The Mets Fan
Hi! My name is Becky, and I’ve been a sports fan my whole life and dabble around writing for Blue Seat Blogs.
How You Became a Mets Fan
I’ve been a Mets fan since I was in the womb- literally. My mom was 7 months pregnant with me when the Mets won their last WS (whoops aging myself).
Growing up in my house, I had no choice. Of my Mom, Dad and two older brothers, my Mom is by far the most rabid fan. I spent many summers at Shea. some of my favorite memories are of being in high school, getting cheap tickets from the box office, and sneaking down to Loge to watch the really bad early 2000s teams.
Favorite Mets Player
Fave of all time is Mike Piazza. Current fave is Jacob deGrom.
Favorite Moment in Mets History
Moment in mets history? Everyone will say the Endy Chavez catch, but that wound up being a bad bad night. I would say the Piazza HR in the first game after 9/11 against the braves. To this day, that clip gives me chills.
Message to Mets Fans
My message to Mets fans is that although ownership can be a mess (and has always been), games are always fun to go to. You have a fun family along with other Mets fans and damn it, we’re due for another World Series. I personally can’t wait for Opening Day if, for nothing else, to listen to Gary Keith and Ron. Not to mention Citi really is a gorgeous and fun atmosphere with good food, good beer and great fans. LGM!!
One of the most interesting phenomena in sports is how when an aging player returns to his old stomping grounds, sometimes he is just able to turn back the clock. As Mets fans, we saw this in 2006 when Mike Piazza had a two home run game against Pedro Martinez. Yesterday, we saw Adrian Gonzalez have one of those days.
It’s been bad for Gonzalez of late, really bad. He’s been mired in a 1-17 stretch with no extra base hits. Going back a little further, over his last 10 games, he’s hitting .121/.205/.212.
Things have been so bad Wilmer Flores got the previous two starts at first base. Yes, the Padres were starting left-handed pitchers both days, but Gonzalez has killed Clayton Richard. However, when you’re hitting like he’s been hitting, you’re not going to get into the lineup. You’re also going to hear about the Mets planning to move Jay Bruce to first base. This meant if Gonzalez was going to do anything to stop it all from happening, he was going to have to do it now.
Did we mention earlier that @Adrian_ElTitan is Petco Park’s all-time home run leader, too? pic.twitter.com/dnUAVVeHjC
— New York Mets (@Mets) April 29, 2018
That seventh inning three run homer was needed because it helped put what was a close game away. Instead of a tight 4-2 game with Mickey Callaway having to use his best relievers, it was a 7-2 laugher allowing Callaway to get work for guys like Matt Harvey.
It was all part of a great day for Gonzalez. Overall, he was 3-6 with a run, double, homer, and five RBI. He would have had an even better day had Franchy Cordero not robbed him of another double earlier in the game.
With Gonzalez front and center, this was really a day when a lot of beleaguered Mets got healthy. Jose Reyes contributed going 2-5 with three runs, a homer, RBI, walk, and a stolen base. Tomas Nido was 2-5 with a run, RBI, and a walk. And Harvey would pitch a scoreless ninth, even if he did allow a hard hit double to Eric Hosmer. Really, that’s the last time I want to ever put Harvey’s name, double, and a 2015 Royal in the same sentence.
Going with the rejuvenation theme, Zack Wheeler was good, which was needed from a Mets rotation still trying to figure out who can be an effective third starter in this rotation.
He battled most of the afternoon, and he did not get a 1-2-3 inning until the fifth, his last inning of work. That said, what impressed you most about this start was how Wheeler found that extra something at times when he’s usually lost it. Wheeler ended a rally in the first by striking out Freddy Galvis. He helped curb a third inning rally limiting the damage to two runs by striking out Carlos Asuaje. After Manuel Margot‘s two out single, stolen base, and advancing to third on a throwing error, Wheeler struck out Hosmer.
Overall, Wheeler had nine strikeouts, but what was really remarkable was how he got them at key moments when he needed a strikeout. That hasn’t always been his M.O., and it’s a real positive step going forward for him.
