End of the Road 2015: New York Mets
After losing to the Kansas City Royals four games to one in the World Series, the New York Mets have come to the end of their road three victories shy of the franchise’s first championship since 1986. So close, yet so far away for this young and talented Mets team, as well as their hungry fanbase.
Now, as we’ve done with each eliminated team this season, we’ll give them a send-off that would make Boyz II Men proud. We’ll look at the highs and lows of their season, what bright spots their future might hold and what questions need answering as they prepare for 2016.
[Brown: Matt Harvey decision haunts Mets after World Series collapse]
HIGH POINT: Wow. Where you do start with the 2015 Mets? They exceeded just about everybody’s expectations by winning a division that was supposed to belong to the Washington Nationals. Then we watched as the confidence continued to build and ultimately resulted in a memorable postseason. If not a high point, the turning point was certainly adding Yoenis Cespedes to the lineup on July 31. He immediately injected life into the offense, which coupled with the consistent excellence of their rotation pushed them over the top. On a larger scale though, clinching their first NL East title since 2006 and their first NL pennant since 2000 had to be the highest points for all involved.
LOW POINT: The Mets had chances to make the World Series interesting, but late-inning collapses in Games 4 and 5 did them in. The low point in Game 4 was Daniel Murphy’s eighth-inning fielding error, which opened to the door to Kansas City’s rally. Murphy had carried the Mets through October offensively, so it was tough to see that moment for him. In Game 5, Terry Collins rolled the dice with a tiring Matt Harvey and lost. Kansas City rallied again, and then finished the series in extra innings. Talk about gut punches.
BEST HIGHLIGHT: In the regular season, Wilmer Flores’ walkoff home run against Washington on July 31 was a huge moment. Two days earlier, Flores thought he was traded to Milwaukee Brewers for Carlos Gomez. That deal ultimately fell apart, leading to a better trade and a very special moment for him and Mets fans. In the postseason, basically every Murphy home run (he hit six) was a big one. His aggressive baserunning in NLDS Game 5 was pretty big too, as it led to the series-winning run.
HOPE FOR THE FUTURE: The Mets have the deepest rotation in MLB with Matt Harvey. Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, Steven Matz, and don’t forget Zack Wheeler, who should return from Tommy John surgery next summer. Health permitting, those five arms almost guarantee they’ll remain competitive. Rookie slugger Michael Conforto has announced his presence as well, homering twice in World Series Game 5. There’s a lot of good young talent here, including closer Jeurys Familia, so the Mets foundation should be set.
[Elsewhere: Wait till next year: The Cubs are favored to win the 2016 World Series]
QUESTION THAT NEEDS ANSWERING: What becomes of the offense? It’s expected that Cespedes will leave in free agency, meaning the Mets will need a big bat to replace him, and another big bat to truly solidify the offense. And no, Murphy isn’t an answer in this scenario. In fact, there’s no guarantee he’ll return either. Conforto, David Wright, Lucas Duda and Travis d’Arnaud are good offensive pieces to build around. but general manager Sandy Alderson will be challenged to find impact bats that will lengthen the lineup and stress opposing pitchers.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813
