New York Mets: How Will They Overcome Neil Walker Injury

Winning a spot in the playoffs is never easy in any professional sport. The injury to Neil Walker presents one more hurdle for the New Yok Mets to overcome. From what we’re seeing now, don’t even think about counting the Mets out.

For most teams, the loss of someone like Neil Walker, as reported by SNY, for the rest of the season would be the final nail in the coffin for a injury plagued team like the New York Mets of 2016. But under the steady hand of Terry Collins, this team has shown a resilience that could still carry them to the playoffs.

From year to year, one thing you can say about baseball is that pennant races are never the same. Each year, the race to the playoffs has it’s own unique brand of interest. For the Mets, 2016 is no different. It’s been a story about injuries. Major ones too like the ones to Matt Harvey and Lucas Duda. Also, the pesky ones like those with Yoenis Cespedes and the bone spurs with Noah Syndergaard and Steven Matz.

So at the end of the season, one of those stat guys will tell us which team lost the most playing time due to injuries. But, we don’t need him this year. The Mets have that one covered.

This is the stuff good teams are made of. From one night to the next, it’s this guy and then that guy who makes the contribution that turns the game into a win

We can recall that at this time last year the Mets were firing on all cylinders as a prelude to their march to the World Series. Cespedes was hitting pitches that must have looked like beach balls coming towards him. The ridiculous debate about Harvey going beyond 180 innings was over, and Daniel Murphy was about to go on a power binge of epic proportions. Life was good.

This year, not so much. The best way to describe this season for the Mets is maybe to simply say that it’s been a grind. Names that we didn’t even know back in April, like Seth Lugo and Robert Gsellman are making contributions that matter filling in for a tired front line staff. Kelly Johnson plays anywhere and everywhere Collins needs him to fill a hole on any given night, and the beat goes on.

So now, the torch seemingly gets passed to Wilmer Flores as the everyday replacement for Walker at second base. You wouldn’t know it, but over his last 15 games Flores is hitting .333 with a on-base percentage of almost .400, and he’s knocked in 14 runs.

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This is the stuff good teams are made of. From one night to the next, it’s this guy and then that guy who makes the contribution that turns the game into a win. Last night, for instance, it was Flores with a two-run bomb early in the game, and then Johnson ripping a 3-2 pitch down the line clearing the bases giving Jeurys Familia a three-run cushion to work with.

It’s always more fun and rewarding when the challenges are greatest. No one knows that better than the Mets and their flock of fans. The fun is really just beginning.

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