The 2018 New York Mets Are DEAD
The Mets are so back.
If you don’t know what I’m talking about, let me direct your attention to the 8th inning. The 6 run, epic Mets meltdown, 8th inning. For normal teams, this would just be a bad loss.
The Mets are not a normal team.
The dream is dead this is the game that will kill the season
— Frank Fleming (@NjTank99) April 17, 2018
With the Mets, it’s almost like you can sense when the tides have totally turned. I mean, they’re the Mets after all. Long losing streak coming. The type of losing streak that will cripple you season. The type of losing streak that will take 12-3 and turn it into .500 or worse real quick.
The powers that be have decided this will not be the year for the New York Mets.
The Mets started so well that even noted pessimist KFC bought it.
Updated “Best New York Baseball Start In 60 Years” Cuncel Meter pic.twitter.com/b6nVA4k18Q
— KFC (@KFCBarstool) April 14, 2018
2 days later, it feels like that was a mistake. At least KFC was quick to update the Cuncel Meter. He knows this thing is going off the tracks.
Updated Cuncel Meter for the 12-3 Mets after giving up 7 runs in the 8th and 9th to blow a stellar Jacob deGrom start: pic.twitter.com/mjrRiuW86H
— KFC (@KFCBarstool) April 17, 2018
I like the Mets. I like Mickey Callaway.
But the Mets have a lot of deficiencies that have been covered up by the great start. The bullpen has been great to start, but in reality, it’s not that great. The starting rotation again looks shaky at best. And the offense is well, not great.
Closer Jeurys Familia is very good. Set up man AJ Ramos is not that good. Lefty specialist Jerry Blevins has been really solid in years past. He’s recently decided to stop throwing strikes. Other relievers Paul Sewald, Robert Gsellman and Seth Lugo have never found success as major league bullpen arms.
First bullpen meltdown
— Frank Fleming (@NjTank99) April 17, 2018
So what happens later in the season when there aren’t as many off days, and the bullpen arms aren’t all available everyday? More meltdowns? Yikes.
In the rotation, Noah Syndergaard and Jacob deGrom have been great. As expected. Matt Harvey has been below average. Steven Matz has been anything but consistent. Zack Wheeler dominated in his only start of the season. Against the Marlins.
Yes it’s early, but the Mets rotation already has a feel of Syndergaard and deGrom, then everyone else. It was the same thing last year, and then Syndergaard got hurt. Better hope that doesn’t happen again.
As for the offense, it’s been weird.
The leading hitters are Asdrubal Cabrera (.356), Brandon Nimmo (.350), Juan Lagares (.348) and Todd Frazier (.313). The highest career average among those four? Brandon Nimmo at .272, over just 109 games. Nimmo has already been sent down once this year.
It’s early, but having 5 guys that you were counting on (Jay Bruce, Adrian Gonzalez, Amed Rosario, Wilmer Flores and Yoenis Cespedes) hitting below .250 is not ideal. Cespedes at .186 with just 3 home runs is especially concerning.
Also concerning: starting catcher Travis D’Arnaud will probably need Tommy John surgery, starting catcher #2, Kevin Plawecki, is on the DL with a broken hand. That leaves the Mets with Jose Lobaton. Lobaton, a career .218 hitter, sucks. And that’s putting it nicely.
A lot of things have gone perfectly for the Mets to start the season. Last night the first major thing went wrong. And guess what? The Mets are dead. Done. Cuncel the playoffs.
–Brian Borders (@bborders12)