While there has been greater support for the Yankees in New York for the longest time, 2019 is destined to be the year of the Mets.
There is a uniqueness to the sports market in New York because there are so many teams for New Yorkers to show their allegiance to. In baseball, there has been unbalanced support in the Yankees direction. Well, now, it might just be the Mets turn.
To start this year, the Yankees injury problems and a poor start to the season has turned everyone’s attention to the exciting Mets of 2019.
The Mets made a splash in the offseason sending four players to the Mariners in exchange for their new closer Edwin Diaz and the massive contract of Robinson Cano.
It did not appear to be a wise move on paper, but Cano proved any doubters wrong in just his first at-bat with the team.
Welcome to the @Mets, @RobinsonCano. #OpeningDay pic.twitter.com/QF6zXWwdJ7
— MLB (@MLB) March 28, 2019
Diaz has picked up where he left off last season; converting all of his saves no matter how small the lead.
It’s much more than just this blockbuster trade. The Mets made other smart offseason moves, like signing Jed Lowrie for the infield and locked down their ace Jacob deGrom for the next five years.
Their homegrown talent has started to blossom in outfielders Brandon Nimmo and Michael Conforto and infielders Amed Rosario and Pete Alonso.
It’s almost like the recent Houston Astros model: Draft a bunch of good players and develop them together or close to together, wait of few years for them to make the major league roster, sign or acquire some veterans as a leadership presence when they reach the majors, shock the world by winning a lot of games and eventually making a run in the playoffs.
The Mets have already made this model work while sitting on a 6-2 record atop the NL East. The Yankees, who by no means lack any talent, are stuck in the middle with a 4-4 record to start.
The Yankees’ laundry list of injuries has held down their depth, but they still have imposing threats in the order with Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez, and Gleyber Torres.
The frustration so far with the Yankees this season has just been the inconsistency. They are hitting well as a team with a .254/.354/.436 slash (8th best in OPS) and 13 home runs (8th), and their pitching has been just as supportive with a 2.88 ERA (6th) and a 1.19 WHIP (10th).
Where they’ve been inconsistent is their inability to put together good outings for both at the same time.
They smacked the Orioles on opening day 7-2 but then proceeded to lose the last two games 5-3 and 7-5.
Their series against the Tigers was much of the same. Win the first, then lose the last two.
Whether you want to blame the injury bug or not, the Yankees have played well enough to win on both sides of the plate; they’re just middle of the road in the win/loss column.
The Yankees long-standing history certainly outweighs that of their in-state rival, but the excitement and attention has turned from the pinstripes to the apple popping out of the hat in centerfield.