New York Mets: Taking a Look at the 60-Game Season
The 2020 MLB season will officially take place, but it will be only 60 games compared to the typical 162. So what does this mean for the New York Mets?
The New York Mets win-loss pattern normally goes something like this: they get off to a pretty good start in April, struggle in May and June (especially in June) then pick it up in late July, August, and September. Every Mets fan remembers 2017 when they went 5-21 and ultimately missed the playoffs.
The Mets made the playoffs only twice in the 2010s; 2015 and 2016, when they did something very similar where they were a middle of the road team for most of the year and then made a HUGE playoff push in August and September. This pattern was even more true last season.
Then there was 2019 when everyone wrote them off in the first part of the season before they went onto win 15 out of 16 games at one point in August. The Mets are the definition of a “second-half team.” With all that being said what Mets team are we gonna see this year? The team that plays badly in their first 60 games? Or the Amazin’ Mets of the last 60?
Let’s look at last year’s numbers a little closer. The Mets in their first 60 games went 28-32 which is a little below average from a win-loss standpoint. If the season was 60 games last year they would have finished third in the NL East and missed the playoffs.
If the Mets play as they did in the last 60 games of the 2019 season, they would undoubtedly have been playoff team as they went 39-21. Their 39-21 record put them in a tie with the Dodgers for the second-best record over that span, behind only the Houston Astros who went 42-18. If the Mets are able to mimic that performance this season, they would be in a fantastic position come October.
The good news for the Mets is that the DH has now been implemented in the National League, meaning they get to add another bat to the lineup. There are two dream scenarios for Mets fans; the first is Yoenis Cespedes comes back and becomes the every day DH.
The second scenario is having Robinson Cano be the designated hitter, Jeff McNeil goes back to second and J.D Davis would play third, which would give Brandon Nimmo the opportunity to go back to left field and the Mets would FINALLY have a natural center fielder in Jake Marisnick.
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This makes the Mets much better defensively which is something they have needed help with for a while. Even if this is not the case, Davis and Dominic Smith will likely see more at-bats in 2020 which is a positive defensively.
Another factor going into the 2020 season is that Noah Syndergaard is out for the year after undergoing Tommy John surgery. With Syndergaard out for the season, the rotation takes a hit leaving Jacob deGrom, Marcus Stroman, Steven Matz, Rick Porcello, and Michael Wacha as the starting rotation.
The Mets signed Porcello and Wacha to add depth, but now the Mets once again lack depth with Walker Lockett likely being the next man up. Also, keep in mind that the Mets also lost Zack Wheeler to the Phillies during the offseason.
Next. Wilpons are eager to sell New York Mets by the end of 2020. dark
The fact that the Mets typically play their best baseball towards the end of the season certainly helps, seeing the 2020 MLB season is only 60 games. But the question is; will they be able to show out in such a short season?