Mets Are Alienating People They Need
ALSO: NUCLEAR WINTER IS LESS THAN A WEEK AWAY + HOYT WILHELM FEATURE
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Pregame Pepper
Did You Know?
Corey Kluber has two Cy Young Awards and a no-hitter but few takers in free agency so far . . .
Seeking a lefty, the Yankees are considering Drew Smyly, Danny Duffy, and Carlos Rodon, who also pitched a no-hitter this year . . .
Would the Braves dare non-tender Adam Duvall again after he led the NL in runs batted in and starred in postseason play? . . .
Chris (Mad Dog) Russo of MLB Network’s High Heat was right that nobody deserved the American League’s Cy Young Award this year . . .
Pre-season favorite Gerrit Cole of the Yankees had a 2.33 first-half ERA but 4.25 mark over his final 15 starts (after MLB cracked down on the use sticky, grap-aiding substances by pitchers).
Leading Off
Can the Mets Succeed?
By Ray Kuhn
What is going on in Flushing? Stop me if you have heard that question before.
I want to be clear, because I know this is not the first time I have tried to answer that very question that this is not a case of a Thanksgiving Weekend re-run. Yes, I did too much turkey, assorted sides, and desserts, but the beloved baseball team that wears blue and orange has once again given us many reasons to reach for Tums in the past few weeks. In fact, it was a touch and go situation whether or not a re-stock was necessary before the feast.
Let us start by going back in time a year. Steven Cohen burst onto the scene last fall and it was hard for Mets fans not to feel an overall sense of relief. The much-maligned Wilpon family was out of power and the franchise was going to get what seemingly looked to be a fresh start. Money would be spent, the team would move into the 21st century with the way they conducted business, and everything would be fixed.
Those feelings of goodwill and optimism were nice while they lasted.
Then, no one wanted to work for Steve Cohen. Part of the problem is that Cohen simply could not poach those already under contract with another team. That compounded with the fact that competitors were reluctant allow their employees to interview with the Mets and there was an overall reluctance to come work for Cohen and Sandy Alderson, who was meant to be a bridge between an inexperienced owner and a baseball world that was quite skeptical of their newest member.
Instead, Alderson proved to just be another obstacle and he was left “running” baseball operations. The Mets did hire a general manager in Jared Porter, but ultimately we know how that worked out, and then Zack Scott was brought in to fill that role. Again, we know how that ended this summer.
This year, though, proved to be different. After yet another season filled with drama, too many injuries, and overall underachievement, Luis Rojas, most of the coaching staff with the exception of Jeremy Hefner, and Scott were all sent packing.
The expectation is that things would be easier this year as the Mets looked to find a head of baseball operations and a general manager. Instead, things proved to be just as difficult.
Quite simply, the situation was perceived as toxic. Cohen spends too much time creating drama on Twitter, the presence of Alderson was thought to be overbearing, and his son in the front office does not provide comfort either. Simply put, no one was willing to take Cohen’s money.
This taking place one could be written off as a learning curve, but things should be different now. They should be better. Lessons should have been learned from last year, but instead history was simply repeating itself. Dysfunction once again ruled in New York as multiple reasons were given as to why the Mets could not secure someone to lead their baseball operations. In fact, it got so bad that the Mets pivoted from that thought process and instead simply focused on hiring a general manager.
It’s not like that proved to be any easier, though, as New York continued to either be turned down by the candidate or unable to gain permission from their current employer for an interview. Things got so bad that the Mets seemed to be poised to hire a lawyer, Adam Comrie, who had been out baseball for years after previously working in Washington’s front office. Nothing against Comrie, but is it embarrassing that after all of the bluster with which Cohen took control of the team, that was the best he could do.
Ultimately, the Mets went with Billy Eppler, and that is as unoriginal as can be.
Eppler has a lot of experience, both with the Yankees in various roles and with the Angels as general manager, but his record of accomplishment leaves a lot to be desired. A lot has been, or could be, blamed on Arte Moreno as the Angels failed to capitalize on Mike Trout and had multiple losing seasons.
I do not want to re-try Eppler for his sins of the past, but there is not in his track record to suggest that he can be in charge of a winning team. That is not to say Eppler is not qualified for the job, but that sentiment is largely based upon his years of experience.
The best thing we can truly say about Eppler is that he is not controversial, although the Tyler Skaggs situation took place on his watch, and it remains to be seen how that translates to a winning 2022 season in Flushing. It is still very early in his tenure with the Mets, so we do not want to overreact and Eppler does deserve a runway to make the team his own.
At the very least, it appeared that Eppler would then begin to be the face of the franchise and controversy but then the Steven Matz situation took place. It’s unclear exactly what transpired, but ultimately Matz preferred to sign with the Cardinals over the Mets and Cohen didn’t take too kindly to it. Once again his feelings were expressed on Twitter and all those that spurned the Mets this winter likely felt some relief.
