Kallet: Scorching Mets Have Overcome Adversity, But More Is On The Way
By Brad Kallet, WFAN.com
» More Columns
Whew! Give me a minute to catch my breath, if you would.
What a captivating, thrilling, satisfying -- and, frankly, shocking -- first two weeks of the season its been for the Mets.
Coming into a season in which they were expected to answer the bell and finally make a run at a postseason berth, the Amazin's have jumped out to an improbably good start. They're 10-3, in first place in the NL East -- the Nationals are four games back and the Marlins are seven games back -- and own the best record in the National League. They're in the middle of an eight-game winning streak and are 7-0 in the friendly confines of Citi Field.
The starting pitching has been outstanding -- Jacob deGrom has been better than Matt Harvey -- the bullpen has been solid, the defense has been superb and the offense has come through with timely hitting and clutch add-on runs.
And the crowds in Queens have been ROCKING. There was a playoff atmosphere in the air this week, and you get a sense that the players -- in addition to the fans -- believe in themselves more than they have in years past.
With a much-needed off-day before the Mets kick off a three-game set against the Braves and look to extend their streak to nine, this is as good a time as any to reflect.
It's amazing what this team has had to overcome already, and the resiliency it's shown to get in a favorable position.
Prior to opening day, No. 3 starter and budding superstar Zack Wheeler underwent Tommy John surgery. So did the main left-handed specialist, Josh Edgin. Both were out for the season before the season even started.
Bullpen mainstays Vic Black and Bobby Parnell started the year on the disabled list, and closer Jenrry Mejia joined them before being suspended 80 games for testing positive for a synthetic anabolic steroid.
Most significantly, captain David Wright was placed on the 15-day disabled list last Wednesday with a strained right hamstring. He's expected to miss approximately two more weeks, assuming there are no setbacks in his recovery.
I'll be the first to admit that, to varying degrees, every time a player has gone down I've been worried about how this team would respond. But guys have risen to the occasion, and then some.
Eric Campbell is not Wright, but he's done an admirable job since taking over as the starting third baseman. Jeurys Familia has taken the closer role and run with it, converting six of six save opportunities. And Jerry Blevins, who general manager Sandy Alderson traded for in light of Edgin's injury, has been perfect. He's retired all 15 batters he's faced and has looked untouchable against lefties.
Yep, the Mets have employed the classic "next man up" approach and achieved great success in doing so.
After losing two more critical pieces to injury on Sunday, they'll need to keep that trend going and continue to get production from fairly unproven commodities.
During Sunday's nail-biting victory over Miami, the Mets lost Blevins to a fractured forearm and starting catcher Travis d'Arnaud to a fractured hand in the span of one inning. There's no definite timetable for how long they'll be out, but both players are expected to miss significant time. It's likely that the duo will be sidelined for a minimum of four-to-six weeks.
Former first-round pick Kevin Plawecki will be called up to replace d'Arnaud and start at catcher, and right-hander Hansel Robles will take Blevins' spot on the roster.
Neither player has any major league experience.
The loss of Blevins is troubling, but no club has ever been doomed by an injury to a middle reliever. New York's bullpen is pretty deep, and there are two other left-handers on the roster in Alex Torres and Sean Gilmartin (though neither specializes in retiring lefties).
D'Arnaud's injury, however, is crushing. The 26-year-old backstop, who broke out in the second half last season, was off to red-hot start. Not only did he look fabulous behind the plate -- gunning runners down and managing the pitching staff -- but he was a force offensively. Before leaving the game on Sunday, d'Arnaud was hitting .317 with two homers, a double, a triple and 10 RBIs. He smoothly transitioned into the No. 2 hole in the lineup, replacing Wright, and consistently put the ball in play. He struck out just four times in 41 at-bats.
Plawecki is a top prospect, and scouts love what he can do with the bat. But the bottom line is that he's never played a game in the big leagues, and to think he'll replicate what d'Arnaud did over the first 13 games is foolish. Maybe, in time, he'll be an excellent major leaguer, but to expect him to come out of the gate firing on all cylinders is unrealistic. And on the other side of the ball, it takes time for a catcher to become adept at throwing out smarter, faster baserunners. He'll also have to develop a rapport with the pitchers, which doesn't happen overnight and is no easy task.
With d'Arnaud out and Wright still hurt, the lineup is a whole lot thinner and less explosive than it was on opening day.
The quest to keep winning and shocking the baseball world is about to get much more difficult. But who am I to say that the Amazin's can't keep amazing their fans? I've been proven wrong a lot in two weeks.
When Wright's diagnosis was revealed, my hope was that New York could tread water in his absence. I thought they would have an incredibly difficult time scoring runs without him. All they've done since is win five straight games. And thankfully -- knock on wood -- the seven-time All-Star will return to the field in the not-too-distant future.
Injuries happen, and happen often. No team is immune. They're occurring at a rapid rate to this club right now -- and in freakish fashion -- but the Mets have done a tremendous job thus far of responding to adversity. You see it in the way they win. It's almost like they feed off trailing early and coming from behind.
Can they continue to weather the storm? It won't be easy, and the challenge just got more daunting.
But maybe there's something special about this team. It certainly feels that way early on.
Brad Kallet is an editor and columnist for CBSNewYork.com. He has written for TENNIS.com, MLB.com and SMASH Magazine, among others. You can follow him on Twitter @brad_kallet.
