3 Takeaways from the 2011 Mets

The season is over for our beloved New York Mets. I found myself enthralled with pennant chase baseball last night and reveling in the demise of both the Boston Red Sox and the Atlanta Braves. I only wish Chipper Jones hit into that game ending double play, but it was still enjoyable nonetheless.

I'm not going to get into the Jose Reyes drama about him not playing the whole game. Please, just stop. If you missed his at bat, shame on you for not being there for the start of the game and if you're angry you only saw him once there were 161 other games that you could have watched him. Don't tarnish an amazing season by the most electric player in New York by whining about only one at bat.

Ok, so I did get into the Reyes drama but now I want to leave you with 3 takeaways from the Mets 2011 campaign.

1. Never believe what people say about the Mets farm system.
How many times have we heard in the last 4 years that the Mets farm system is depleted. That the Mets don't have the chips to make a trade. Or that they need to rebuild the minor leagues? Spare me. The Mets fielded a team of minor leaguers for the better part of 2011. Tejada, Turner, Duda, Evans, and Gee are all examples of guys who can play regularly in the majors. None of them are going to be All Stars tomorrow but there's no denying they are better than what everyone has made them out to be.

2. Pitching is paramount.
I'm tired of talking about this, but pitching is what the Mets need. There will be talk about Prince Fielder, complaining about the horribleness of Jason Bay, and the dimensions of Citi Field but the most important thing the Mets can do this off season is improve their pitching staff. Bullpen and starting rotation. Pelfrey needs to go. Parnell needs therapy and shouldn't take the mound in the 9th inning of a close game for a long time. Offensively, the Mets were actually really good this year. I know it's hard to believe. Their BA is above the NL average. For months they were leading the league in hitting with 2 outs. They're in the top 10 in runs scored and stolen bases. Home runs are obviously an issue but honestly the Mets aren't a bad hitting team. What they are bad at is pitching. How many games did the bullpen blow this year? How many times did we see Niese, Capuano and Pelfrey give up 5+ runs in a single inning that basically blew the game? Missing Santana was obviously a major hurdle to overcome but the lack of a true #2 starter and a somewhat reasonable bullpen is really what killed the Mets...and injuries too.

3. A healthy lineup makes a huge difference.
You want to know something that I would love to see? A healthy Reyes, Wright, Davis and Murphy in the lineup for 150 games. I know injuries are a part of baseball. It's unavoidable, but the Mets haven't even come close to a healthy lineup in the last 3 seasons. Look at what Reyes did running on all cylinders? He missed a few weeks, but he's the batting champ, triples machine that we knew he could become. Pair that with Wright who has his highs & lows but generally produces 30 HRs & 100 RBI and an Ike Davis who could potentially match Wright's production or exceed it. Then add in Murphy who was a top 10 hitter until that dreaded play at second base and you have a very interesting lineup to play with. If Duda continues to grow as a hitter and Jason Bay improves at all and the Mets will have no issues scoring runs. But the key is can they stay healthy? Do you think the Brewers would be in the position they are with Braun out for 2 months? Could the Cards have made the comeback they did without Pujols & Halladay for a stretch in September? Of course not. We have yet to truly see what this Mets team can do if they have a healthy lineup and some help in the rotation.

A Culture of Losing

You could call Saturday's loss devastating, but it would seem repetitive. The Mets have defined devestating losses over the last 3 seasons. Time after time they find ways to disappoint. It might be the BLOWpen. It might be starting pitching. It might be an inability to execute. Whatever it is the Mets are creating a culture of losing.

Don't believe me? Visit any Mets blog and look at the tone of the daily posts. Disappointment abounds. Now that's just the fan base, but the culture is evident in the performance on the field. Every team has a culture. You know when you play for the New York Giants that it's a defensive, run-first grind it out type of play. When you're on the St. Louis Cardinals you're going to play a fundementals first style.

When you're on the Mets, you're going to play disappointing baseball. There's a need for a change.

