Low expectations all around
The Super Bowl is a distant memory, the Olympics are over, and the snow is melting (tomorrow’s bomb cyclone notwithstanding). Baseball’s back! Down south at least. There’s still another month until games that count, but Topps already has two 2018 releases out the door and we more or less know who will be on the Mets to start the season. As to how the team will do this year… They’ll have some cards, so let’s just see what to expect on that front.
Farewells
Four players had their first and last Mets cards in 2017 Topps Update. Fernando Salas was practically run out of town before the product was even released and Tommy Milone and Neil Ramirez weren’t far behind. Tyler Pill, winningest pitcher in Binghamton history, has moved on as well after exposing the dearth of starting pitching depth last year. And Norichika Aoki was gone before he could even get a card as a Met.
Travis Taijeron on the other hand managed to get a Topps Now card after his call-up to the majors. And that’s the last we saw of him. The bullpen took a hit when both Chasen Bradford and Josh Smoker failed to get through waivers, but at least we got one autograph card from Smoker as a Met. And Matt Reynolds, who seemed to be destined to be the sole survivor on the Mets’ 40-man roster after outlasting Bradford, Smoker, and Kevin McGowan, finally saw his bizarre Mets career come to an end. One half of the return for Jose Reyes signing with the Marlins ended up amounting to next to nothing. But at least Reyes is back…
Hails
Yes, Jose Reyes re-signing was one of the bigger deals the Mets made in the offseason. Amid the Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes and the Marlins fire sale, the Mets went bargain hunting. Matt Purke, Zach Borenstein, and Anthony Swarzak are actual baseball players and not just made-up players in a cut-rate video game. Seriously. And Adrian Gonzalez, after being effectively dumped by the Dodgers and the Braves, has found a new home with the Mets. Sucks to be Dominic Smith. Todd Frazier was brought in to fill the David Wright-shaped hole at third base. But he’ll never fill the David Wright-shaped hole in our hearts. We should probably see a doctor about that.
After seemingly being destined to be traded in the previous offseason, the Mets signed Jay Bruce to a two year deal this time around. So… And Matt den Dekker is back on a minor league deal because someone has to play outfield in Vegas. Other than Michael Conforto, hopefully only on rehab. But you never know… Bruce could also spend time at first base, sorry, Dominic Smith. And, after a decade away from the team, Jason Vargas is back to hopefully offer some stability at the back end of the rotation. Or the middle. Everything past deGrom and Syndergaard really.
Propsects
After graduating, well, pretty much everyone, it’s no surprise that the Mets’ farm system ranks among the worst in baseball. And even with an unprecedented run of prospect autographs in 2017, there’s plenty to look forward to in 2018. Consensus top Mets prospect Andres Gimenez got his first autographs in 2017 from Panini and Leaf, but he has yet to get any attention from Topps. Unless Topps is asleep at the wheel, we should see plenty from him in licensed products this year. Peter Alonso wasn’t overlooked in 2017 but could be due for a breakout in 2018. And Luis Guillorme is just starting to get some buzz a year after getting a unique Topps Now card. Corey Oswalt is coming off an outstanding AA season, so it shouldn’t be long until we see something more recent than his 2013 Topps Heritage Minor League autographs. After those four and 2017’s top draft picks, David Peterson and Mark Vientos, it’s anyone’s guess.
Rookies
2018 belongs to Amed Rosario and Dominic Smith. They will be in everything, with autographs and eventually memorabilia. That much is inescapable. But eight more Mets made their major league debut last year without getting a Rookie Card. Take out Taijeron and Bradford and add in Ty Kelly, the lone 2016 debut without a Rookie Card, and you’ve got some serious potential for RC filler. Chris Flexen and Tomas Nido are as close to a lock as it gets with Topps and Phillip Evans has to be on the shortlist after that, leaving Kelly, McGowan, Jacob Rhame, and Jamie Callahan as the longshots. Only two 2017 Mets call-ups got Rookie Cards (well, Rookie Card) in the same year, so I wouldn’t expect much of anything from those not already eligible in 2018.
Autographs
2017 was the year of Noah Syndergaard and his arm shows no sign of slowing down. After autographs in about three dozen products in 2017, he’s right back at it with two more so far in 2018. Between 100+ mph fastballs and thousands of autographs per year, I’m not sure how much longer he can keep this up. Along with Syndergaard, it was largely more of the same with veteran autographs in 2017, so expect that to continue (I’m just hoping for a good, attainable, Mets autograph from Jay Bruce now that he’s back…). And with nothing terribly interesting in 2018 Topps Heritage, it will be up to Archives to deliver something unique. Archives came through in 2017, but past performance is not an indicator of future performance, especially for Topps.
Memorabilia
I’m not sure where to even begin with the current state of memorabilia. 2017 brought a refreshing variety of Mets memorabilia, from Dwight Gooden St. Patrick’s Day green mesh and stripes to a variety of pink Mother’s Day patches and the ’80s racing stripes. Something that probably escaped most people’s attention was the return of pinstripe pants swatches, not seen from current players since R.A. Dickey’s pants were sent to Topps in 2012.