We still have months to go before the 2022 season so we do want to reserve judgement on the Eppler, Alderson & Cohen trio but things are not off to a great start.
Ray Kuhn can be found writing on Fantasy Alarm and podcasting at Friends With Fantasy Benefits after previously covering the Houston Astros as part of the FanSided network at Climbing Tal’s Hill. Reach him at @ray_kuhn_28 or raykuhn57@gmail.com as he is always interested in talking or writing about our great game.
Middle Of The Order
An Intense Manager Saw What Others Couldn't
By Brett Honeycutt
He was pulled from Havana to go to Phoenix because a fiery manager was anxious to see the rookie pitch. The 29-year-old rookie.
The rookie who threw a knuckleball and wasn't necessarily impressive that Cuban Winter League season with the Havana Lions or the previous minor league season with the AAA Minneapolis Millers.
The whole situation seemed unconventional, especially when looking at the numbers.
In Minneapolis he posted an 11-14 record and 3.94 ERA (in 40 games and 29 starts), but he struck out 148 (second best in the American Association) in 210 innings pitched (tied for best in the league). Also, seven of the 14 losses were by one run. Although not necessarily successful, it appeared he could handle a heavy workload, get batters out and was resilient. Maybe that's what the manager saw.
Following his last game with Minneapolis on Sept. 6, an 8-3 win, he headed to Cuba, where he went 2-5, with a 3.52 ERA (17 games), striking out 27 in 64 innings and helping Havana to the league title with a 41-30 record. Again, not very impressive and not the All-Star season he had with Havana in the 1950-51 Cuban Winter League, where he finished 8-6 and led the league in ERA (2.36), strikeouts (72), shutouts (three) and complete games (10), while also helping Havana to the league title with a 40-32 record.
The numbers suggested a player who was on his way down and near the end of his career, rather than a player looking to make a major league roster.
Especially the roster for a World Series contender.
But Leo Durocher, entering his fifth season as the New York Giants manager, wasn't a conventional manager and he saw something in Hoyt Wilhelm others might not have seen. Durocher had already proved he didn't care what others thought. He was the manager for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947 and had famously advocated for Jackie Robinson to be there, when Brooklyn players were gathering a petition against Robinson.
Evidence of how smitten Durocher was with Wilhelm, Durocher wrote in a piece for the Associated Press: "Our best newcomers appear to be Davey Williams, Roger Bowman, Hoyt Wilhelm, Vince DiLorenzo, and Ray Katt. I think our pitching will be even stronger than last year."
Durocher saw something impressive enough to help a Giants team that was 96-58 the previous season, won a hotly contested, 3-game playoff with their rival, the Brooklyn Dodgers, on Bobby Thomson's walk-off homer, and made the World Series before losing in six games to another cross-town rival, the New York Yankees.
Impressive enough that Durocher would summon Wilhelm to spring training and have him skip the Caribbean Series, slated for Feb. 20-26, even though Wilhelm wouldn't arrive in Phoenix until Feb. 26 and wouldn't pitch until Feb. 29 in a seemingly meaningless intersquad game.
Impressive enough that Durocher wasn't affected negatively by Wilhelm's first outing, a one-inning stint that saw him give up homers to Whitey Lockman and Davey Williams - the only runs, and two of the five hits, allowed in a 2-0 loss.
And impressive enough that Durocher would tell reporters this about Wilhelm days after allowing those two homers: "He would be great to send in there to follow a fast ball thrower. His slow, butterfly stuff would get the batters crazy. I want to see if Wilhelm can control that pitch. If he can, he's my boy."
Wilhelm must have controlled it enough, because he was definitely Durocher's "boy" that 1952 season.
Though Wilhelm's debut on April 18 was barely noticeable (one-third of an inning, one hit, two walks, no runs), he followed a day later with one inning of work and only one walk before he made his presence memorable on April 23 against the Boston Braves, the team that drafted him in 1948. Wilhelm pitched 5.1 innings of relief, hit a homer in his first at-bat (and famously never hit another), and won the game, 9-5.
He would go on to set a National League record with 71 relief appearances, go 15-3 and win the NL ERA title (2.43), barely losing Rookie of the Year honors to Brooklyn's Joe Black. Two years later, Wilhelm helped the New York Giants sweep the vaunted, 111-game winning Cleveland Indians in the 1954 World Series. He earned a save in Game 3 and was later credited with a hold in the decisive Game 4.
Wilhelm continued to handle the workload and would retire 20 seasons later in 1972 with major league pitching records for appearances (1,070), relief wins (123), games in relief (1,018), games finished (651), and innings in relief (1,870). He also had eight All-Star game selections in three different decades (1950s, 1960s, 1970s), and another ERA title (1959, AL).
He would be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1985 and spend 22 years (1973-1974, 1976-1995) in the minors helping young pitchers forge their way to the majors.
