads the team in home runs and runs batted in. Another young player flying under the radar is Michael Conforto who is batting .351 and leading the team in runs scored. That’s three young and very affordable everyday players the Mets hope to build their lineup around.
Key Additions
Catcher Wilson Ramos is batting .400 and is giving this team its first legitimate offensive threat in many years. The trades for Keon Broxton and J.D. Davis have made immediate dividends. New closer Edwin Diaz has not been scored on while saving four games.
What Has Gone Wrong
Another member of this young core, Brandon Nimmo, has yet to get out of the starting blocks and is batting just .103. Pitcher Zack Wheeler has struggled out of the gate with a 10.24 earned run average. Fellow young gun starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard has not exactly pitched well in his first two starts. Syndergaard has the talent to pitch as well as deGrom, and Wheeler’s second half of the 2018 season was dynamic.
Mets Leaky Bullpen
Outside of Diaz, the rest of the Mets core bullpen has been disastrous. Seth Lugo, Robert Gsellman, and Jeurys Familia have combined to pitch 14.2 innings and allowed 11 earned runs.
Biggest Concerns
The Mets have had lots of problems closing out games especially with big leads. Manager Mickey Calloway has not done a good job in his bullpen selection. Also, he seems to set his lineup by the book and sits players after having big offensive games because the book indicates you should. If you ask Met fans, they feel his team wins despite him. Sure, when things do not go right you have to blame someone.
Since Calloway is not a fan favorite nor does he have any previous ties to the Mets he will shoulder all the blame instead of his players who do not get the job done. In many ways, this team is far superior to the 2018 edition. Plus, free agent signee Jed Lowrie has yet to play one game as a Met. You can make the argument in Calloway’s defense that with so many new pieces to this team he is still seeking out roles for not just the bullpen but for bench players too.
Ace In The Hole
As rumors persist about the two game-changing pitchers still unsigned in Dallas Keuchel and Craig Kimbrel, just the fact that they are being discussed by Mets brass gives the hope this team will spend money to win this year if the right player becomes available. Perhaps the biggest game-changing player is already on the Mets roster. Star outfielder Yoenis Cespedes is on the injured list and it is not known if he will play this year. If he does, it would be just like trading for an all-star player without trading any valuable assets.
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