Guess who’s game worn pants just arrived? Hint- Pitcher! First to guess correct wins Archives Box pic.twitter.com/wVJWLROo
— Topps Company (@Topps) June 20, 2012
Even Panini came up with something new. No, not the Tebow swatches, those are all “player-worn” garbage. Same for all of their material from Brandon Nimmo, Gavin Cecchini, Amed Rosario, Dominic Smith, and Tomas Nido (all of whom are likely to have real memorabilia from Topps in 2018). The big surprise was that the material from 2017 international signees Ronny Mauricio and Adrian Hernandez is all game-used. From the Dominican Prospect League. That’s something, at least.
You know what else was game-used? Tim Tebow’s bat swatches in 2017 Topps Heritage Minor League. It’s only a matter of time before his first game-worn jersey cards appear. Also in Heritage Minor League was an assortment of 2016 Futures Game material, so that looks to be getting back on track. And with so many Mets participating in last year’s World Baseball Classic, there was bound to be plenty of material released. But all we got were jerseys from Gavin Cecchini and patches from Cecchini and Nimmo. Is there any more out there waiting to see the light of day?
Playing Pepper 2018
I don’t know how he keeps doing it, but Daniel Shoptaw is back with another look at all 30 clubs from the various bloggers and such who follow them. I’m still on the mailing list, so here we go…
1. What are your thoughts on the offseason? Did the club improve over the winter?
I guess. It’s been a strange offseason, so having a full team by the start of spring training is an accomplishment in itself. They signed a third baseman for the first time in forever, so there’s that. And they finally got the insurance starting pitcher then needed last year, so better late than never? I don’t really know what’s going on with first base or the outfield and I’m not going to pay any attention to it until after the inevitable injuries sort things out. Losing some bullpen depth in 40-man roster moves stings a bit, but the bullpen is a crap shoot anyway. It would have been nice to see them make a run at someone big, but that’s not the way this team operates (and the added value of those big names is debatable). Bigger names are on the horizon anyway, so we can hope that they’re saving up now to bring in a superstar later. Self delusion springs eternal.
2. Will we ever see David Wright playing regularly in New York again?
This is the question that no Mets fan wants to go anywhere near. We all want to see him playing third base every day in Queens, but that looks less likely with every day he misses. It’s hard to watch, but you have to root for the guy. Likewise, you have to acknowledge that it may never happen. My best guess? Sometime in September, David Wright is activated off the DL, starts at third, hits a home run, and walks off into the sunset. But whatever happens, it will be on his terms, as it should be.
3. What’s the one thing people may overlook (either positively or negatively) about this team?
Something overlooked in the New York media market? Is that even possible? With the Mets, about all that gets overlooked is anything positive, so let’s go with Brandon Nimmo. Brandon Nimmo is a genuinely great guy. He’s known for always smiling, but that smile goes all the way down to the core. He’s a smile in human form.
4. Who is the one key player, the guy that must have a good year for the Mets to do well?
Assuming that the medical staff doesn’t count, I have to go with Noah Syndergaard. This is a team with too many gaps and question marks for any one player to make the difference between success and failure. But, to succeed against all odds, that’s when you need your best guy to step up even more. When you’re playing well, a different guy plays hero every day. But when you’re in a bad skid, it’s up to the stopper to turn things around and keep hope alive. I see the latter being more likely for the 2018 Mets, so Syndergaard it is.
5. What’s your prediction for 2018? Where does the team wind up overall?
Pain. Injuries, tough losses, and a winnable division slipping away. Maybe the staffing changes will turn things around. Maybe everyone will stay healthy and play up to their potential. Maybe the bullpen’s island of misfit toys will come together into a dominant force. Maybe the front office will make deals throughout the season to keep the team in contention regardless of what challenges come up. Maybe I’ll win the lottery without even buying a ticket. But, more likely, pain. 82-80, third place behind the wild card Washington Nationals and the surprise division champion Philadelphia Phillies. Pain.
6. What’s one question I should have asked and what’s the answer to it?
Why do you keep supporting this team? The Mets started as a sad joke, won it all by the end of their first decade, and have been alternating between the two extremes ever since. The offseason consistently evokes memories of shopping for “new” toys at the thrift store while all of your friends are up on the latest fads. And even the lowest of expectations will still leave you unprepared for how the games will go. So why keep coming back year after year?
Fandom is irrational. Unpaid online fandom doubly so. There is no reason to it, it’s like spending lots of money on little pieces of cardboard (what kind of an idiot would do that?). But every once in a while, the investment pays back a big lump sum that is still considerably less than the total amount you put in, though it feels a lot more significant. Dig a little deeper though and you find a wealth of stories and people and experiences that you can’t truly appreciate from the outside. And so, you pay the price of admission with the understanding that you won’t be getting it back. It just turns into something different that you can’t get any other way.
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