Sandy Alderson might be the answer. He might not. You may argue that calling 3 losing seasons a culture of losing is being overly dramatic. It was only 3 years ago that the Mets contended for the NL East. True but the absence of consistent playoff appearances has put the Mets in the same company of many a bottom dweller in both leagues. There's no long an expectation of winning.

There's a desire to win. There's a fire in the fan base to win. But the product on the field doesn't win.

You say the Mets were a winning team just last month. That's just the thing. It only lasts for a month. I don't have the answer for what to do to change the culture. It might be personnel. It might be the managing staff. It might be some new trainers for all I know.

But one thing is for certain. This Mets culture needs to change.

updated Sunday at 3:26 pm
Now having watched most of Sunday's game it's becoming more evident to me about this culture of losing. There are teams that get bad breaks or have a string of bad luck and then there's the Mets. If something can go wrong, it will go wrong. Tie the game with late inning home runs? Let's give up not just one run, but multiple runs in the very next inning. Have a runner on 2nd and no outs? Let's fumble our way thru the inning and find new ways not to score. Double play ground ball gives you a chance to get out of serious damage? How about an error to extend the torture?

Sure this weekend is just an awful series to use as an example, but it's not like this same dissertation couldn't have been written in countless series over the past three years. We all know it and it's becoming commonplace. That has to change or the Mets will soon find themselves in the company of the Pirates and Royals in postseason apathy.

The Downward Spiral

I knew it was coming. Just didn't realize it would happen this way. Losing 11 of 14 and their last 5 games has put the Mets in mid season form and firmly planted in baseball irrelevance.

The worst part about it is everything that the Mets were doing right has somehow disappeared. The most patient team at the plate is now swinging at every first pitch. Those surprising young studs have been sent back to normalcy. Jason Bay is hitting. What other sign is there of impending doom?

West Coast trips are historically awful for this team. With 3 games blow in Arizona and a stint in San Diego yet to come, the Mets may return home closer to 10 games under .500 than being a winning team.

The Mets demise is no surprise, but all I wanted was a winning ball club. The climb back to .500 might as well be K2 at this rate.

Mets Prove You Can Ruin a Season in April

When the baseball season starts there's a lot of talk about how players need to get into their groove and that it's a long season. The 2011 Mets are proving that kind of thinking is dumb. The Mets may very well have ruined their season in April.

Let's look at the numbers:

• The Mets started the season with a 5-13 record
• Since then the Mets are 53-44. That's 9 games over .500
• If the Mets had just played .500 ball for those first 18 games, their record would now be 62-53.
• That would put them in second place in the Wild Card at 4.5 games out.

That would be with losing 5 games in a row last week and all the injuries and chaos that perpetually surrounds this team. Of course there still is a month and half left in the season and the Mets could still fall completely apart but so far April has ruined the 2011 Mets.

Oh and a sub .500 record at home doesn't help much either. 

Time to Try and Just Enjoy Baseball

While some have held onto the hope that the Mets still have a chance in the Wild Card race, it's time for all Mets fans to snap back to reality. This season is going nowhere.

The Mets had yet another late inning nail in the coffin to drop them further out of baseball relevance and continue their horrendous play at Citi Field. It's boggling that the Mets have the best record in the NL on the road, but one of the worst at home.

With another pennant race out of the picture, Mets fans will have to try and just enjoy baseball while it's still on. Enjoy Jose Reyes. Enjoy an unknown like Dillon Gee who will be the Mets best pitcher this year. Enjoy Daniel Murphy's hitting, and try and ignore his haplessness on the base paths and the field. See if Lucas Duda can become a legitimate everyday player.

There are angles of interest for every Mets fan to find a reason to watch baseball, but of course there will be plenty of disappointment too like Angel Pagan's fall from grace, the BLOWpen, any Mike Pelfrey start, and let's not forget Jason Bay.

If you're truly a Mets fan, you'll still follow this team even if they plunge deeper into obscurity. But the one thing I have confidence in is that Sandy Alderson knows what he's doing. There's hope for the Mets. It's just not going to come as quickly as we'd like.