Durocher's hunch was right. Had he not given Wilhelm a chance, Wilhelm would have been remembered for a solid minor league career (two 20-win seasons, five team championships, two All-Star selections), but likely not much else in the baseball world.
We would have missed a Hall of Fame career.
Brett Honeycutt spent 25 years as a journalist - first as a free-lance writer for seven years, then on staff at a daily newspaper for 10 years, and then he managed a national magazine for nearly nine years. He is free-lancing again, working on various projects, including directing a high school hall of fame and coaching high school track and cross country and managing the Hoyt Wilhelm Fan Page on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/wilhelm_hoyt
Cleaning Up
Baseball World Preps For Big Chill — Again
By Dan Schlossberg
Welcome to nuclear winter.
Well, not exactly “welcome.”
After watching players and owners pummel each other over the timing, rules, and scheduling of the virus-shortened 2020 season, there was no doubt that the game would halt again the minute the Basic Agreement expired.
When the clock strikes midnight Eastern Standard Time on Dec. 2, 2021, baseball will disappear under the blanket of its first work stoppage since the 232-day player strike of 1994-1995.
Commissioner Rob Manfred, speaking on behalf of the owners, said only that a lockout by the owners now is better than a strike later by the players because it won’t wipe any games off the schedule.
That statement was naive, insulting, and unwarranted.
The first casualty will be the Baseball Winter Meetings, scheduled to start in Lake Buena Vista, FL on Dec. 6. That event, cancelled by Covid last winter, is traditionally the highlight of the off-season — a chance for baseball to grab back-page tabloid headlines away from football, basketball, and hockey.
It is also a time of trades, signings, and rumors, all creating a buzz that helps teams sell tickets not only for the season to come but also for spring training.
Now we might not have spring training. The March 31 start of the season could be in jeopardy too — especially since players must have some sort of pre-season preparation to get ready.
In short, nuclear winter is upon us. Should the game shut down, there will be no transactions, no trades, no free agent activity, and no news about arbitration, rules changes, or anything else that usually surfaces during the winter.
If Manfred and Tony Clark, head of the players union, can’t get along, both should step down or be fired. Immediately if not sooner. New blood is the best bet when only bad blood exists — and the two sides hate each other with more fury and venom than Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill.
When billionaires and millionaires can’t decide how to divide their rich booty, they risk alienating fans forever. Those of us who remember the player walkout that wiped out the 1994 postseason remember that well.
A nuclear winter creates a radioactive atmosphere from which America’s national pastime may never recover. Yet Manfred, Clark, and their minions never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity.
Which brings a bit of irony into the situation.
Marvin Miller, the hard-nosed negotiator who headed or advised the players union through eight work stoppages, was ushered into the Hall of Fame little more than two months ago — after seven previous rejections by various veterans’ committees.
If a work stoppage ensues in the year of his election, he would only be smiling — at least to himself — at the timing.
And if the two warring sides can agree — as they already have — to move the deadline for tendering contracts from Dec. 2 to Nov. 30, surely they can agree on enough other things to at least extend the negotiating deadline a few weeks and salvage the winter meetings.
Sadly, that might just be too much to ask.
Former AP sportswriter Dan Schlossberg of Fair Lawn, NJ is the author of When the Braves Ruled the Diamond: 2021 World Championship Edition and 38 other books. He covers the game for forbes.com, Latino Sports, USA TODAY Sports Weekly, Sports Collectors Digest, Ball Nine, and Latino Sports, among others. His e.mail is ballauthor@gmail.com.
Timeless Trivia
After losing lefty Steven Matz to St. Louis, the Mets are even more determined to keep Marcus Stroman and get a clean bill of health from David Peterson (oblique injury, foot fracture) . . .
Atlanta ace Charlie Morton says he’ll be ready to play after suffering a fractured fibula in Game 1 of the World Series . . .
Desperate for pitching, the Angels did well to sign ex-Mets Noah Syndergaard and Aaron Loup . . .
Although Hank Aaron never hit for the cycle, Freddie Freeman has done it twice . . .
Cy Young Award winners Max Scherzer, Clayton Kershaw, and Robbie Ray rank as the best pitchers on the free-agent market.
Know Your Editors
HERE’S THE PITCH is published daily except Sundays and holidays. Brian Harl [bchrom831@gmail.com] handles Monday and Tuesday editions, Elizabeth Muratore [nymfan97@gmail.com] does Wednesday and Thursday, and Dan Schlossberg [ballauthor@gmail.com] edits the weekend editions on Friday and Saturday. Readers are encouraged to contribute comments, articles, and letters to the editor. HTP reserves the right to edit for brevity, clarity, and good taste.
BTW, it spelled Pat Venditte. I saw him pitch a few times at AA Trenton when he was in the Yanks system. Truly amazing.
If the reporting signings of Marte, et al, are true, the feeling of Mets fans toward Cohen will change quickly.