Settling the Unsettled at Shortstop and in the Bullpen

Here is a statistic for your consideration: In 2015, Mets shortstops posted the 10th-highest fWAR in baseball. They were, on the whole, more productive than all but nine other teams at that position.

Now, consider the qualitative counterpoint: At any point in 2015, did it seem like the Mets were set at shortstop? That the position was a stable bedrock of their lineup? Between Wilmer Flores’ roller coaster year, Ruben Tejada’s annual bouts of inconsistency, and some usual fan-frothing for Matt Reynolds, when did it seem like they were actually in a position of strength relative to the rest of the sport?

Now extend that out to the infield as a whole. Daniel Murphy had the best offensive season of his career and–other than Murphy’s Ruthian October–did it ever feel like there was wholesale happiness there? No.

This year, however, the Mets are in a different place. Their middle infield is good. Asdrubal Cabrera is an upgrade at shortstop and a stabilizing force there after a few barren years. Neil Walker is in the midst of a career-best power surge. But for the club, it’s also something different altogether–a time where the quantitative stats match the qualitative objectivity. Finally, they have a team where strengths actually feel like strengths.

This is, obviously, a wholly subjective matter. Whether something feels like a team strength is very much less important than it actually is one. But after having to piece together production, the Mets have a set and it forget mentality there.

“I think we’re pleasantly pleased with the way they played,” Sandy Alderson said of the infield late last month. “I don’t know that the way they’ve played has been unexpected in any particular way.

Extend this to the bullpen too. Last season they finished with the 11th-best bullpen ERA and for most of the season it was in the top-5 or top-10. For most of the year, that spot seemed unsettled too. Other than Jeurys Familia in the ninth inning, what certainty was there? Need we relive the Jenrry Mejia affair or the Eric O’Flaherty experiment or Alex Torres or Tyler Clippard’s final two months. And still, there they were near the top of the leaderboards.

This year, the numbers are only marginally better. The ERA, 2.79 entering Wednesday, is lower, yes, but it’s early and more relevant is the context. The Mets have the eighth-lowest bullpen ERA in baseball–though their FIP and fourth-best K/9 suggest that this performance is no fluke.

Psychically, the Mets are in a much better place. Familia is a proven commodity now. Jerry Blevins, finally healthy, is a reliable left-handed arm in the late innings. Hansel Robles is continuing his progress after a strong-enough rookie season. Antonio Bastardo is the high-priced addition. Fliers like Jim Henderson and unassuming prospects like Logan Verrett are the surplus value added portions of the bullpen this year rather than dependent parts like Sean Gilmartin and Erik Goeddel were last season.

“You have multiple guys that you can bring in for certain situations,” catcher Kevin Plawecki told the Wall Street Journal. “And have confidence in each and every one of them to get the job done.”

This sentiment–other than being the catcher cliche-speak of a veteran–is actually true for the Mets this year. Their bullpen wasn’t the 2016 Reds last year but it did have the feeling of a mirage. And while shortstop was objectively above average, the Mets were also ready to trade Flores in July and Tejada is now in St. Louis.

This year, however, the numbers match up with perception.

Photo Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports