New York Mets: Sandy Alderson Still Doesn’t Measure Up

Sandy Alderson sometimes appears to be made of teflon. Everything seems to wash right off him. But just like ballplayers, general managers should be measured by the same scale of justice. “What Have You Done For Me Lately?”. 

John Harper, a columnist for the New York Daily News,  who usually offers some good insights, writes a piece today praising Sandy Alderson for his haul in the 2011 draft that resulted in this year’s saving grace for the New York Mets injury-riddled pitching staff. Although this was the same draft that saw Alderson take Brandon Nimmo over Jose Fernandez, Harper gives Alderson points for drafting Robert Gsellman and Seth Lugo who are credited with keeping the Mets in the playoff hunt over the past couple of weeks.

But here’s the flip side. Gsellman was the 406th pick overall and Lugo was—get this—the 1,032nd overall selection in that year’s draft during the 34th round. A legitimate question to ask might be whether or not Alderson was even there when the 34th round rolled around.

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To me, it sounds more like Alderson sitting in the Mets’ war room and saying to the scouts still present, “Come on guys, we’re on the clock here. Somebody please give me a name.” And a scout in the corner says, “I got one Sandy. Take Seth Lugo.” And Alderson replies, “Okay, Hugo it is.” “No Sandy, it’s Lugo with an L”! Alderson responds, “Okay then, it’s what’s his name, Lugo. Call it in.”

But as with the players themselves whose names get put on the daily lineup card by Terry Collins, Alderson should be measured by the same standard that they are, which is, “What Have You Done For Me Lately?”

Harper explains the reason why Gsellman is enjoying some success now is due to his development of a two-seam fastball that sinks out of the zone at the very last second. And Lugo’s success is due to his development of a curve ball with one of the highest spin rates in baseball. Again, I don’t see the correlation between the hard work of these young men and Alderson.

And Lugo’s success is due to his development of a curve ball with one of the highest spin rates in baseball. Again, I don’t see the correlation between the hard work of these young men and Alderson.

But wait, there’s more.

In the same article that appeared in the print edition of the New York Daily News, manager Terry Collins explains their sudden success by pointing out that he coached in Las Vegas, the Mets’ AAA home for 10 years.

So he understands how the dry air together with the endless summer heat can make it difficult for someone like Lugo to get a good grip on the ball when throwing his curve. And Gsellman might have a similar problem with the dry air causing his ball not to sink as much and the ground balls he induces skip through the hardened infield dirt.

So hold on here for a second. You’re telling me the Mets know this and they still maintain a franchise 3,000 miles away from Citi Field? And by the way, what was so bad about Buffalo where at least the economy of New York State could share some income with the Mets and the shuffling players could be only 400 miles from Queens?

And you’re saying they also know that if pitching stats need to be inflated due to weather conditions, then batting stats need to be deflated for the same reason? Well, I guess that explains why Michael Conforto can hit .400 at Cashman Field in Vegas, but he continues to struggle when he’s brought to New York. And that doesn’t even take into consideration the battered egos of these pitchers who have to contend with balls flying out and soaring earned run averages.

Don’t worry about it though. More than likely, Alderson has someone working now on an algorithm that is designed to adjust everyone’s stats. Give me a break.

For those of you who have been following stories I’ve done recently on the Mets, you know that a recurring theme has been the dysfunctional nature of the Mets’ organization. But it seems like something new happens virtually every day . And I feel like I have to keep driving my point home in the hope that maybe someone will listen.

The fact that the team keeps winning is a tribute to the players and Collins, not Alderson.

If the Mets are indeed dysfunctional, that has to start at the top. The Wilpons rely on Alderson to run the day-to-day operations of the organization. And if you want to make the stretch that Alderson should be given the credit for Gsellman and Lugo all the way back in 2011, you can do that.

Similar to the players, Alderson should be measured by the same standard that they are, which is, “What have you done for me lately?”

And by that standard, Alderson doesn’t nearly measure up.