In Robert Burns’ famous poem To a Mouse he wrote, “The best-laid plans of mice and men, often go awry.” The line was also directly referenced in John Steinbeck’s famous novel Of Mice and Men.
Every MLB season there are front offices and fan bases saying “Amen to that,” as they watch teams with huge expectations underachieve on the field.
Last week I addressed the Jays’ struggles so far this season. But the Blue Jays aren’t the only team with World Series dreams struggling out of the gate.
Take, for example, the New York Mets.
They are popping champagne bottles in Queens, N.Y. after the Mets (8-16) finally won again on Wednesday night, ending a streak of 12 straight losses. The Mets beat the Minnesota Twins (12-12), who have been one of the overachieving teams so far this season.
So many of the pundits had the Mets as a 90-plus win team this season. I was not one of them, but I certainly didn’t expect this level of failure early in the season.
Of course, the loss of superstar outfielder Juan Soto for three weeks to a strained calf has played a role in their struggles. Plus, shortstop Francisco Lindor has not been his usual productive self, maybe due in part to the surgery he had on his hand in March to deal with a broken hamate bone.
Soto returned to the Mets lineup Wednesday night, going 1-for-3 with a walk as he was the designated hitter for the day. Lindor was 2-for-2 as he scored a run and drove one in. But Lindor had to leave the game after limping around the bases with what has been diagnosed as a strained calf muscle. That’s right, Lindor is headed to the injured list with the same issue Soto just returned from.
The Mets haven’t been hitting, pitching or defending as they had hoped. Injuries have played a big part in the struggles, but so too has just plain old underachievement.
It has led to the fans questioning the front office and demanding answers and accountability. There have been some calling for manager Carlos Mendoza to lose his job. Others are screaming for president of baseball operations David Stearns to be fired.
Mendoza and Stearns are preaching patience, but they must be wondering what and the heck is going on.
This is why the jobs of manager and general manager (or president of baseball operations) are so difficult. What happens on the field is out of your control. You can’t catch or pitch or hit for the players. You can only support and put them in the best position to succeed and then hope.
Things are getting loud in New York as they often do when there is failure. The Mets somehow need to become more consistent to quiet the noise – or at least change the jeers to cheers.
I don’t think they have the roster to do it this year. You can’t win a division in April but you can lose one, and the Mets are tempting fate.
One hundred and thirty-eight teams in the World Series era have had 12-game losing streaks in a season. None of them went on to make the playoffs.
Other win-now teams scuffling
There are a more than a handful of teams this season that could use “the best laid plans…” as their slogan for the early part of the season.
Teams with playoff and World Series aspirations like the Philadelphia Phillies (8-16), Boston Red Sox (9-15), Kansas City Royals (8-17), Houston Astros (10-16) and Seattle Mariners (11-15) have also gotten off to tough starts.
These are all teams built with the intention to win this year. Each team has their own reasons for struggling. Some of them will overcome those issues and get back into contention and some will not.
The Phillies have not hit or pitched as they expected to, and sluggers Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber haven’t gotten hot yet. On the plus side, ace Zack Wheeler is due back on Saturday from thoracic outlet syndrome. I think the Phillies will get hot and still be in the mix for a wild-card spot.
The Red Sox have not hit much this season. Young stud outfielder Roman Anthony has been just okay. The team lacks power and experience, and they really seem to miss the leadership of Alex Bregman. They don’t have a veteran who can help them navigate struggles. Garrett Crochet, their ace pitcher, doesn’t look like the same guy so far, and their infield defence is poor. I don’t see the Red Sox as a playoff team at this point.
The Royals have been terribly disappointing. Bobby Witt Jr. has been good but not great and hasn’t hit for power. Salvador Perez looks like the years of wear and tear behind the plate are catching up to him. Their ace, Cole Ragans, is having trouble throwing strikes. At this point, they look lost. I don’t see them making the playoffs now, when I did before the season.
The Astros and Mariners have been the antithesis of one another In the AL West. The Astros have hit and not pitched, while the Mariners have pitched well but not hit. The Astros have suffered critical injuries to an already thin pitching staff. The Mariners will hit better once Cal Raleigh, Julio Rodriguez and Josh Naylor get going. I think the Mariners will win the AL West and the Astros will miss the playoffs.
This is why we play the games. The best-laid plans of general managers often go awry. Some teams perform better than expected and some worse – except for the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers. Sorry, just had to remind everyone who the best team is in baseball.
