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.
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!