Opinion: Not a Playoff Team
Yesterday, Omar Minaya was quoted as saying:
“The way the club’s assembled, when our full team is on the field, yes, it’s a playoff team…I believe that.”
A playoff team? Unfortunately, the Phillies, Braves, Marlins, and at least 25 other teams in MLB also have the talent to be ‘playoff teams,” as well.
I was given the impression that the Mets had built a ‘championship team,’ one that wins divisions and gets through the playoffs, not just to the playoffs.
Looking at the state of the team today, I don’t see the Mets as being either.
The starting rotation looked great on paper in February, but relied heavily on Oliver Perez pitching like he did in 2007; a healthy Pedro Martinez; and at least a half season from Orlando Hernandez. The assumption was that Hernandez would miss some starts, but Mike Pelfrey would have ‘a breakthrough.’
However, Perez has performed a ‘Jekyll and Hyde routine,’ Pedro has been on the disabled list for most of the season, Hernandez has disappeared, and Pelfrey remains a five-inning, one-pitch pitcher.
Similarly, the offense relied heavily on Moises Alou playing 100 games, Carlos Delgado returning to his 2006 form, and Luis Castillo solidifying the second spot. The lineup was supposed to be strong enough to overcome a .220-hitter behind the plate and a defensive specialist in right field.
Instead the lineup has been punchless, mainly because Alou has appeared in only 14 of the team’s first 62 games, Delgado continues to decline, and Castillo has been a disappointment.
If the Mets truly want to be a playoff team, drastic changes need to be made – in personnel, management, and expectations.
This team can’t continue to expect that Alou, Martinez, and Hernandez will be healthy; they can’t wait for Delgado to ‘get in the groove’; or believe this is the game Pelfrey finally puts it all together. In other words, the Mets can’t ‘hope’ a team to the postseason.
It’s time for management to stop talking about all the supposed ‘talent’ on the roster, forget the illusions of 2006, and come to the realization that this team is a collection of broken-down, overaged, unmotivated has-beens who often sleepwalk through ballgames.
They need to open their eyes, see the same things everyone else sees, and start fixing the problems – because they’re not going to fix themselves.