Even with his start and with Gonzalez turning back the clock was how the Mets offense put five spots on the board in consecutive innings. It was a full on onslaught by a Mets offense which saw every starting position player register two hits. Even Brandon Nimmo, who came on for Yoenis Cespedes, would register two hits. In addition to Gonzalez, Reyes and Todd Frazier would homer. The sum total of this barrage was a 14-2 Mets win marking the first ever time the Mets have scored double digits at Petco Park.
Of course with this being the Mets, not everything could be a positive. Cespedes, who has been torrid of late, had to come out of the game after executing a double steal with Bruce. In what was his second stolen base of the inning, Cespedes jammed his thumb. The good news is the x-rays were negative. The bad news is Cespedes believes he can’t play over the next three days, and that’s with the Braves coming to town.
Still, things could have been a lot worse with Cespedes, and with the Mets going to Petco, a place where they had only previously won one series, things could have gone a lot worse there. All in all, this was a good series where the Mets got back on track.
Game Notes: Paul Sewald recorded his first hold of the season. He initially came on to relieve Wheeler when it was a two run game. He now has a 1.98 ERA on the season.
Back in 1948, Gerald Hern of The Boston Post penned a poem, which was shortened, and the words have forever lived on in baseball lore: “Spahn and Sain and Pray for Rain.”
The reason for the poem was not so much a reflection on the Boston Braves staff as a whole, but more of a reflection of the greatness that was Johnny Sain and Warren Spahn. Both pitchers were aces, and any manager in their right mind would want them pitching more frequently than the rest of their rotation. And that’s basically what happened with Sain making 39 starts and three relief appearances and Spahn making 35 starts and one relief appearance.
The Braves followed that plan to win the 1948 National League pennant.
Now, in 2018, you have to wonder if the Mets should follow that plan with their own version of Spahn and Sain with Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard.
With deGrom and Syndergaard, the Mets have two aces and Cy Young contenders atop their rotation. After that, at best, you have question marks.
Matt Harvey has been removed from the rotation, and so far, he can’t figure things out in the bullpen. Steven Matz has been struggling just to get into the fifth inning. Zack Wheeler had a Spring Training so poor he began the year in the minors, and after two strong starts for the Mets this year, he reminded you of that guy again in his last start. Finally, Jason Vargas, the guy who was supposed to be an innings eater, got lit up by the worst hitting team in baseball in the ultimate pitchers park.
Seeing what has happened to the once vaunted Mets rotation, they are now in Spahn and Sain territory. The question is what should the quip be. Here are some ideas.
- Thor and Jake and Pray for an Earthquake
- Jake and Thor and Can’t Watch Anymore
- Jake and Thor and the Revolving Door
- Thor and Jake and Oh for God’s Sake
- Thor and Jake And Who is on the Take?
- Jake and Syndergaard Followed By Batters Going Yard
- Thor and deGrom And The Rest Bomb
Personally, I like the first one as it encapsulates both an event which would cause a game cancellation, and it also conveys the disaster the third, fourth, fifth, and now sixth starters have been to start the season.
If you blinked, you might’ve missed Jason Vargas pitching for the Mets 10 years ago. In his two starts for the 2007 Mets, he was 0-1 with a 12.19 ERA.
Well, if you missed it, you got a sample of it tonight.
Right off the bat, the Padres made Petco look like pre-humidor Coors Field. Vargas allowed a two run homer to Christian Villaneuva, and later that inning, a Juan Lagares rare misplay led to a Manuel Margot two RBI triple. Believe it or not, things got worse from there . . . much worse.
After all was said and done, Vargas’ final line was 3.2 innings, nine hits, nine runs, nine earned, three walks, and five strikeouts. The Padres, who entered the game as the worst hitting club in the majors, had a triple and two homers off of Vargas. That would have been three homers off Vargas had Lagares not made this incredible play to rob Villanueva on what should have been his second homer of the game:
Don’t act like you’re not impressed by @juanlagares2. pic.twitter.com/WgQZnwheiN
— New York Mets (@Mets) April 29, 2018
Really, that Lagares play and a sixth inning Yoenis Cespedes two run homer was it for the highlights from the Mets for this game. That’s typically the case in a game that ends at 1-2. It’s just time to shake things off, forget about this game, and get back on track.