The Seesaw Mets

This team is like riding on a seesaw. When something goes up, anothing thing must go down. A 6 game win streak must be followed by losing 8 out of 10. A slew of injuries unleashes an unexpected offensive onslaught from no-name players. The return of injured sluggers brings on horrendous pitching. The hope of a Wild Card hunt is followed up by a dose of the full reality that the 2011 Mets are all but finished.

The series against the Marlins showed just how much of a roller coaster ride this team is. Pelfrey's awful performance was matched with Wright's triumphant return and game winning theatrics. Then horrible pitching was teamed with a great offensive output only to lead to back to back losses.

This is the way the rest of the season will go. A few highs followed by a few lows followed by...you get the picture. Beltran is about to go and I wouldn't be surprised if a few others will join him before August rolls around.

It signals the end of a meaningful season, but the hope is that the seesaw swings back the other way.

Mets Berzerker Barrage

...this is what the Mets offense has been lately. a thousand little cuts that eventually leads to victory. this team is suddenly fun to watch. winning tends to do that.

Mets Have to Break the Cycle

Win 5. Lose 4. Win 2. Lose 3. And so the story goes for the 2011 Mets. What was excitement and hope about a surging team has turned into questions and doubt in less than 48 hours.

The Mets find themselves back to under .500 and with a reputation for not winning at home. This team needs to go 5-1 on this home stand in the worst way. Here's why.

They're already 2 games under .500. Another loss puts them in an almost impossible hole to get out of in the next two week as we can't expect road series wins to be a regular occurrence and then the Yanks come into Citi Field over the 4th of July. The next 5 games are against teams that aren't that great. They are winnable and would put the Mets at 3 games over .500.

A win streak like that would allow the team to buck the "can't get over .500" conversation that comes up every day. Plus it gives them some buffer as they head out on the road for interleague play before coming back home to some tougher competition.

If they don't win these next 5 games and only manage 3 wins, the Mets will be in the exact same place they were before this amazing 10 game road trip. They will be under .500 and facing an uphill battle.

The shame of this loss was the opportunities late with Reyes & Turner on base and no one out. Two bunts would have scored the tying run, but three consecutive strikeouts is just unforgivable.

Things have been going right for the Mets and the pessimist in me is waiting for the tide to shift the other way. I know the Mets can't win every game but we need a solid win streak to set the tone for the rest of this season if this team is to compete.

Trying to Stay Positive as a Mets Fan

I've noticed this blog has become a cauldron of negativity just spewing pain, venom and angst towards my beloved Mets. Wednesday nights debacle against the Pirates had me ready to tare into this team with twice the anguish as my last post. I hate this. I like to think I'm a positive guy, but the Mets just make you want to go on a rant to let out the poison.

Serenity now. Serenity now.

So I'm going to stay positive. Here are all the positive things that happened in this 9-3 bludgeoning by the Pirates:

• The Mets actually hit a home run for the first time in a century. Thank you Justin Turner
• Chris Capuano pitched well...for almost 7 innings
• No errors
• No Bobby Parnell
• The bullpen didn't blow a lead late
• Daniel Murphy had another multi-hit game
• Ruben Tejada drove in more RBI in one game than Jason Bay has home runs
• No one else was put on the DL
• At least Chin Lun Hu wasn't playing
• Tomorrow Jose Reyes returns!
• It's looking like we don't have to worry about a collapse! Whew!

The Kids Are Alright

The Mets are truly on a roller coaster ride this year. Losing streaks followed by winning streaks followed by injuries followed by surprise performances from unknown players.

While guys like Dickey haven't been able to repeat their success story from last year, guys like Justing Tuner, Jason Pridie and Pedro Beato are filling the void. The current direction of the 2011 Mets is eerily similar to last year. If you'll recall, the Mets were relevant up until the All Star Game, when everything just fell apart.

The reason for their relevance was the fact that the starting pitching was great, except for Oliver Perez, and role players we're playing above their expectation. That's what we're getting from Turner & Pridie in the absence of Davis and Pagan.

Honestly, who would you rather have up with 2 on and 2 out when the Mets are down a run? Turner or Bay? Ok, that was easy. How about Turner or Reyes? I'd still go with Turner.

