Brett Baty is in the show. He’s a got a shot to be a professional ballplayer. There’s nothing cooler.
Mets fans are not in the show and are significantly less cool than Baty. Yet they talk about baseball like they know a damn thing about it. And while many do, the don’ts are a strong and loud majority.
The don’ts don’t have any idea what it takes to be a professional ballplayer because they don’t respect the game. To respect something you have to love it.
The loud and angry on the internet don’t love baseball. If they did, they’d know this game is gonna break your heart all night and every night. Even when you win.
Now while I believe in the church of baseball, I don’t believe in saviors. The game is too complicated and the season too long for that kind of thing. No one player can bring their team to the promised land.
I love the Mets and this is the Positive Mets Guy Blog but let’s face it, this team has problems. The Mets are short on power in the lineup and on length with their starting pitching. The bullpen is doing nicely without Diaz, but bullpen success is elusive and hard to sustain.
You can argue the Mets are short on speed even though they currently lead the league in stolen bases. Of their 20 steals, Tim Locastro has 4 but he’s on the IL.
Starling Marte has 7 of the remaining 16 and all were incredibly handsome steals. But sooner or later someone is gonna hit him with a pitch and knock him out of the lineup for a bit. It’s as inevitable as being cutoff by some mustard plate New Yorker on the way to the shore. That shithead, usually driving a BMW, is as inevitable as summer rain.
The Mets have some speed but they could use more. But that is a personal preference. I like a team that burns on the bases. It puts pressure on the defense and the pitcher. Opposing pitchers are dicks. If you need evidence, see every Clayton Kershaw start against the Mets. Regular season at least.
So when it comes to Baty I urge the fans to have patience. He’ll struggle. In his first game on Monday you could see he has trouble hitting lefties. Every left-handed hitter usually does when they come up.
Baty’s glove isn’t there yet. Balls are gonna get through him. He’s gonna misplay things. His throws to first will be wild.
And that’s okay. Who among us hasn’t struggled with a new job? Because that’s what this is: a job. Ballplayers are not here to be heroes or to save us. They’re here to put on the uniform, take the field, and try their best.
So please, just be cool. Nowhere in Brett Baty’s contract does it say he has to hit .350 with 700 home runs this season. He’s being employed by the Mets to play ball. The results will be what they will be.
Bruce Springsteen once wrote you can “waste your summers prayin’ in vain for a savior to rise from these streets.” Well I’m not wasting this summer. I hope you don’t either.
Notes From the Last 6 Games
Brandon Nimmo is the absolute man. He’s getting on base, getting hits, stealing pillows, and saving games with his glove. Brandon has made it impossible not to root for him.
Pete Alonso looks like Pete Alonso and man, is it nice. Just try and throw a fastball over the heart to him now. I dare you.
The starting pitching has been good despite the lack of length. Senga feels like the steadiest one despite getting lit up a bit in Oakland. His next start in San Francisco should tell us more.
While I don’t believe in saviors, I do believe in curveballs. And Justin Verlander is coming in a few weeks.
David Robertson looks very comfortable right now. He’s given up just 4 hits and no walks in 8.1 innings, and completed all 4 of his saves. He can’t keep this up. But anything close wins us a lot of games.
We’re 18 games into the season. That’s 11% of 162. The Mets are 11-7, good enough for 2nd in the division and the 2nd Wild Card spot. That gets us into the mix and remember the plan: get in, get hot, and get the whole fucking thing.
#LGM #LFGM
4/19/23