Game Notes: With the Padres starting a second straight game, Wilmer Flores started at first base. The Mets also announced Jay Bruce will get getting some games at first in the upcoming homestand leaving you wondering what Adrian Gonzalez‘s role, if any, will continue to be for this team.
With the Mets playing on the West Coast, and on a Friday night to boot, it is understandable if you missed the game last night. If you did, you missed the special message Keith Hernandez had for Mets fans:
Actually, Keith was just showing us how he cut his finger shaving. For those interested, Keith uses a single blade when he shaves.
Right now, that moment goes down in the annuls of famous Mets moments in San Diego including the David Wright barehanded catch, the Carlos Beltran/Mike Cameron headfirst collision, and the Bartolo Colon home run.
Overall, it’s silly moments like this, or when a Keith, who thought he was off camera, gave his assessment of Tanner Roark‘s performance, that makes this booth the best in baseball. They’re honest, and you never know when they’re going to do something so innocently bizarre that you will never forget the moment.
With the Mets having lost three straight series, the last thing they needed was a West Coast trip. They needed to play in Petco Park even less. It’s not just that it’s a suddenly woeful Mets offense was going to one of, if not the, most extreme pitcher’s park in the league. No, it was the Mets all-time record at Petco Park entering this game was 18-32.
Fortunately for the Mets, they had their best weapon out there tonight – Jacob deGrom.
Once again, deGrom was brilliant. His final line on the night was 7.1 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, and 8 K.
This is the third straight game he would strike out at least eight, and he now has the longest stretch in the National League of pitching at least 5.1 innings. Basically, deGrom is pitching about as well as anyone, and really, he’s been better than almost everyone.
Given how he’s pitched of late, the offense, and his luck, the questions were whether he was going to get run support and whether the bullpen could hold things down.
In Jacob deGrom's last two starts he's left the game in line for the win only to have the bullpen surrender the lead .According to Elias, since 2014, deGrom has 20 such "blown wins", the most in the majors.
— Michael Mayer (@mikemayer22) April 27, 2018
Well, deGrom would get his run support before he even stepped foot on the mound. After Doug Eddings, who had a wildly inconsistent strike zone all game long, ruled a 3-1 pitch was a strike and not a ball, Asdrubal Cabrera hit a lead-off double off Clayton Richard. After moving to third on a Yoenis Cespedes fly out to deep right, Cabrera scored on a two out Todd Frazier RBI single.
The score stayed that way until the seventh because the Mets could not get anything going against Richard, Michael Conforto made a couple of nice plays in the field, and the Padres were afraid to challenge Yoenis Cespedes‘ arm.
At that point, it was time for Cabrera to once again leave his mark not just on the game but on the early part of the season.
Juan Lagares led off the inning with an infield single just beating Carlos Asuaje throw. Jose Lobaton, who easily had his best game as a Met, singled to set up runners at the corners with no outs. With Richard faltering, it seemed like this is where the Mets would blow the game open. It almost . . . ALMOST didn’t happen.
First, there was the Lagares base running mistake. Instead of following Christian Villanueva down the line on the deGrom sacrifice bunt/safety squeeze, he immediately dashed back to third. If he followed Villanueva down the line, it’s quite possible he scores. Instead he stayed, and when Amed Rosario hit a sharp grounder to Asuaje, the Mets had runners at second and third with no runs and two outs.
With the Padres going into a strong bullpen, it seemed as if they were going to get out of the jam. That perception was absolutely wrong as Cabrera hit a Craig Stammen mistake for a three run homer to effectively end the game.
In the eighth, the Mets would expand their lead with a two out rally. After recording two quick outs, Kazuhisa Makita hit Lagares with a 1-2 pitch, and Lagares would score on the ensuing Lobaton RBI double.
