New York Mets: Pressure will be on the new training staff as major key to 2018

There will be a lot of pressure on the New York Mets training staff to hold this team together health-wise in 2018.

Though the New York Mets have plenty of quality young starters on the roster, they were considering adding another. With Shohei Ohtani available, aka the Japanese Babe Ruth, they had to take a shot. He comes to the states with the ability to play the outfield and/or pitch. The international agreement carries with it a relatively low financial commitment to the new player, so why not? The worst thing he can say is no so you throw your hat in the ring.

Well the Mets are now out of the running. Ohtani is not interested in playing in New York City so that takes both the Mets and the Yankees out of the equation. Now the Mets have reversed their field on adding a starting pitcher, now saying they are unlikely to add a starter instead looking for help in the bullpen. So what does that mean for the team going forward?

We talked about the idea that has been posed for the starters this year, but here it is again per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com:

"Heading into next season, the Mets plan to limit most of their starters — Noah Syndergaard and Jacob deGrom excluded — to two turns through an opposing batting order each time out. In doing so, the Mets hope to limit some of the more damaging rallies against them in the middle and late innings."

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Adding bullpen help is smart, though the above strategy might not be. Protecting these players is good but not by a strict innings limit. What if Matt Harvey has faced the minimum through two times through the lineup and only thrown 50 pitches? Do you take him out? I would think not.

Hopefully if Mickey Callaway and company use this strategy it is implemented on a case by case basis. To take the starter out after two trips through the lineup regardless of pitch count doesn’t make any sense.

According to DiComo, the Mets are working hard to interview and hire a brand new training staff. Mets fans will collectively say that it is about time.

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The disabled list was a revolving door. When that many guys end up on the list, it’s not just the players’ fault. Blame has to be on the trainers getting them in condition. Ron Darling, during a game on SNY, talked about the fact that the pitchers did too much weight training for their own good. The trainers have to be able to train them not only to be strong, but to do so appropriately.

Whomever the Mets hire to take these roles, the pressure will be on. They must keep this team healthy.

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