With a 3-0 victory over the first-place Atlanta Braves on July 11, the New York Mets entered the All-Star break with a record of 48-40; leaving them four games back in the National League East race and only one game behind the Colorado Rockies and the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Wild Card standings.
But since that particular point in time, the Mets proceeded to drop 24 out of their last 40 contests to fall to fourth in the division, nine games south of the front-running Braves, and seven games behind the Philadelphia Phillies for the National League Wild Card.
And even though there are still 34 games left in the season, there isn’t a preponderance of evidence demonstrating that New York can make a miraculous run to their first post-season appearance since 2006.
As with last season, there are many factors attributable to the Mets’ failure to be in the thick of the playoff hunt going into September; and the burden of blame can be placed squarely on the shoulders of front office and player personnel alike.
5. The mid-season meltdown of Mike Pelfrey
In the first half of the season, ‘Big Pelf’ appeared to be a viable National League Cy Young candidate as he emerged as the anchor of New York’s starting rotation.
But in five July starts, Pelfrey went 0-3 with a 10.02 ERA in a month where the Mets lost 16 of 25 games. During that span, the Mets went from second in the division race to fourth and from 2 games behind the Braves to 6.5.
Although Pelfrey has regained his form in recent weeks, going 3-2 with a 1.82 ERA in August, his July swoon was a significant contributor to a Mets’ free fall that has essentially taken them out of playoff contention.
4. Home is where the victories are
The Mets have pulled a Dr. Jekyll/Mr.Hyde-like performance at home and on the road this season.
New York is tied for seventh in home victories (38) in the National League while tying for fourth (40) in road losses.
If the Mets had simply broke even away from Citi Field at this juncture, translating to a 33-33 record, they would trail Atlanta by only two games in the division and would be tied with Philadelphia in the National League Wild Card standings.
3. The unfulfilled promise of Jason Bay
After a 2009 season that saw him earn a third All-Star selection, hit 36 home runs and 119 RBI’s, and be named one of the 50 greatest current players in baseball by the Sporting News, Bay signed as a free agent with New York to the tune of $66 million over four years.
And as the biggest fish they landed this past off-season, the Mets were expecting Bay to infuse significant power into the lineup that rivaled his previous six seasons where he averaged 26 home runs and 99 RBI’s per year.
Instead, Bay, a career .278 hitter, has seen his average dip to .259 and his home run (6) and RBI (47) production plummet to their lowest levels since 2003. In addition, Bay’s slugging percentage (.402) is the lowest it’s been in his entire career.
Bay has been on the 15-day DL since July 30 after suffering a concussion in a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers and Mets’ manager Jerry Manuel doesn’t expect his starting left fielder to return this season.
2. Team hitting has been offensive rather than on the offensive
Out of the 16 teams in the National League, New York is 13th in runs scored (517), 14th in hits (1,069), 13th in doubles (209), 13th in home runs (96), 13th in total bases (1,636), 14th in RBI’s (492), 14th in batting average (.248), 14th in on base percentage (.314) and 14th in slugging percentage (.379).
This is a crying shame considering the Mets’ pitching staff is fifth in the league in ERA (3.65) after being looked upon as a team weakness entering this season.
1. Mets’ front office watches the trade deadline come and go
There are certain points during a baseball season where the action or inaction of the front office can mean the difference between a team playing meaningful baseball in September and October or merely playing out the string.
And when the Mets’ front office decided to stand pat with the trade deadline (July 31) looming, they essentially gave up on the season while New York still had the chance to become one of the surprise stories of the 2010 season.
Instead, all that remain are questions about exactly where the organization is headed. And for a demanding baseball market like New York, this is simply unacceptable.
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Where the New York Mets Went Wrong This Season