Again, Lobaton easily had his best game as a Met. He caught deGrom, who had a great game. He threw out Franchy Cordero, who was the only Padre to attempt a stolen base. On the play, it was a perfect throw and a perfect tag by Cabrera. Finally, and perhaps most surprisingly, Lobaton was 2-4 with a run, a double, and an RBI.
With the 5-0 lead, the only remaining question was whether the bullpen could hold onto the lead or whether there would be another meltdown.
When deGrom parted with one out in the eighth, there was a runner on, and Jerry Blevins came on to face Eric Hosmer. Conforto needed every bit of that deep right field to corral the long fly Hosmer would send. Mickey Callaway then went to AJ Ramos who got Villanueva to fly out.
Then, Callaway went with Matt Harvey in the ninth to close the door. As bad as things have been for Harvey since 2015, no one could have imagined this outing.
No, he didn’t blow the lead, although he did make everyone nervous with Cordero greeting him with a homer, and Harvey walking Jose Pirela. Given Harvey’s recent history and the recent bullpen meltdowns, this was an ominous sign, and Jeurys Familia was rapidly trying to get loose in the bullpen.
Fortunately for the Mets, Harvey, whose velocity dipped all the way down to 90, yes 90 MPH, got a fly out and a game ending double play.
Yes, there was plenty of reason to be excited for this 5-1 win, but seeing Harvey pitch this way certainly did put a bit of a damper on things. Hopefully, both Harvey and the Mets can figure something out at this point because this has become sad and painful to watch.
GAME NOTES: Before the game the Mets recalled Jacob Rhame and sent Corey Oswalt back down. The Mets moved David Wright to the 60 day disabled list to make room for LHP Buddy Baumann, who the team claimed off waivers from the Padres. Bauman was sent down to Triple-A Vegas. Despite his good numbers against Richard, Callaway sat Adrian Gonzalez in favor of Wilmer Flores
Looking at the Mets lineup right now, they are just giving away four free outs, and it has been an issue for a team that has now lost three straight series after their torrid start. The question is how or if the Mets could improve theses respective areas. For the most part is probably not.
The pitcher’s spot is going to be the pitcher’s spot. Given his defense and how much the Mets have invested in him, the team is going to let Amed Rosario figure it out. Unless you can swing a trade, the Mets are stuck with Jose Lobaton and Tomas Nido in near future.
That leaves Adrian Gonzalez, who is hitting .203/.300/.322 and is currently mired in a 1-16 slump. He is holding the team back offensively at a time they need him to hit, and at a -1 DRS, he’s no longer a Gold Glover. With his lack of production and the fact the Mets actually have internal options, it is time to cut bait and choose Option B, C, or D. Here are what those options are:
Option No. 1 – Bruce
Jay Bruce playing first base is seemingly the most obvious option, albeit one the Mets have seemed to be reluctant to pursue. If they would finally pursue this route, it would take his -2 DRS out of right field, and it would create an avenue for Brandon Nimmo and his .500 OBP into the everyday lineup.
The downside of this is Bruce is not as strong a first baseman as Gonzalez. It creates more opportunity for teams, who have already abused the Mets with safety squeezes, to have more bunt plays against the Mets. Some of the other things like digging balls out of the dirt may become throwing errors. Lastly, when he made the move to first last year, he hit just .189/.302/.378. That could be the result of small sample sizes, or it could be the result of him not being comfortable. Neither possibility should be discounted.
Option No. 2 – Flores
Even at first base, Wilmer Flores is not going to be a good enough defender to play everyday. However, at this point in their respective careers, Flores is a better hitter than Gonzalez, and the defensive gap is not as great.
Since 2014, we have seen Flores’ batting average and slugging have improved as has his ability to hit right-handed pitching. After a slow start this year when he did not receive regular playing time, over his last 13 games, Flores is hitting .281/.343/.531 with two doubles, two homers, and five RBI. In an ironic twist, Flores is actually hitting right-handed pitching well while struggling against left-handed pitching.
