The Mets: Torture, Or Just Painful?

I will preface this post by saying that the impact of baseball managers is typically overstated. And usually, I do not like to play the game of blaming a manager or coach for a team’s failures.

Jerry Manuel is not the guy who can’t seem to drive in get a runner in from third with less than two outs. That’s David Wright. He is also not the guy who can’t seem to throw a freaking strike. That’s Ollie Perez. He is also not the big-name reliever who was brought in to protect one-run leads in the eighth inning, only to blow the first big spot he was put into. That’s J.J. Putz. So yes, Manuel is far from the only person to blame for the Mets malaise. What he is, however, is an idiot.

I hate to be harsh, but how else do you explain pinch-hitting Omir Santos for Ramon Castro in the ninth inning of a game with the bases loaded trailing by one run? Seriously, I’m asking, because I have no fucking clue.

Santos is a journeyman minor leaguer with a career .651 OPS. Yes, he hit a grand slam the other day and that was nice, but even a blind horse finds water sometimes. He’s 28 years old and it is pretty clear that by the standard of professional baseball, he is an awful hitter. Castro, on the other hand has a career .723 OPS in the MAJOR LEAGUES. That’s nothing special, but still significantly better. He also had two hits on the day, which means you can’t argue that you are going with the guy that was swinging the hot bat.

Apparently, when asked, Manuel said something about Santos’ short swing being better suited to face the hard-throwing Matt Lindstrom (the same Matt Lindstrom, mind you, that Omar Minaya once gave away in a trade, but that’s another story). Is he kidding? If his swing was short and sweet, then how come he slugged a robust .323 last year in Triple-A. Oh, and by the way, earlier in the game Castro gotten a hit off Josh Johnson, who was pumping in fastballs at 98 mph.

This decision flies in the face of logic. And as my college friends can tell you, logic is my specialty. If you ask them, it pretty much defines me. My favorite part of watching a baseball game is trying to figure out the best strategy to maximize the chances of success (yes, I’m a nerd). Typically, a manager’s decision is pretty easy. But sometimes, particularly late in games, it can get complex. This, however, was not one of those times. The best part was that Santos was down in the bullpen when it happened, so it took like three minutes between batters for someone to go get him. Which can only mean that he thought Manuel crazy too. And in addition to being a horseshit strategic move, what does it say to Castro? When you’re getting pinch-hit for by Omir freaking Santos, it’s pretty freaking clear your manager has no faith in you.

If the average person made a decision that bad in their job, it’s likely they would be fired. That’s how idiotic it was. I now have absolutely no faith in Manuel’s ability to make the right decision, which only further reduces my faith in this team.

I realize that I’m projecting my frustration with the Mets (and Swine Flu!) to some degree, but holy shit that was stupid. (End rant.)