By Anthony Bosco
I don't know what it is, what the core reason is that the New York Mets have gone from the World Series to also-rans in just one season. There are plenty of places to point the finger, but it's hard to pinpoint one specific reason.
Maybe that's because there is more than one reason. And if there is more than one reason, no one person or no one move by the front office can be totally to blame for the sorry state of affairs at Shea Stadium this year.
Heading into the all-star break the Mets were 38-51, 13 games below .500 and just a half game in front of the lowly Montreal Expos to stay out of last place.
I know there are a lot of Mets fans out there still holding out hope that the team will turn it around in the second half of the season, but in all likelihood, I just hope the Mets can scrape their way back to .500 and finish the year on a positive note.
As much as I'd like to see the Mets back in the playoffs this season, there is just no way it is going to happen.
With the Philadelphia Phillies in first place, Atlanta just a game behind them and the Florida Marlins still not out of making a run, the Mets are fourth in the pecking order in the National League East. Then there are the other possible wild card teams to consider, like Houston and St. Louis from the Central and Los Angeles and San Francisco from the West, all teams at .500 or better.
In order for the Mets to make a run at the wild card, no fewer than six teams would have to completely fall off the map while the Mets would have to go on an ungodly tear, winning at least twice as much they were to lose in the second half of the season. But then the playoffs are not even a certainty either.
So what happened? From National League champions to this in one season? It doesn't seem possible, but it is, much to the chagrin of the Mets' faithful.
I guess the easiest and probably the most likely suspect in any teams' sudden demise is the pitching. The Mets could not resign Mike Hampton in the off-season and let Bobby M. Jones go his merry way, leaving two rotation slots to fill.
The Mets signed Kevin Appier and Steve Trachsel prior to the season to go along with starters Al Leiter, Rick Reed and Glendon Rusch. On the surface it seemed like the Mets would not be as good on the mound, but they would still be solid.
From the get-go Trachsel struggled, eventually being forced down to the minors. Appier was better, but neither was going to make anyone forget Hampton. And, if things weren't bad enough, Leiter, the team's most dependable pitcher, and Rusch were downright bad at times, leaving Reed as the team's lone stopper.
The bullpen was only slightly better. Armando Benitez has been strong in save situations, and John Franco continues to pitch well, but guys like Turk Wendell and Dennis Cook have been very up and down.
Ironically, for all the Mets' pitching woes this year, I think it is the team's lack of hitting that has hurt it more than anything else. A lot has been made of the team's recent struggles with runners in scoring position, at one time going 0-for-37 in such situations, but this has been a season-long problem and no one on the team is exempt
.
Mike Piazza has not been great this year. His batting average is just .276, with 48 RBIs and 21 home runs. Piazza is a guy you need to hit .315 or .320 and he certainly needs to be driving in more runs. But it is hard for him to do that when the team can't get anyone on base in front of him.
Edgardo Alphonso has battled injury all season and is just a shadow of the second baseman Mets fans have come to love. He is hitting a woeful .233 at the break with only nine home runs and 25 RBIs. As bad as this is, it gets worse for the Mets.
Robin Ventura has 17 home runs, but only 41 RBIs and is hitting .259, just slightly better numbers than Todd Zeile, who is hitting .275, but has just six home runs and 40 RBIs.
On a good year, these four players could each hit .300 with 30 home runs and 100 RBIs. Only Piazza may approach those kind of stats this year. If three of the four best hitters on the team are slumping, it is easy to see why finding wins has been difficult for the Mets.
The solution to all this is to start thinking about next year now. Unload either Zeile or Ventura to a contender late in the season for some young live arms and don't be afraid to spend the money in the off-season for a legitimate power hitter. Piazza can't carry the team by himself, though at times it seems like he can do anything.
And get rid of some of the dead wood in the outfield. Benny Agbayani is a power hitting outfielder who doesn't hit for power, while Jay Payton, though a solid player, is a lead-off hitter who can't steal a base. And shop Timo Perez. He can live on his play in the National League playoffs a season ago only so long.
As for Ray Ordonez, the all-world defensive shortstop, dump him if you can for someone who can actually hit a baseball. He may be great to watch in the field, but when he makes your line-up seven-deep, you have to either teach him how to hit or trade him.
Keep Joe McEwing, Desi Relaford and Tsuyoshi Shinjo, because they have at least provided the team with some consistency this year. And leave Bobby Valentine alone.
But any improvement would be welcome.
Reach Sports Editor Anthony Bosco by e-mail at TimesLedgr@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 130.
