I know everyone is angry and they have a right to be. But people, let's not get crazy, it's only been fifteen games.
I'm not wearing Mets colored glasses. I know this team has issues, no question. The starting pitching has been abhorrent except for Johan Santana. But there is a lot of talent on this club even though it has not been able to find itself yet.
Fortunately for the Mets, the Phillies have struggled too. While the Mets were being swept by the Cardinals, the Phils lost two of three from the Brewers. Atlanta, a team I was concerned with coming out of spring training, has also had their problems. Like the Mets, they have also lost seven of their last ten games. And look at Tampa Bay. The defending American League champs are 6-10 in last place in the AL East.
Does fifteen games predict how a team will perform the entire year? Let's look at history to see if there is a pattern.
In 1969, the Mets got off to a 6-9 start after 15 games. Many of the Mets talented young pitchers struggled to get out of the gate that season. The Mets ended up winning 100 games during the regular season on their way to the first world championship in club history. A big difference between the Mets of then and today is expectations. Most people felt the Mets of '69 had enough talent to compete. No one expected them to win it all. That is not the case this season.
In 1973, the Mets won eight of their first fifteen games before spending most of the summer in the basement. Thanks to a weak division, the Mets surged at the end of the season and won the NL East flag on the last day of the season.
The Mets started off great in 1986 with a record of 12-3 after 15 games. However, they were 2-3 after five games. As I recall, everyone panicked then too. The '86 Mets ended up winning a franchise high of 108 games.
In 1988, the Mets went 10-5 to start the season. They won 100 games that year against 60 losses.
The Mets got back to the playoffs in 1999 under Bobby Valentine. In the first 15 games, the Mets went 9-6. They finished the season behind the Braves for the division title but 97 wins was enough to get them into the playoffs.
The last time the Mets were in the World Series was in 2000. That season the Mets started off with an 8-7 mark. The Mets totaled 94 wins and a wild card berth that year.
And in 2006, the Mets got off to a soaring 11-4 record as they cruised to the division title.
So in six of the seven seasons the Mets have made it to the playoffs, they posted a better than .500 record after fifteen games. Perhaps we should be a bit concerned. But of course there are no guarantees one way or the other.
There have been times where the Mets got off to great starts but went nowhere. Such was the case in 1972 when, like the 2006 club, got off to an 11-4 start. But injuries plagued the club all season. The '72 Mets ended 83-73 (strike shortened) in third place 13.5 games out.
In 1975, the Mets went 9-6, the opposite of this years team. However, they ended with an 82-80 record and did not make the playoffs. The 1978, 1979, and 1982 clubs were dreadful yet all started off at 9-6.
The 1991 club won its first ten of fifteen games. Bud Harrelson was fired as Mets manager with seven games left in the season. The '91 Mets finished 77-84.
So what does all this prove? Inconclusive I say. Bad teams some times start out good and good teams sometimes start out bad. Some times, bad teams start out bad and good teams start out good. The great Mets teams from '84 through '90 all started well each season. It seems it is never a bad idea to start winning as soon as possible.
The fact this Mets ball club has started out bad is cause for discomfort. Talent wise, this team is too good to be 6-9. But the fact is they are. Something is not clicking with this club. They are hitting the ball hard but are not doing the little things Jerry Manuel talked about in spring training. The starting pitching appears to be the primary culprit. Except for Santana, not one Mets starter has provided a decent effort. Defensively the Mets are lacking, especially in left field while we wait to discover if Daniel Murphy can ever become an average outfielder. Jerry Manuel has preached the fundamentals but is not practicing them himself, for instance not bunting the runners over on Sunday. Even the front office is out of sync. Nelson Figueroa gets called up, pitches a good game giving up just three runs then gets DFAed. Figueroa, so upset, refused to go to Buffalo allowing him to become a free agent. I can just see him now, pitching a three hit shutout against the Mets for the Yankees at new Yankee Stadium in June. Wouldn't that be fitting?
Perhaps the lead off home run Mike Pelfrey gave up to open Citi Field is an omen. It's never easy to be a Mets fan.
