New York Mets 2019 roller coaster ride ends, bring on 2020!
By Joe Noa
Hope
Spring Training 2019 had lots of hope. New players joined the orange and blue over the winter. Robinson Cano, Edwin Diaz, J. D. Davis, Wilson Ramos, Jed Lowrie, Keon Broxton, Justin Wilson, Luis Avilan, and Pete Alonso came in to pump new blood into the big club.
Do you remember this kid Alonso back in March? His defense at first base wasn’t Major League ready. In addition, the young man had too many holes in his swing to be a consistent contributor.
Except Pete Alonso did not read those reports. He worked hard, studied his craft, and performed to a level in the spring that BVW and Callaway had no choice but to include Alonso on the Opening Day roster. He eventually played in160 of 162 games this season. I bet he didn’t want to sit down for those two games.
Alonso set the tone in Port St. Lucie. These are the new, New York Mets. A team with goals and players to help reach those goals. Van Wagenen told the rest of the division to “come and get us.” Big words from a guy who was new to MLB management.
The former agent, now GM, believed in the signings and the acquisitions that joined the existing talent from 2018. The starting pitching staff of defending Cy Young winner Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, Steven Matz, Zack Wheeler, and Jason Vargas carried over. Position players Amed Rosario, Jeff McNeil, Michael Conforto, Dominic Smith, and Brandon Nimmo also had a year of experience under their belts and were ready for more. There were big expectations for improvement.