Emotions run high when a team’s season ends abruptly, as it did for the New York Mets this week. Perspective is needed, and that’s what today’s column is about.
Talkies such as WFAN’s Evan Roberts and Sal Licata, along with blowhard podcaster Mike Francesa, said this season was a failure since the Mets did not win a championship, and you can see where fans may have the urge to take their cue. That’s the problem with local sports talk here; there’s too much gaslighting and stupidity, causing me to stop listening to sports radio in town.
We wanted the Mets to validate their great run by winning the World Series. We believed, too. It just didn’t happen, and it’s okay to be frustrated.
That said, most Mets fans on Twitter and Reddit have expressed positive thoughts about the team’s season, and they should. Rebounding after a 25-35 start and making it to the NL Championship Series is something to be proud of.
However, the perspective I mentioned at the start of this article is about how and why the Mets were able to do what they did. Mets owner Steve Cohen finally has the front office team for sustained success–General Manager David Stearns and field Manager Carlos Mendoza.
Great organizations have great front-office teams. Now that the Mets have found the right people, they can join those teams.
It’s about time. Under Wilpon’s ownership, there was a high turnover in general managers and managers. Losing and personal agendas ruled the day, turning the Mets into a dysfunctional organization. The Wilpons hired people they felt comfortable with, whereas Cohen hired people who knew what they were doing.
Cohen wanted David Stearns from the start, but Stearned was under contract with the Brewers then, and the team wouldn’t permit an interview request. Cohen was patient. He waited. Then he got his guy.
Outside of the Showalter firing, which I believe was done in a classless fashion (Stearns never bothered to speak to him in person), Stearns gets high grades, including getting the manager he had in mind. As Cohen had done before him, Starnes got his man, Carlos Mendoza, and the team Mendoza would oversee differed from the team Showalter had left, crafted from a slew of off-season and in-season acquisitions–Sean Manaea, Luis Severino, Harrison Bader, J.D. Martinez, Tyrone Taylor, Jose Iglesias, Ryne Stanek, Jesse Winker, and Luis Torrens.
Stearns knows how to find talent, especially pitching, and he is a good team builder, which he displayed while with the Astros and Brewers.
As for Mendoza, the rookie manager performed well beyond expectations, leading his team in the playoffs in what was supposed to be a transitional year. His even-keel approach served the Mets well, especially when the team started 0-5 and 25-35. He brought energy to the dugout by being encouraging and did a great job of utilizing the 40-man roster.
Managing is a big deal here in New York, and Mendoza has it all, including handling the media and keeping distractions from seeping into the clubhouse.
Cohen finally has a foundation with those two hires. That, to me, is the biggest takeaway from this season.
