N.Y. Mets: The S.S. Wilpon is Losing Wind, Again

From the desk of:  HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET

New York Mets: Winning the National League pennant in 2015 blew the organization off course.

... not a knee jerk reaction.  If you're a regular reader of Head-Butting Mr. Met, you know where I've always stood.

This has nothing to do with the Mets going 6-14 after starting the season with an 11-1 record, or the fact they lost six in a row heading into Cincinnati.  For the moment, I chalk that up to the ups and downs of baseball.

• The Mets take the series opener from the Reds by a 7-6 margin.

This is more about the new quagmire they've potentially created for themselves.

The Mets were still in the midst of rebuilding right up until the acquisitions of Juan Uribe, Kelly Johnson, Yoenis Cespedes, et al.  I'm certainly not criticizing what transpired after the 2015 trade deadline, nor the front office's stick-to-itiveness entering the 2016 season.  But what began as an imperceptible deviation now needs correction as the Mets find themselves somewhere very distant from where they originally intended to be.

Through the draft and via acquisitions, the Mets attempted to rebuild their club around a new generation of starting pitchers: Noah Syndergaard, Jacob deGrom, Matt Harvey, Zack Wheeler, and Steven Matz.  At least that was the idea.

At the time, Kevin Plawecki; Travis d'Arnaud; Wilmer Flores; Juan Lagares; Dilson Herrera; and Michael Conforto represented the up-and-coming position players.  Guys like Dominic Smith, Brandon Nimmo, Gavin Cecchini, Robert Gsellman, Seth Lugo were poised to arrive in the next wave.

However, the 2015 team that went to the World Series still featured very familiar faces: Lucas Duda; Jeurys Familia; Daniel Murphy; Ruben Tejada; Curtis Granderson; even David Wright.  And by 2016, the rebuild effort was shelved for a win-now mentality.  Second baseman Dilson Herrera was dealt to acquire Jay Bruce whom was further surrounded by more veterans: Asdrubal Cabrera; Neil Walker; Jose Reyes; Adrian Gonzalez; James Loney; etc.

Today, the positions of left field, right field, first base, second base, and third base, are all bogged down with older players again as a result.  One or two seasoned veterans is fine, necessary even, but not five positions - not to mention an insufferable situation behind the plate.

Alderson has drafted rather curious talents through his years here as general manager.  But also conjures rather ponderous scenarios when it comes time for integrating them into the fold.  I've seen more players called up and effectively misused, than not.  Aside from Travis d'Arnaud, Amed Rosario is the only player for which the Mets effectively cleared out the position in anticipation of his arrival.  Otherwise, Michael Conforto is being forced to play out of position, while guys like Brando Nimmo, Wilmer Flores, and Juan Lagares continue going underutilized.

This condition was poignantly demonstrated recently by the visiting Atlanta Braves at Citi Field, when a young club being given time to develop together came to Flushing and swept the Mets.

Said another way, this organization needs to refocus on youth and get back to establishing a core of position players - something they failed to do the first time around.  They diligently worked on building strong pitching, but resigned themselves to patching together poorly constructed line-ups and hoping for the best.

• The position of catcher is an unmittigated mess.  In simple English, Sandy Alderson's plan behind the plate has failed.  Fans are pretty fed up with Travis d'Arnaud.  Unfortunately, his best ability has been his unavailability.  And just when it seemed Kevin Plawecki was beginning to gain momentum, he sustained an injury.  At least Plawecki is younger, and therefore still represents potential where as d'Arnaud is fast approaching the age of thirty.

• Who's on first?  Dominic Smith was utterly unprepared for his major league debut.  At least prospect Peter Alonso offers a glimmer of hope.  His arrival in Flushing could potentially come within a year.  The 23-year old is presently beating up on Eastern League pitchers.  In the meantime, the Mets hope Adrian Gonzalez holds up.

• What's on second - Dilson Herrera isn't quite living up to Cincinnati's expectations.  In fact, he hasn't participated in a major league game since 2015 with the Mets.  Otherwise, there is no other plan for second outside of transitioning Gavin Cecchini into a second baseman.

• Third base?  Todd Frazier is 32-years old.  Acquiring him was a practical move and economically made sense.  His acquisitions allowed the Mets to finally move on from David Wright (in a manner of speaking) whom has kept the position in a holding pattern.  The only player worth holding out hope for down on the farm is David Thompson, who is not having a fun go of it in his first season at Las Vegas, to date.

• With regard to outfield prospects, the Mets have nothing going on worth mentioning.

Shame ...

I entered this season believing the Mets could contend for a Wild Card.  I still believe that.  It's just that as currently constructed I feel the Mets window of opportunity is very small.

I'm merely suggesting the Mets adjust their course before they become completely lost, again.