The 2016 season for both New York baseball teams has seen the Mets and Yankees transform from the infirm and mediocre to playoff-contending juggernauts. “Leading from behind” would be a fitting title for either teams’ yearbook as so many expectations were placed on them from the early onset of the season.
The Mets were coming off a 2015 playoff run that earned them a trip to the World Series. They ultimately lost to the Kansas City Royals but that kept the bar high for this year. The Mets re-signed All-Star outfielder Yoenis Cespedes and acquired middle infielders Asdrubal Cabrera and Neil Walker to fill in the gaps. This was the year the stellar young Mets pitching staff comprised of Noah Syndergaard, Jacob deGrom, Matt Harvey, Steven Matz and Zack Wheeler was presumed to dominate the league.
The Yankees with the “championship every year” philosophy and sizable payroll are always anticipating success. The Yanks had a few offseason acquisitions of their own in All-Star second baseman Starlin Castro and flame-throwing closer Aroldis Chapman. With Chapman, they found themselves with a three-headed monster in the bullpen. Dellin Betances in the seventh inning, Andrew Miller the eighth and Chapman the ninth were unhittable for their brief period together.
Both had some gray areas going into the season as well.
The Mets were facing scrutiny for letting playoff hero Daniel Murphy escape to the division rival Washington Nationals. Will the replacements they obtained be sufficient? And working around an at the time 32-year-old David Wright. Wright suffers from chronic spinal stenosis that affects his regularity of play at third.
Yankees’ starting pitching was their biggest question mark followed closely by their AARP-eligible lineup. With another season of CC Sabathia and Masahiro Tanaka making up the front end of the rotation, the remainder comprised of unproven arms. The age factor held the Yankees captive until the August 1st trading deadline.
So, the seasons unfolded as they do and the fat did rise to the top. The Mets started to plummet into a makeshift triage center. The amount of injuries they sustained was inconceivable. Wheeler never made it out of his rehab in Port St. Lucie. Harvey and Wright took on season-ending surgeries; Wright with a herniated disk in his neck and Harvey thoracic outlet syndrome. Matz and Syndergaard each have a bone spur in their elbows. Every player position or other seems to have been affected by some malady.
The Yankees found themselves hovering around the .500 mark. Mediocrity was the battle cry until the youth movement came to town.
The white flag was waving in the Bronx. Alex Rodriguez was released and Carlos Beltran was traded away. Chapman, Miller and pitcher Ivan Nova found themselves playing for other teams as a fire sale was underway. It allowed the “Baby Bombers” ― Aaron Judge, Tyler Austin and Gary Sanchez ― to try their luck on a major league level.
Since the August 1st deadline, both teams have been given a second chance to prove their worth as wild card or better contenders.
There’s been an impressive push in the last few weeks. The Mets and Yankees, almost simultaneously went on a stretch winning 14 out of 18 games. It has transformed two very dismal seasons.
The Mets are now holding the second NL wild card spot and are eight games behind the Nationals for the division. The Yankees are two back in the AL wild card and only four back in the division.
The remaining schedule for the Yankees has them playing teams within their own division. The Red Sox, Orioles and Blue Jays are all fighting for the same playoff spots. With so much at stake with every series, the conclusion of the Yankees season will be their toughest battle to date. Manager Joe Girardi has had to work around a shotty rotation all season. He’s had to go early and deep into the bullpen. Recently, he’s been using roughly 4 to 6 pitchers per game. The overuse could prove to be a detriment. And trading Miller and Chapman could come back to haunt them.
Believe it or not the Mets are the lucky ones. Following the next series against Washington, the Mets are facing sub-par clubs. Despite the injury woes the offense has awakened. The replacement rookie pitchers Seth Lugo and Robert Gsellman are holding it down for the depleted rotation.
Come October 3, the game will have leveled the playing field as it always does. The brackets will be filled and the fall classic will be closer than ever. Where will these New York teams be come October? Captivating a city with another World Series or counting the months for 2017?
For more by Keith Marcus visit www.nybaseballnews.com and follow him on twitter @keithmarcus