New York Mets: 2017 Season Review and Offseason Preview
By Tim Haberin
What Went Wrong?
Where did it all fall apart for the Mets? If you looked at the injury report at any point in the season, you should have a good idea. So many of the players expected to play key roles for the club this year spent considerable time on the sidelines.
The biggest blow was perhaps losing Noah Syndergaard, who was only able to make seven starts due to a torn lat muscle. After his brilliant performance in 2016, the tall righty seemed like the eventual leader of the staff and a legitimate Cy Young candidate heading into the campaign. Instead, he tossed just 30.1 innings and the Mets will now have to hope he’ll be ready to go when Spring Training rolls around.
Matt Harvey made 19 appearances (18 starts) and combusted to a horrid 6.70 ERA and 1.69 WHIP in 92.2 frames. The once promising ace appears to have completely lost his way, with some wondering whether the Mets will even tender him a contract for next year. What the future holds for Harvey is anyone’s guess.
After missing the last two years, Zack Wheeler started the season in encouraging fashion, posting a 3.45 ERA over his first 11 starts. He collapsed to a 7.92 ERA over his next seven, however, and his year ended prematurely in late July after experiencing a stress reaction in his right arm.
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The Mets hoped for a nice year out of Steven Matz, but the 26-year-old put up a 6.08 ERA over 13 outings as he battled an elbow ailment.
Fresh off signing a franchise-record four-year, $110 million contract, Yoenis Cespedes was productive when he took the field, slashing .292/.352/.540 with 17 home runs and 42 RBI. The only problem was that he played just 81 games due to persistent hamstring trouble.
David Wright missed the entire year, but that was only a disappointment if you actually thought he was going to suit up for any real length of time. It’s hard to imagine any healthy path forward for the team captain.
Overall, the Mets featured a middling offense at best, ranking 19th in runs scored (735) and 14th in OPS (.755) in MLB. Their starting pitching, expected to be a strength, crashed and burned to the tune of a 27th-ranked 5.14 ERA. The bullpen was also a disaster, managing a 4.82 ERA, good for 29th.
Next: The Future