There's no doubt that the deck is stacked against the Mets these days.
Decisions and statements made by members of the organization that might skate by with other teams get attacked from all corners because of past mistakes and that's a little unfair to the good people in Queens.
Just a little, though, because there are plenty of fair complaints to levy at the people att the wheel of the franchise. Take the dual cases of the team's top two prospects.
Jenrry Mejia came to Spring Training, had a couple of good outings and, in the absence of reliable options, was switched from starter to reliever and ticketed for Citi Field. Forget that he's 20 or that he's got very little professional experience, the Mets are going to radically change their plans so that he can help the big league club immediately. They aren't going to use him in a high-leverage role because, according to Jerry Manuel, he's not mentally ready to be a setup man.
There are a lot of forks in the road that the Mets are driving down right there and they never once take the route you'd expect from a professional team operating with a plan. If Mejia is so good that taking him to the majors is irresistable, shouldn't you be willing to actually put him in the positions where he'll best help your team?
The other top Mets prospect is Ike Davis. Like Mejia, Davis wasn't supposed to be part of the big league team this year but, like Mejia, he's performed splendidly in Spring Training. He's outperformed every other first baseman on the roster, which, since none of those guys is Willie McCovey, has some people wondering if he shouldn't be the starter come Opening Day. The Mets are adamant that it won't happen and that Daniel Murphy remains their choice.
Davis is 23 and he went to Arizona State, two facts that would normally make him a much more desirable choice for a big league role than the younger, less experienced Mejia. Throw in the fact that it is harder to find a decent first baseman than it is to find a fourth man in a bullpen and things get even harder to understand. Even when you accept that players develop at different paces, the Mets seem to be operating with a split personality that's hard to figure out.
Giving Murphy the job to start and seeing what happens is a perfectly reasonable approach to first base. Unless, of course, you're unwilling to give a clutch of equally mediocre relievers their own chance to figure things out. The team is moving in opposite directions on these two decisions which only guarantees that they won't be moving forward.
Sports
Josh Alper is a writer living in New York City and is a contributor to FanHouse.com and ProFootballTalk.com in addition to his duties for NBCNewYork.com.