Daniel Murphy has been playing decent baseball. Pridie, who has struggled of late, hasn't made us yearn for the return of Angel Pagan. And the Paulino/Thole platoon hasn't caused Mets fans to call out for an upgrade at the backstop.

But the key to all of this is the pitching. Niese looked mature out there last night. Dillon Gee has done everything you could have hoped for. Beato has been masterful in the bullpen.

The kids are doing alright. And this is all without having Santana in the rotation, Ike Davis in the lineup, a healthy Wright at third base or even a Jason Bay that hits .240.

How long can this last? I don't know. But it's a fun ride so far. Winning 8 out of your last 12 will do that.

A Bench of Worthlessness

Someone has to be the worst player on the team. It's a fact of life. Not everyone will be an All Star slugger and no team has a guy that can hit .300 as the last resort in an extra inning game.

The issue is the Mets seem to have a bench full of them.

In last night's disappointing loss, the worthlessness of the Mets bench was fairly evident. This should sum it up for you in a nutshell. In the most important moment of the game with a chance to win it on one swing, the Mets decided to pinch hit for a guy batting .205 for a guy batting .050. The lesser of two evils? Perhaps. The results was a hard luck ball that might have been a base hit under other circumstances, but the point is would the outcome have been any different if another bench player was available? I don't think so.

The Mets are a depleted bunch right now with Ike Davis being hurt and David Wright soon to be on the DL so some may defend that the team is at the end of the talent pool. Possibly, but I'd argue that these bench players have been on the roster since Opening Day and have given no reason for us to want them to stay.

Think about it. Brad Emaus was the starting second baseman. He is horrible. So Murphy steps in. Davis gets hurt. Murphy moves to first and the Mets neglect Hu, who made the Opening Day roster, and instead turn to Justin Turner who has been great. Hu rightfully should have been given the shot, but Collins knows that Hu is worthless. And so finally today they put him out of his misery and send him to the minors.

But Hu isn't the scapegoat here. Scott Hairston and Willie Harris have been just as worthless. Again, both of these guys are on the Opening Day roster. Pagan gets hurt. Instead of turning to either Harris or Hairston, they call up Jason Pridie who know is the every day center fielder.

Both Hairston and Harris have been abysmal at the plate. Hairston is giving me flashbacks of Jeff Franceour and Willie Harris is this year's Gary Matthews, Jr.

Ruben Tejada has been called up and I like that move, but what is with the Mets hatred of poor Nick Evans? The kid can play either corner infield or outfield position and for the most part has done more at the plate in the majors than either Hairston or Harris.

In any case the Mets bench is bad. So bad you wish you had Fernando Tatis back. I understand the need to let young guys play every day and that veterans are more suited to coming off the bench cold. But when the Mets are in such roster flux right now and there are platoons at more than 3 positions, that argument should go out the window.

Let the kids play. Bring me Nick Evans.

The Unexpectables

Last night's win against the Astros is a more improbable Mets victory than one might think. Yes, it is the Astros who aren't exactly a fearsome team, but the Mets had not come back to win like this in quite some time.

They haven't won a game when being down by 4 runs since early last year and the way they were able to come back is even more surprising. First, Jason Bay showed some power (finally!) to put the Mets on the board. Then the BLOWpen of April, has disappeared as the relievers went into lock down mode after Dillon Gee gave up four runs in 5 innings.

Add that to the just called-up Fernando Martinez appearing out of oblivion to hit a monster 2-run pinch hit home run. And finally Mr. Anti-Clutch, David Wright, pulls teed up changeup over the left field wall with two outs to put the Mets ahead.

To top it all off, Jason Pridie, who was mired in an 0-15 slump, added an insurance run in the top of the 9th. Of course, K-Rod tried to make things exciting but ultimately notched the save.

This is one of the most unexpected wins of the season. Is it a fluke or are the Mets turning the corner with yet another 3-game win streak. Not to be overly dramatic, but this afternoon's game should give us some answers. Dickey is on the mound and he's been just dreadful. Can Dickey ride this high and master his knuckleball? Will the Mets give the starting pitchers some run support for a 4th straight game?

