The crowds at Citi Field were not what one would have hoped for late in the year. The Mets were eliminated in that game, tallying only one hit as the offense completely collapsed.

In the three-game Wild Card series against the Padres, the Mets again sent their best pitchers to the mound, but Max Scherzer lost command of his fastball and gave up seven runs to blow Game 1, while Chris Bassitt couldn’t get through four innings amid control issues in Game 3. The 2022 Mets wound up winning 101 games, the second most in franchise history, but the primary fan sentiment was anxiety as the team limped into the playoffs. The Braves went on to win the NL East by virtue of the tiebreaker. Instead, they were swept by a Braves team that out-slugged them in every game, despite the Mets throwing their three best starting pitchers and taking early leads. The Mets just needed to win one game to nail down the season tiebreaker for the division (as opposed to the wild card, if the teams finished the season tied). With the red-hot Braves chasing them down (from a full 10 games behind in June), the Mets stumbled against the lowly Nationals and Cubs in early September, and came into the season’s penultimate series against the Braves with only a one-game lead. Unfortunately, things went south in September. The team ended play on August 27 with an 82-46 record, on track to challenge the 1986 squad for the title of winningest Mets team ever.I was particularly happy to see him frequently deploy his best reliever in the 8th inning if the game was on the line or the opponents’ best hitters were up, instead of always waiting for the 9th. Buck Showalter impressed on all fronts – his demeanor, preparation, and pitching moves all seemed top-notch.The starting pitching was overall very healthy and consistent.Nearly everyone got opportunities in big spots, and they delivered more often than not - this allowed the Mets to avoid leaning too heavily on one or two guys, and their relievers posted the fewest back-to-back appearances in the game.

The bullpen was better than expected, with career years out of the team’s primary setup man and closer, and clutch performances throughout.Though fairly low in the power department by 2022 standards, the Mets were leading the National League in runs, while posting the league’s lowest strikeout rate, well into the summer.This was exactly what fans had been missing over the previous two seasons, when the Mets had hit well overall, but had routinely failed when it mattered most.įor much of the year, the Mets were clicking on all cylinders:

However, enthusiasm quickly built, as the Mets’ hitters finally showed some discipline and clutch ability, grinding out quality at bats up and down the lineup, including some key RBI singles to win games. 2022 developmentsĪs the season began (a week late, after a labor dispute lockout that lasted into March), it was a strange feeling to root for a Mets team led by an Indian (Lindor), a National (Scherzer), a Pirate (Marte), and other players who had made their names for other organizations. The Mets also looked forward to an enormous opportunity in the mid-season amateur draft, with many early-round picks. Those new faces included manager Buck Showalter, hitting coach Eric Chavez, and a bevy of high-priced free agent players signed by new GM Billy Eppler. Mets fans entered 2022 desperate to see if Steve Cohen’s money and a few key new faces could finally right the ship. Some of these moves worked better than others, but none of them got the Mets to the postseason.Ģ021 was a particularly discouraging season, thanks to declines from all of the team’s core players, injuries that shelved the team’s biggest star (Jacob deGrom), and finally a late-season collapse. In 2021, Steve Cohen bought the team and brought in a new front office to turn things around. In 2020, manager Luis Rojas came in to turn things around. In 2019, GM Brodie Van Wagenen came in to turn things around. In 2018, manager Mickey Callaway came in to turn things around. Links to previous editions: 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 The story so far…Īfter the Mets’ last period of contention ended with an ugly season in 2017, the Mets organization entered a period of revolving-door leadership. Written one the eve of the 2023 season, here after the trade deadline is the tenth annual installment in this series tracking the Mets’ changing fortunes from year to year.

His smile and optimism gone guts