Seeing his production, Flores has merited more playing time, and of all the options, he may be the best possible stopgap option. At a minimum putting him at first only serves to displace an under-performing Gonzalez while allowing the Mets to keep Bruce in his comfort zone.
Option No. 3 – Smith
Who knows what would have happened this season if Dominic Smith showed up on time for the first Spring Training game. With him being in the best shape of his life and his coming off his best ever minor league season, he may have very well have won the first base job in Spring Training; his injury not withstanding.
Now, Smith is off to a slow start in Triple-A hitting .234/.372/.406, and he’s mired in a 4-26 slump. For comparison’s sake, he hit .337/.382/.484 in April last year.
What we don’t know is whether this was the result of him dealing with an injury early in the season, the disappointment of starting the season in the minors, or something all together different.
Calling him up now and having him work with this coaching staff could rejuvenate him, and he could take off. It’s also possible he crumbles under the pressure completely. Whatever the case, you’re not getting anything from Gonzalez now, so would it really matter if you get nothing from Smith. After all with Peter Alonso nipping at his heels, you need to find out about Smith eventually.
Option No. 4 – Cabrera
So far this season, Asdrubal Cabrera has been the team’s MVP, but that is only because of his bat. Before his right hamstring started “barking,” he already had limited range at second base, and he had a -3 DRS. All things considered, you may want to keep him in the lineup and on the team, but keeping him at second is not helping the team.
If he was willing, and after what we saw last year he might not be, a move to first may be beneficial for him. No, Cabrera does not have experience at first base, but he is a smart player, and with some work on the side, he may quickly become adept at the position. Most likely, he could pan out better than both Bruce and Flores would.
If you moved him to first, you could call-up Gavin Cecchini to play second. Unlike Smith, he has certainly earned the opportunity. Right now, Cecchini is in the midst of a six game hitting streak, and he is hitting .311/.373/.459 with nine doubles and five RBI. Notably, for a player who has struggled defensively in the past, he has not made an error.
Even if you don’t want to give Cecchini a starting spot, at least not initially, he could come up and serve in a utility role. Remember, if you release Gonzalez, someone is going to have to get called-up from the minors to take a roster spot. You could argue that spot could go to Phillip Evans, or to Ty Kelly, who has been mashing the ball this year.
Option No. 5 – Conforto
As previously noted, there is a logjam in the outfield preventing the team from getting Nimmo into the lineup. While the team won’t move Bruce, maybe they move Michael Conforto there, who many, Keith Hernandez included, believe would be a good first baseman.
While different players under somewhat different circumstances, the Dodgers did quite well last year replacing Gonzalez with Cody Bellinger.
The biggest issue with making that decision is Conforto is the only everyday outfielder with a positive DRS. Taking him out of the outfield will make the defense at both first and the outfield worse. The question there is if Nimmo’s bat leading off everyday with Juan Lagares being better off utilized as a defensive replacement would offset those issues.
Treading Water
Now, none of these options may not entice you. That is typically the predicament you are in April when you are trying to replace an under-performing veteran and your top prospect in Triple-A is struggling. As a result, you could justifiably keep Gonzalez and just spell him more frequently with Flores.
Buying this time could allow the Mets to wait for Smith to hit a hot streak thereby forcing the team to call him up. It gives more time to T.J. Rivera, who was the first baseman for Puerto Rico in the most recent WBC, to heal. It could give more time for Alonso to continue his development allowing the team to call him up similar to how they did with Michael Conforto. It would also give the team more time to possibly swing a deal for a first baseman depending on who would be available.
In a complete and utter pipe dream, maybe you wait for David Wright to insert himself into the conversation. The question really is whether that is more unrealistic than their current belief that Gonzalez can still do the job. Whatever crazy ideas there are, the Mets need to be right in their decision because the fate of some of their prospects and the 2018 season hinge on this extremely important decision.
