New York Mets Season Review: The Good, Bad and the Ugly
Overall, the New York Mets had a disappointing 2018 season. Does their strong finish signal that 2019 could produce better results?
The New York Mets had a roller coaster of a season in 2018. The Amazins’ had a lot of ups and downs in what turned out to be a lost season in Flushing. Now, in this context, lost season is a relative term. 2018 was a lost season in that the New York Mets failed to reach their expectations, not for their organization as a whole, but this will be discussed later on.
Excitement quickly built around the Mets as they went into 2018 with a number of new faces in the clubhouse. They hired a new manager, bolstered their roster with talent, and looked ready to make a run at the NL East Divison Crown.
The bad soon kicked in…
Optimism did not surround the Mets for long. Following their blazing hot 11-1 start, the Mets watched their season slowly fall apart. The club rode their hot start through April as they finished the month with a record of 17-9, unknowing that things were about to take a turn for the worst. The club’s record fell to .500 by the end of May and to a lowly 32-48 by the end of June.
Ah, now that’s ugly…
The club was not hitting and injuries abounded. Yoenis Cespedes, Juan Lagares, Travis d’Arnaud, Kevin Plawecki, Jay Bruce, Todd Fraizer, A.J. Ramos, Anthony Swarzak and Jason Vargas all missed significant time, while Adrian Gonzalez, Matt Harvey, and Hansel Robles played their way off the roster.
But everything can’t all be bad, right?
Right, these injuries opened up lots of playing time, leading to many of the Mets’ younger players receiving significant opportunities. Brandon Nimmo and Jeff McNeil flourished in their everyday roles, as Amed Rosario and Zack Wheeler were able to take the next steps forward in their development.
And we can’t write about the New York Mets without mentioning Jacob deGrom… That Christian Yelich kid from Milwaukee is pretty good but in a just world, the Cy Young and MVP Awards would be coming to Queens… M.V.P!
What Went Wrong?
There is a lot that I could mention here…
Rookie Manager, Mickey Callaway, had some growing pains throughout the season, but injuries once again played a large roll in the club’s misfortunes.
Aside from Jeff McNeil and Brandon Nimmo, the Mets showed that they lack the offensive depth necessary to withstand a slew of injuries. The Mets are built to pitch and hit just enough. It is hard to hit without quality bats. This forced the club to acquire veterans like Austin Jackson, Jose Bautista, and Devin Meseraco when needs arose.
Speaking of Meseraco, catcher is a perfect example of the club’s lack of depth.
Travis d’Arnaud and Kevin Plawecki went down with injuries early on in the season and the Mets struggled to plug their roles. The team was forced to turn to Jose Lobaton and Tomas Nido…
That duo combined for an average OPS+ of 29.5. Now, d’Arnaud and Plawecki aren’t superstars either, but they are better options than Lobaton and Nido. With d’Arnaud’s health in question and doubts surrounding Plawecki’s abilities, I would not be surprised to hear the rumor mill swirl about potential upgrades.
First base is another position in which the Mets have a mess to sort out. After the Adrian Gonzalez experiment ended, the team turned to Wilmer Flores for most of the playing time.
I love Wilmer, but he is not an everyday player. Wilmer Flores is a valuable utility bench piece that can plug a need when injuries occur. Now I don’t think Dominic Smith has earned it, but I believe that he should have gotten most of the playing time down the stretch of 2018. He hasn’t shown his talents at the big league level, but I still believe that they are there. Smith has his issues to work out. A lost season would have been the perfect time to let him work out his kinks, especially with Peter Alonso staying in the minor leagues.
What Went Right?
The New York Mets couldn’t have handled David Wright’s send off any better. Being a fan myself, watching David Wright play again was a magical moment. He deserved every roar and cheer from the packed Citi Field crowd. He owns the Mets’ record books and truly embodies Mr. Met.
Besides that, the New York Mets got great results from their starting pitching. This helped the club during their strong second half, finishing September with a record of 18-10. Jacob deGrom was the league’s best pitcher, Zack Wheeler dominated in the second half of the season, and Noah Syndergaard was solid once again. Steven Matz had a very up and down season but he managed to stay healthy for the first time.
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A lot of this success can be attributed to Mickey Callaway and Dave Eiland. Many of the team’s pitchers faltered in 2017 but took another step forward in 2018. I am excited to see what these two have in store for the club’s young bullpen arms.
As I mentioned, 2018 was not a lost year for the Mets organization. Even though the club lacks depth, they still have an intriguing crop of young prospects. Peter Alonso lit up the world during the minor league season, Justin Dunn took a step forward in his development and Jarred Kelenic made it clear that he is going to be a noteworthy prospect. Along with those names, Andres Gimenez continued his strong production and Franklyn Kilome showed that he could be a useful arm. The Mets will continue to see this group of prospects grow as they have a high pick in this year’s draft.
The Mets’ future direction will be interesting to watch as they are still in search of their next general manager. This signing will likely spur their offseason direction as well. A new mind will bring in new ideas of how to shape their 2019 roster. Could the New York Mets return to the Playoffs in 2019? My mind says no, but my heart says yes. The Mets will be an interesting club to watch as the offseason rolls on. They are a team that has to make a lot of decisions.
dark. Next. Mets 2018 minors awards
The New York Mets did finish the season with a .559 winning percentage in the season’s second half, which is actually a shade better than the NL East division winner, Atlanta, had for the 2018 season (.556). If they can build on that with a new voice in the front office, things could be exciting in the Big Apple!