As the Mets inch closer to .500, it's easy to start getting excited about this teams overerachievement. But part of me is waiting for that 6 game losing streak lurking around the corner.

Waiting for May

April has been an abysmal month. Bad weather. Unwatchable baseball. Horrible NCAA championship game. The list could go on and on.

But here at the end of the month, the Mets are trying to let a little sunshine break through the clouds. A 4 game win streak has Mets fans excited for the moment. And so comes a 6 game road trip to Washington and Philadelphia.

It's hard to say a road trip in April can make or break a season. It won't. But what it will do is determine Mets fans attitude and interest in this team for yet another month. The Mets don't have to sweep the Nationals or the Phillies. They could go 3-3 and Mets fans would still have some good feelings about the team as the calendar turns.

What you don't want to see is a free fall as soon as the team leaves Flushing. Losing 3 or 4 straight would send this team back into depression and the fan base along with them. You wonder if this team's starting rotation is just a bunch of slow starters working out the kinks or if every positive we saw from these arms last year turned out to be a fluke. I hope it's the former, but wouldn't be shocked if it's the latter either.

The Nationals are not the doormat they used to be and obviously Philly is the cream of the National League East. Whether you want to believe it or not, this April road trip has a lot of significance.

April Statistics the 2011 Mets Lead the League In

Here are just a few of the stats the 2011 Mets currently lead the league in:

1. Blown leads
2. Blown saves
3. Times thrown out stealing home
4. Times thrown out stealing 3rd base
5. Attempted fan suicides
6. Unwatchableness
7. Starting rotation ERA
8. Bullpen ERA
9. Walking the lead off batter of an inning
10. Despicably played games
11. Despicably played innings
12. Runners left in scoring position
13. Failed sacrifice bunts
14. Angry fan blog posts
15. Hopelessness

Ride the Mets Roller Coaster

The season is barely a week old, but I'm already expecting a very bumpy ride this season. It appears that this Mets team is going to take us on quite a ride. Lots of bumps. Lots of drops. But also some thrills mixed in.

After winning three straight games, the Mets have now lost three straight in fairly embarrassing fashion. Walks are plaguing the pitching. Untimely hitting abounds and there's a general lack of clutchness.

Welcome to the 2011 Mets. I expect we'll see much of this throughout the year. Hot streaks followed by frigid slumps. This is a young team with a lot of new pieces. It will take at least the month of April for Terry Collins to figure out exactly what he's got out there, for players who were injured last year to get comfortable playing every day and for the new guys to find their niche in New York.

I'm excited about this season. Much more so than I thought I'd be. There's a scrappiness here that I like, but as I've preached countless times before it's the pitching that will ultimately decide the Mets fate.

What Are the Mets Odds?

If you look at the MLB Odds on BetUs.com, the answer is not good. BetUs.com has the Mets equal to the Washington Nationals as far as their chances to win the NL East. If you were wondering, yes that puts them finishing last in the division.

The site doesn't have odds for Wild Card placement, but it does have a ton off odds figures for the upcoming 2011 MLB season including individual batting categories, the chances of potential match-ups in the playoffs and even the chances of winning regular season series against specific teams.

At the very least, it's an entertaining look, but can be depressing when you see quantitative proof at how low the expectations are for the 2011 Mets.

Official Mets Shirt for 2011

...serious props to MetsPolice for posting this

The Mets Waiting Game

This is the worst part of any season. The waiting. Here the Mets have closed another disappointing season. They've made the right move to start cleaning house by firing the GM and the manager. And now are ready to right this ship.

But now we wait.

Until a GM is hired, and probably a manager too, nothing will happen. The Mets should have someone picked to be GM by the time the World Series is ended. And then we'll have to wait and see who this GM wants this manager to be. And then, finally, we'll get to the real issue, the players on the field.

It'll be Christmas (hopefully not later) by the time we start seeing how this team will shape up for both next season and into the future. Until then we have to suffer through another Phils/Yanks World Series.

