After Failing The Pitchers, Is There Enough Pitching Left To Carry The Team?

New Met starting pitcher, Michael Wacha worries me. Injuries in 2018 and 19 kept him out and he didn’t pitch well last year when he was in there. The Mets could really use him or Steven Mars to step up and have a big year what with Noah Syndergaard out and all. At 6’6”, 240 lbs, David Peterson is a big lefty slated to get some starts despite numbers in the minors that weren’t overwhelming. Jacob DeGrom may be the best pitcher in baseball but as the Mets have proven, this is a team game and the team behind him seems capable only of robbing him of wins.

If Amed Rosario can keep improving at shortstop, maybe DeGrom and ground ball pitcher Rick Porcello get some help on balls hit up the middle. Rosario can also steal a bag.

Stolen bases or at least the threat of them wouldn’t be a bad thing for the Mets, who are reliant on power from second baseman Robinson Cano, and first baseman Pete Alonzo. By virtue of 72 walks and 6 intentional passes, Alonzo had an on-base percentage of .358. It could be a whole lot better if he cuts down the strikeouts. Can he hit 56 home runs again? That also depends on how patient he can be. Pitchers learn pretty quickly what pitches a guy can’t hit and lay off. Add to the mix outfielders Yoenis Cespedes, Michael Conforto and Brandon Nimmo and you have a punchers chance. Earl Weaver’s Orioles won 1480 games based on three-run homers. For some teams, when the old ways match the talents of the players, you go with what you got.

Will a new manager be the next Weaver?In true crap-organization fashion the Mets fired Mickey Callaway for leading an under-performing group to a winning record. The allure of Carlos Beltran was too much, apparently. Didn’t New York find it odd that Beltran banged on the table once for yes and twice for no during his job interview? After trashcanapalooza, Beltran’s out and Felipe Alou’s son, Luis Rojas is in. No way to know if he’s an upgrade over Callaway, but he has a dad and two uncles to call for advice.

Offensively? They can beat anybody. Pitching-wise? There may be two wins every five days. Without Syndergaard and Zack Wheeler I think they go backward to the tune of 77 wins.

Coronavirus 60-game prediction: 27-33.

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