With the Giants and Jets shaping their franchises for the next decade with their high first round draft picks, and with the struggles of the Mets home grown rotation, now is as good a time as ever to look at the Mets history of drafting pitchers in the first round of the draft. Looking at the Mets history, there is an Eli Manning, and there are more than a few Mark Sanchezes.
Can you name the Mets five best first round drafted pitchers by career WAR? Good luck!
Dwight Gooden Jon Matlack Tim Leary Scott Kazmir Matt Harvey Mike Pelfrey Paul Wilson Aaron Heilman Philip Humber
The story of this game should have been Noah Syndergaard returning to form. Like on Opening Day, he was mowing down the Cardinals, but this time, he was much more efficient in doing so. Through six, he kept the Cardinals scoreless striking out six and allowing just two hits, and it looked like the Mets were going to cruise to a 2-0 victory at that point.
Both RBI came from Yoenis Cespedes, who snapped out of his funk going 2-5 with a double and two RBI. The first RBI was a first inning off Carlos Martinez scoring Brandon Nimmo from first. In the seventh, in what looked like window dressing at the plate, he plated Amed Rosario with a sacrifice fly.
However, as we have learned with Cespedes, sometimes he will giveth and sometimes he will taketh.
That was evident with Tommy Pham “doubled” on a ball that hit off of Cespedes’ glove. Pham would then come home to score on a Marcell Ozuna single to cut the lead to 2-1. With the way Paul DeJong kills the Mets, really it was a miracle he didn’t tie the score on his double.
Ultimately, it didn’t matter as the Mets gave up the lead in the eighth with some more poor defense.
What was interesting was Mickey Callaway let Syndergaard start the eighth while holding back Robert Gsellman. Really, you wonder why not just go to the fresh arm after an inning in which Syndergaard faced some trouble. Really, this is a bit nitpicky because this is Syndergaard we are talking about here.
In any event, Rosario threw a ball away on a Greg Garcia grounder starting off the inning with a runner on first instead of one out and the pitcher’s spot coming up. Syndergaard struck out Yadier Molina before allowing a single to Matt Carpenter leading to his getting pulled from the game.
Gsellman was in a tough spot, and he didn’t deliver immediately. The first batter he faced, Pham, singled to tie the score. To his credit, with the go-ahead run in scoring position and just one out, Gsellman got Jose Martinez to ground into the inning ending 6-4-3 double play.
After a rusty Seth Lugo battled through a hit batter and walk to get through a scoreless ninth, the Mets would get an absolute gift run in the 10th.
After two quick outs, Jay Bruce and Todd Frazier hit back-to-back singles putting the game into Adrian Gonzalez‘s hands. Somehow, not only would Luke Gregerson walk Gonzalez, but he would also walk Jose Lobaton to force in a run. With Jeurys Familia coming into the game, it seemed like the Mets would win a series after losing two straight.
Didn’t happen.
After two quick outs, Pham hit a ball up the middle most second baseman make fairly routinely. The problem is Asdrubal Cabrera, even at full strength, doesn’t have much range. With his current leg injury, he has almost no range. Cabrera did all he could do, but he really had no shot at Pham.
Oddly enough, Juan Lagares wouldn’t have a shot at the subsequent Martinez double. Oddly enough, Callaway went against his recent trends, and he put in Lagares for defense. Martinez’s ball to deep center was a play almost no center fielder makes, but we have all become so spoiled by Lagares, he almost makes the impossible seem routine. He ran back to dead center, leaped, and missed. Instead of another highlight reel defensive play, it was a game tying double.
AJ Ramos pitched a perfect 11th, and Paul Sewald pitched a perfect 12th. Unfortunately, the hottest pitcher in the Mets bullpen couldn’t keep the Cardinals off the board. A Martinez walk followed by consecutive singles to Ozuna and Dexter Fowler was the ballgame.
With that, the Mets have lost three straight series, and the vibes from their amazing start have faded. They have faded because the bottom of the lineup is black hole, but mostly, it is because this defense is bad and plays bad.
