A possible second-place finish in the NL East and near-.500 record has to be considered an improvement over the 74 wins the New York Mets earned in 2013. Of course, finishing second would be an indictment of the rest of the division, especially the cratering Braves. But the final standings could also reflect how the balance of power has changed in the NL East. The Mets and Marlins are on the rise, while the Braves and Phillies slide toward the lower half of the division.
General manager Sandy Alderson has tried to keep payroll down while improving the Mets farm system, and those efforts appear to be yielding positive benefits. Consequently, ownership is reportedly rewarding Alderson with a three-year contract extension that could allow him to finish the rebuilding project he took on after the 2010 season. While early results were disappointing, signs of a turnaround in Queens are now becoming increasingly apparent.
Preseason Prediction: The Mets will probably compete with the Phillies for third place in the NL East. Philadelphia’s pitching could ultimately provide the edge, but if the Mets get good production from the outfield, catcher and first base, their offense could push them into third place. Another 74-win finish appears likely, with anything approaching 80 wins viewed as a success for an admittedly short-handed team that needs its young pitching to develop and probably another offseason worth of work. (Ian Casselberry, February 12th)
What Went Right: With Matt Harvey out for the year and Bartolo Colon slotted as the No. 1 starter, the Mets’ pitching looked potentially shaky going into the season. Instead, it was a strength of the team. The Mets’ 3.51 team ERA ranked eighth of out 15 NL clubs, but was close to each of the playoff contenders.
Perhaps the biggest surprise is that the Mets’ bullpen was strong, despite losing closer Bobby Parnell early in the season. Manager Terry Collins had to mix and match for late-game innings, including ill-fated tries with Jose Valverde and Kyle Farnsworth, before eventually settling on Jenrry Meija, who began the season in the starting rotation. Meija thrived in the role, converting 27 of 30 save opportunities, posting a 2.87 ERA and striking out 56 batters in 53.1 innings as a reliever.
Colon was adequate as a starter, and should have been traded to a contender by Aug. 31. But interested parties wanted no part of his $11 million salary for next season. However, the rest of the rotation pitched well behind Colon. The Mets found another top-of-the-rotation arm in Jacob deGrom and Zack Wheeler continued to develop, while Dillon Gee and Jon Niese provided the kind of durability a starting staff needs from its back-end starters.
What Went Wrong: Unfortunately, the Mets’ lineup couldn’t build on the team’s fine pitching and help them compete for a playoff spot. The team’s .238 batting average was the third-worst in the NL and its .673 OPS ranked among the league’s bottom five clubs. Despite that, the Mets somehow managed to score 609 runs (as of Sept. 23), placing them eighth in the NL.
The real problem was an outfield that Alderson patched together during the offseason, hoping for turnaround seasons from Curtis Granderson and Chris Young. Granderson provided much-needed power, slugging 19 home runs with 62 RBI, yet batted only .225 with a .712 OPS. Young was a longshot that never panned out, hitting .205 with a .630 OPS before being released in mid-August.
Collins insisted on batting Eric Young Jr. at leadoff because of his speed, and he did provide 29 stolen bases. But with a .232 average and .305 on-base percentage, the Mets need better at the top of the order.
But there was really no hope of the Mets generating consistent office with their best run producer suffering through his worst season. A shoulder injury suffered in June — one that eventually led to the Mets shutting him down in early September — was a major factor in David Wright compiling a .269/.324/.374 slash average and eight home runs, career-lows in those categories. Somehow, Wright hit 30 doubles and drove in 63 runs, but didn’t produce at his usual MVP-caliber level.
Most Surprising Player: Perhaps the best development of the Mets’ 2014 season is finding a starter to put at the top of their rotation with Harvey and Wheeler next season. There was no reason to be excited about Jacob deGrom after his 2012 and 2013 performances in the minors, but the 26-year-old emerged as the Mets’ best starting pitcher this season and a likely NL Rookie of the Year award winner.
Called up in mid-May, deGrom made an immediate impact, holding the Yankees to one run and four hits over seven innings. In July, the right-hander was outstanding, allowing five total runs in five starts, striking out 38 batters and walking seven in 32.1 innings. DeGrom also finished the season strong. With one September start remaining, he’s gone 2-0 with a 1.33 ERA in four starts, with a strikeout rate 0f 12.7 per nine innings.
Most Disappointing Player: Catcher Travis d’Arnaud was the heralded rookie expected to have a strong year for the Mets in 2014. But in his first full major league season, the 25-year-old failed to meet those expectations. D’Arnaud got off to a slow start, batting .209 in April, and got progressively worse. The Mets demoted him to Triple-A in early June when he was hitting .180 with a .544 OPS. Additionally, d’Arnaud was allowing a high number of wild pitches and passed balls. But Mets pitchers still liked throwing to him, likely because he did such a good job framing pitches.
That three-week stint in the minors either woke d’Arnaud up or allowed him an opportunity to refine his game. Since his return to the majors, he’s hit 10 of his 13 home runs, reminding everyone that his bat was why d’Arnaud was so highly regarded as a catching prospect. With a week to go in September, he’s ending the season on a high note, batting .317 with an .895 OPS and seven doubles.
The Future: With the pitching staff that the Mets bring into next season, there’s no reason to think that the collapse of the Braves and Phillies hasn’t created an opportunity for this team to at least compete for a wild-card bid next season. Harvey might need a full season to return to his 2013 from, but he, Wheeler and deGrom make a potentially formidable trio at the top of the rotation.
Noah Syndergaard didn’t have a good season at Triple-A, compiling a 4.60 ERA and allowing 10.4 hits per nine innings. But the extremely hitter-friendly environment of Las Vegas has to be taken into consideration with those numbers. Rafael Montero actually had success pitching there, though he was inconsistent in the majors this year.
The success of those two might actually make Wheeler expendable, allowing Alderson to build a trade package around him to get a badly-needed shortstop or outfielder. The Mets front office has to do something to upgrade those areas and improve their offense. If not, some great pitching could once again be wasted and the team will struggle to contend in a division that is allowing the Mets to make a move toward the top of the standings.
