We really thought it was Grimace the whole time.
It's as simple as this, the Mets started tanking the second Francisco Alvarez got hurt. And then the second he got back they became good again. It really is that simple, he's the small fiber holding the fabric of this team together, and once he's removed it all falls apart. Right now Alvarez is hitting .301 with 40 hits and 23 RBIs in 42 games. He also leads the team in OPS with .862, and is only bested in SLG by Mark Vientos.
[and Luis Torrens, but...it's early]
Alvarez very clearly brings out the best in this Mets team, because he's a pretty steady centerpiece to a team that can accomplish things without him, but would prefer if he was there. Look at Lindor and Nimmo right now, they're having outstanding runs. Nimmo's on an absolute tear, he's got 16 homers and 59 RBIs. Alonso's hitting again, he's up to 18 homers and gearing up for a Home Run Derby renaissance. Lindor, even with a .250 average, feels like his old self. Everybody but Jeff McNeil has seen a vast improvement since Alvy came back, and now they feel like a true, composed baseball team again. Which is insane, because I saw how far these guys fell to start off, the Nats had lapped them and everything. And since the beginning of June they've just been so much better.
I'm also surprised that they've gotten good seasons out of both Jose Quintana, Luis Severino and Sean Manaea, who I figured would just be here to eat innings this year. Yes, high WHIPs, but they're keeping runs down and winnings games. Even Christian Scott and David Peterson are having dominant outings. It's just coming together. Like, yes, Kodai Senga will be back shortly, and that will likely help, and eventually some of the injured bullpen guys will come back so they don't have to start buying up other people's relievers for the time being. But this is good. This is very good.
Obviously the one thing that stops this from being a complete success is that this is still the NL East. The Phillies are still the best team in the majors, and the Braves are still very good despite not being at full 2023 quality. The Mets need to somehow outweigh those guys, or at the very least outlast the NL Central scrum and the Padres for a playoff spot. And as good as they are right now, they need to be better, and for longer, which seems like a tall order for these Cohen Mets teams.
I hope for the sake of the Mets fans that the good luck continues. Cause if not it'll just be depressing.
Coming Tomorrow- Thankfully he's healthy enough this year to watch his team actually compete.
No comments:
Post a Comment