Game Notes: With the Mets out of position players, Sewald hit for himself in the top of the 13th. Jose Reyes grounded out in the 10th to end that rally.
After yet another poor start and a still somehow indignant from Matt Harvey was finally demoted to the bullpen by Mickey Callaway, Dave Eiland, and the entire Mets organization. Harvey’s performance and subsequent behavior has elicited much reaction from Mets fans everywhere, and so, in the latest edition of the Mets Blogger Roundtable, we present our reactions to the Mets decision:
Roger Cormier (Good Fundies)
They are complicated. Matt’s bravado made it difficult to feel sorry for him when he was essentially wasting his one incredible season and the first half of another great season being supported by a rather poor offense. As he’s been gradually humbled, and sounding grateful at just the slightest whiff of human decency towards his general direction, I’ve liked him more, which in turn makes me feel like an ass. He’s now in the bullpen, which might work since the bullpen is where the cool kids hang out now, so hooray? I don’t know. I want him to succeed and to be content with his success since he is wearing a New York Mets uniform and has not specifically harmed me in any personal way.
Oh also if he doesn’t curse out the media that would be super.
Mark Healey (Gotham Baseball)
In a piece for Gotham Baseball, Mark likened Harvey to Frank Sinatra in calling the move to the bullpen Harvey’s “Maggio Moment.”
Joe Maracic (Loud Egg)
Harvey shouldn’t look at being moved to the bullpen as a demotion. He should embrace it. That being said I do not know if a bullpen role will fix the issue of his fastball speed being so close to his changeup. Harvey is still pitching with ego and needs to adjust. As for the recent encounter with the reporter, what kind of response do people expect? His off the field attitude has been the same as his on the field play.
Metstradamus (Metstradamus Blog)
In a piece on Metstradmus Blog, Metstradamus compares Harvey to Vance Worley, and he ultimately concludes Harvey “may never find those answers. At some point, we are going to have to accept that.”
Greg Prince (Faith and Fear in Flushing)
A starting pitcher who hasn’t been altogether healthy nor very good for the past two years is sent to the bullpen. By any other name, this would be a non-event.
I hope Harvey makes the most of the opportunity to regain his confidence, his rhythm, his stuff, whatever it is he still has within him. He was a great starting pitcher. I hope he’s a good reliever or, should circumstances conspire, starter again.
Matt gave us hope when we had little. I’d like to show a little faith in him now. Good luck, No. 33.
Mets Daddy
We can point to Justin Verlander, CC Sabathia, and a myriad of other pitchers and go, they figured it out, why can’t he? Hell, Bartolo Colon is still somehow effective throwing fastballs slower than Harvey used to throw change-ups.
The difference between Harvey and these pitchers is they had a gradual dip in stuff. They were able to process things and come out the other side. Now, that process wasn’t always pretty. CC dealt with alcohol problems, which may or may not be related. Colon went to Germany for a procedure, and he had a steroids suspension. Really, we forget there is an ugly process to seeing a once great pitcher try to figure out how to be great again without him no longer having that great stuff.
We’re seeing that with Harvey now, and maybe that process is accelerated because unlike everyone else, he almost literally lost his stuff completely overnight. Really, he walked off the mound in Game 5 of the World Series, and he was never able to truly pitch again after that.
As a fan, I’ve come to accept the guy who was THE REASON why you believed the Mets could turn things around and become winners again is done. In a sense, he’s like David Wright. He left it all on the field in that World Series, and he’s now looked at as the guy holding everything back.
Typically, you feel sympathy for those guys, but with Harvey cursing out reporters and acting above everyone, it’s understandable why people are experiencing some schadenfreude with his downfall. Personally, I hope it’s part of the process we’ve seen with other great pitchers and not an ugly side of his personality.
In addition to hoping Harvey figure things out and becomes that great pitcher again, I really do hope you visit the sites of the people who take the time to participate in these Roundtables. Fortunately, Mark and Metstradmus provided links to their work. You can click on those links or the links provided next to each contributor’s name.