WSOU

The New York Mets need to make a decision

Date: August 16, 2019

By: Ben Harris 

Baseball fans do not know what to make of the Mets at this point in the season. Seriously, they are an unexplainable ballclub. They do not have any sort of team identity or consistency in their play. They are all over the place. 

Overall, we just need to know what the goal of their season is. Are they a competitive, Wild Card team, or are they destined to end the season hovering around a .500 record?

Recent times have been very good to the Queens team. They ran up the win column with a 14-8 July finish. The positive play has carried into mid-August as they sit at 9-4 to this point.

The total turnaround can be credited to a 17-3 span that lasted from July 23 to August 11. An incredible stretch of baseball that has been one of the most impressive we have seen this season. However, many experts are skeptical of whether the seven, then eight-game streaks are a true barometer of this Mets team talents. 

The strength of the teams they were beating during the run was mediocre at best, as the series won were against the San Diego Padres, Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago White Sox, Miami Marlins and Washington Nationals. Meaning the only team they beat with a record above .500 during the run were the division-rival Nationals. Basically, it is hard to say “Oh wow, the Mets are back and a true Wild Card when they only beat up on these bad teams.”

To prove the doubters wrong, the Mets will have to play well through the next month of their schedule. During this time span, they will play series against the Kansas City Royals, Cleveland Indians, Atlanta Braves, Chicago Cubs, two series against the Philadelphia Phillies, Washington Nationals, Arizona Diamondbacks, and finally the league-leading Los Angeles Dodgers.

Seven of these eight teams have records above .500, and five of them would have a playoff spot if the season ended today. Needless to say, the level of their competition is ramping up in a hurry. The remainder of their schedule will determine the destiny of this Mets team.

The Mets have the roster to push through their tough remaining schedule. They have arguably the best starting rotation in baseball, especially after acquiring Marcus Stroman. The bullpen has struggled most of the year, but hopefully they can solidify themselves with October baseball on the line.

Young hitters like Pete Alonso and Jeff McNeil (who was just placed on the 10-day IL) need to continue their top-tier play. Veteran contributions have been up and down all season long, but Todd Frazier and Wilson Ramos have played well during the recent period of success. 

After such a rollercoaster start to the season, no one really expected the Mets to make any sort of step toward a comeback. But to the delight of their fans, here they are, three games-back of an NL Wild Card spot. 

They seemingly have all the pieces necessary to be a playoff team but need to go out there and prove it. With the talent and potential to push their way into the playoffs, we just have to sit back and watch what this Mets team decides to become.

Ben Harris can be reached at benjamin.harris@student.shu.edu. 

Posted in: Sports, WSOU

Seton Hall

Seton Hall

Merchandise

wsou store