The New York Mets have now been officially eliminated from playoff contention. This marks the fourth consecutive season that the Mets have not made the postseason. The team underachieved there is no way around that. However there are some positives to take away from the Mets 2020 season as well as major changes to the franchise:
One extremely positive note from the season was the emergence of David Peterson and Andrés Giménez.
The pair of rookies shined in their first go-arounds in the MLB. David Peterson was given a shot after Marcus Stroman’s injury right before the start of the season and he did not disappoint. The left-hander went 6-2 with an ERA of 3.44. In nine starts he pitched nearly 50 innings and struck out 40 while only letting up 19 earned runs. He averaged over 5.0 IP / start and this really helped the Mets struggling bullpen. Peterson proved that he is here to stay and he will definitely get a spot in the rotation next season.
The Mets other rookie Andrés Giménez also had a terrific rookie campaign.The infielder and one of the team’s top prospects won a roster spot in spring training. He showed off his versatility by playing 2nd, shortstop as well as 3rd base. His glove was above average and this allowed the Mets to put him in the game late when he was not starting. But for most of the year Giménez was starting. To the shock of many in the middle of the season the Mets started to play Giménez as the everyday shortstop over Amed Rosario. Once Giménez took his starting spot he did not let it up. The rookie hit .263 with 8 stolen bases. Giménez’s play now gives the Mets 2 players that are capable of being an everyday shortstop. Both Peterson and Giménez will have important roles in the Met’s future.
Another bright spot of the Mets season was the breakout seasons from Dom Smith and Michael Conforto.
The Mets had the highest batting average in the whole MLB this season batting .273. A big reason why was the play of Smith and Conforto. Dom Smith got an everyday spot after the opt out of Yoenis Céspedes. Dom also showed off some of his versatility this year playing left field, 1st base as well as occasionally playing DH. This season was his best offensive season by far. He hit .316 with 10 homeruns and 42 runs batted in. He also hit 21 doubles which was amongst the most in the national league. Smith showed that he should be in the lineup in some capacity every single day. During the offseason, Dom is trying to get experience in all three outfield spots. This will even greater his value as a player and it would give him more opportunities to play.
Not only did Dominic Smith breakout, but Michael Conforto was right there with him for the MVP of this young Mets team. Conforto continued to get better after his monstrous 2019 season. He played 54 games with his season being cut short with an injury earlier this week. But when he played he was the Mets best hitter. He had nine home runs with 31 RBI’s and he batted .322 which is his best average in his whole career. Conforto stayed towards the top of the lineup throughout the whole year. Conforto’s contract will end in just 2 years and the Mets should really consider extending him this off-season. Michael Conforto, Dom Smith and Jeff McNeil all were in the top 10 in batting average in the NL. This is the first time the Mets have 3 guys in the top 10 in batting average. Both of these guys had tremendous seasons and did not disappoint.
Arguably the biggest positive that happened for the Mets this season was Steve Cohen’s purchase of the franchise.
Steve Cohen has been rumored to buy the Mets for months now and it looks like it is actually going to happen. Cohen is a lifelong Mets fan who really wants to see his favorite team succeed. The reason why so many fans are so happy about the New Yorker’s purchase of the team is because of his $14 billion net worth. Many believe that since he has the money he will spend a good amount of it to improve this franchise. The Mets current owner’s Fred and Jeff Wilpon are known to be cheap and not spend any money in free agency. But with Steve Cohen coming in it is almost guaranteed that the Mets will be a big spender for years to come and this is music to the fans of the Mets. Steve Cohen will be the richest owner in baseball and if you’re a Mets fan there is nothing to be complaining about.
Although the Mets did not make the playoffs this year there are still a lot of things to be happy about as a Mets fan.
Image: NY Times
