Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Darkest Before the Dawn

The Mets are a shambles now. But it’s always darkest before the dawn. As bad as each of the Mets 3 losses against the Yanks were, there is hope in what we’ve seen in the lineup and on the field. The Mets are, after all, 32-29. They’re just 4 ½ behind the Nats and that’s after the worst stretch of injuries that anyone can remember. We mustn’t forget that the Mets had a really good stretch of wins just before their meltdown. They got great starting pitching from Johan and then Dickey and then Niese, back to back to back. Their relief pitching is almost non-existent. And they are now losing the close games they had once been winning. To me, the biggest changes from then to now are that Jason Bay came back, creating a pall around the club and taking up a roster spot, and that the shortstop position has become untenable due to injury. But that’s just in the short run. As silly as this may sound, Jason Bay may start hitting again. The change in dimensions of the fences at CitiField should help Bay more than anyone else on the roster. And there is almost no chance that any other team would give up anything of value for him. But he’s at least a power threat in the lineup and a credible left fielder. He also has speed and knows how to run the bases. The injuries at the shortstop position have been legion. No team could bounce back from losing its starter, then his replacement, and then his and so on and on. It seems to me though that the Mets could live very nicely with Quintanilla at short. He’s shown enough at the plate and in the field to become a credible presence at shortstop. Credibility is the key word to me. Especially with such a young team, it’s important to retain the look and feel of a major league club. The Mets are now losing that credibility, not because of the relief pitching necessarily but because the fielding hasn’t been major-league. Surprisingly enough, it was David Wright’s error that cost them that last game. But Wright has been magnificent. He’s been due for a letdown. It won’t happen much. Murphy at second base may never be confused with Robinson Cano but he has made some fine plays at a tough position. And it’s my belief anyway that Scott Hairston is and always will be a liability in the field and on the bases. Bay’s return gives the Mets credibility in the outfield. Jason in left, Andres Torres in centerfield and Duda in right, rotating with Nieuwenhuis at just about any outfield position gives them resiliency and it could definitely become a strength of this team, if it’ not already. Ike Davis, as bad as he has been at the plate, is a very good-looking first baseman. There’s every reason to believe he’ll shake his doldrums too, not just because he hit a double but because his at-bats have been better. He’ll be an asset very soon. I’ve been wrong before but I feel it coming. Okay, let’s return to the bullpen. The only really terrible presence there is Jon Rauch. For whatever reason, he just can’t get it done. How many times can you roll that guy out there with a lead in the critical 8th inning of games? At least Parnell has a future should he ever learn how to pitch. And the Mets must think about the future. There really can be no significant present, even in such a weak division. Just as the Mets have seen some very nice performances from position players such as Duda and Nieuwenhuis and Valdespin and Thole and now Quintanilla, there are very probably some potential gems that could be inserted into the bullpen. I won’t bore you with a real analysis but there are some good arms down there, arms that could lend, once again, credibility to a beleaguered group. The starting pitching has been very good, all in all, and, along with the outfield, is a position of strength. Parnell and Ramon Ramirez (on the 15-day Dl also) and Byrdak are credible. Batista and Hefner are not. Neither is Rauch. Neither is Elvin Ramirez. They have to go. There’s probably a kid in my neighborhood who could do as well on the mound. But surely there’s hope, maybe even more so now that we’ve seen all these replacement players than before when these young guys were all in Buffalo. Providing even more hope is the strong management from the GM Sandy Alderson to his front office staff and especially his team manager, Terry Collins. Through thick and thin, and this season has certainly had both, the management has been stable, even excellent, and more than credible. Has there ever been a manager as hard put to it as has been Terry Collins? On the 15-day DL right now are more reasons for hope, guys like outfielder Mike Baxter who had been tearing the cover off the ball until he hurt himself saving Johan’s no-hitter. Justin Turner resides there too, an all-around guy who gets big ribbies when needed. Ramon Ramirez and of course Ruben Tejada and Ronny Cedeno are two shortstops, one good and the other credible. There does seem to be a logjam in the outfield though, especially considering Mike Baxter as in the mix. Maybe Jason Bay could be traded. Somebody needs to be traded because the future outfield probably doesn’t include either Torres or Bay. <>Nieuwenhuis should play centerfield with Duda and Baxter in right and left fields. Surely Jason Bay could experience an uptick in his career anywhere else but New York. As a Met, he has provided a power threat without actually ever having been one, providing credibility perhaps but little else.The Mets need every bat they can put in the lineup and every glove they can put in the field. But it's always darkest before the dawn..