New York Mets: Three thoughts on the Mets ahead of 2019
Mets early schedule shows it all.
Baseball is a long season. That is a simple, basic fact. 10 games could set absolutely no standards for the next 20. However, they all still add up. A random hiccup in June could impact whether you are watching or playing in the playoffs come October.
Last season, the Mets won many of their first 20 games but it was all for nothing. So, when I say the Mets’ early schedule is a good measuring stick for where they want to be in August, I do not mean the wins and losses are what matters. It is more the intangible stuff that matters.
For example, the Mets open the season against Max Scherzer. They play the Nationals on the road for two more after that. Then, the Mets go to Miami for three before their own home opener against the Nationals the day after they leave Miami.
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That is followed up by a mini-series against the Twins before 10 straight road games, seven vs the division, three against the Cardinals. April closes out with a home series against the Brewers and the Reds.
The early schedule for the Mets sounds terrible, but it really is not. They will see just about everything they could in that time. They see an AL team, every division rival, two contending teams in another NL division, and a 10 game road stand.
We saw last season how one awful month can de-rail an entire season, March/April will be a great test to see if that transitions into this year. All the teams and places they see in the beginning of the season, they will again see at the end of the season. The experience they get playing the Braves, Phillies, and Nationals early, could make the difference in how they play them for the division later in the year. They could learn something and use it to their advantage.
Plus, the travel and the long stretches away from home will help the team bond and build stronger, you know, the intangible stuff.
While the Mets’ wins and losses still matter after the first month of the season or so, who they play, where they play, and how they play is a great measuring stick for how the team will be all season. The mental toughness is getting tested early, overcome that and the rest of the year could be a cakewalk.