Don't Write Off KRod Yet

KRod did a horrible and down right despicable thing last week when he got into an altercation in the family clubhouse area after the Mets game with the Rockies. It's inexcusable and he should be punished for it by the Mets and the law if that is what the system ultimately decides. But I'd still consider him to be on my team next year.

The Mets are using this opportunity to try and save face with the fan base.They're posturing to get rid of KRod, but not for the moral standards by which the orgnaization wants you to believe they posses. They want to get rid of him to save money. The almighty dollar.

Let's not fool ourselves. The Mets are a business and they have every right, and are obligated, to find ways to be profitable. But exiling KRod isn't smart business.

Here's why. Would you want Kobe Bryant to be on your basketball? Hmm, yup. What about Ray Lewis? Do you want him on your defense? Even though he's not as spry as he used to be I'd absolutely want him on the Giants. These are guys who arguable have done worse things than KRod (allegedly in Lewis' case) and were publicly vilified for it. But yet here they are both on the same teams that contracted them before their public troubles unfolded. Why? Because sports fans forgive when a player can perform.

KRod had been at the top of his game since coming to the Mets before the altercation last week. The Mets have zero options for future closers. Takahashi might be ok for the rest of this season but I can't see him being a long term solution. Parnell? 102 mph fastball is stunning, but ne needs to do show his stuff for more than one game before being crowned the successor. So if the Mets are looking to save money by voiding KRod's contract due to moral clauses, they're still going to have to go out and spend money to replace him next season.

Sure they might get someone for less money, but they'll also be most likely getting someone with less talent which may in turn result in fewer saves, more Mets losses, and more outcries from the fan base. It's a vicious cycle. Also the KRod contract is not even close to being the worst contract money-wise that the Mets have on the books (see Bay, Castillo, Beltran, or Perez).

Banishing Krod gets the Mets 15 minutes of reprieve from the media. They'll be applauded for "doing the right thing." But in another year, they'll be in hot water for not having an 8th inning or a 9th inning arm in the bullpen.

Whether it's right or wrong, sports figures are able to be forgiven for their misdoings. KRod needs to pay for his misdeeds. He definitely needs some psychological help and counselling. He should get it. He should pay his dues. And come spring of 2011, we'll be ready to welcome him back...as long as he performs well.

Just ask Ron Artest, Big Ben, and Santonio Holmes.

Already Looking Forward to 2011 Mets

The hope of success in 2010 is gone. You can watch the Mets games if you enjoy pain and disappointment, but I'm already thinking about 2011.

For some reason, I think 2011 has the potential to be interesting. Sure, that's what every Mets fan says about the next season, but for once the cards might fall in the Mets favor. The Mets have some truly awful contracts on the books next year, but even with those abysmal deals there's a silver lining.

First off it's a contract year for Beltran & KRod. Beltran will be playing for his last major payday and nothing is a motivator like the almighty dollar. Having an awful comeback in 2010, I believe Beltran will have a big year as he woos the Mets and other teams into giving him a few more dollars and years to add to his quiver. KRod has been lights out of late. In 2011 he'll put his personal issues to rest and like Beltran be on a quest for another big time paycheck.

Secondly, it's Jason Bay's second year. In 2005, Carlos Beltran was awful. He did nothing for most of the year after coming from small markets in Kansas City and Houston the year before. In 2006, Beltran broke out in a major way and we got to see the player we hoped we'd have. I honestly believe the same will come true for Jason Bay. Playing in New York is a major adjustment. Concussion aside, Bay will be ready in 2011. He's a guy that works hard and plays hard, and his sophomore season should be a significant improvement.

Lastly, the kids are going to grow up. Jon Niese is turning into a really solid middle of the rotation pitcher. Ike Davis will have been through his rookie slumps and be ready to start the season as the everyday first baseman. Tejada will play winter ball and develop his swing. Who knows what Kirk Nieuwenhuis will do if given the chance to perform?

All of this and I haven't mentioned Johan Santana, David Wright or Jose Reyes. Sure there are negatives like what's the deal with Mike Pelfrey, what do you do with Oliver Perez/John Maine, and how do you solve a problem like Luis Castillo? But for now there's hope. It's something to look forward to.