New York Mets concerns one month in – EWB Roundtable
By Ed Stein
Joe Noa, Empire Writes Back
My concern with the Mets at this point is that they have not been tested outside of the division as they currently are 11-8 in division play and 2-3 outside of the division. I think that the weather may have played a role in the starting pitching and the bullpen not meeting expectations, particularly Jason Vargas, Noah Syndergaard, Justin Wilson, and Jeurys Familia.
Because of the offense is much better than 2018, pitching has been spared some of the criticism warranted by their poor performance. As we all know, to win ballgames teams need great pitching and defense and the Mets have been able to win games in spite of these shortcomings.
The other issue I see is playing time for these players going forward. Currently, Jeff McNeil is third in the National League in batting with a .363 average. However, Callaway needs to find a place for him to play regularly, sometimes at third, second, and left field.
He is the Mets version of Ben Zobrist but defense is compromised when he plays left field. The same goes with J.D. Davis and Dominic Smith. Both playing well and should get more playing time. Todd Fraizer came off the IL and now plays third base.
What happens when Jed Lowrie comes off the IL and is due to play third and fill in at short? Pete Alonso is not coming out as he is a serious candidate for rookie of the year. Finding playing time for these players is a nice dilemma for Mickey Callaway, but a dilemma it is, and you have to keep them sharp and motivated throughout the rest of the season.