Despite it all, The Mets Won't Lose Their Smile

It’s becoming increasingly difficult to sugar-coat things in Flushing, Queens. In their extended homestand, they went 3-7, with 5 of those losses coming in the 8th inning or later. A mere couple weeks ago, I stated that the bullpen was the Met’s strongest unit and now it’s their achille’s heel. We have no choice but to chalk this up as “baseball being baseball”. But it’s hard to stay positive when Jorge López tells reporters that he plays for the worst team in the league (he no longer plays for them). It’s hard to stay positive when even the broadcasters try to talk the fans off the ledge. And yet, after taking another hard loss against the defending NL Champion Diamondbacks, Luis Severino posted a photo of the team on the bus. They weren’t defeated, they weren’t moping, they were smiling. Despite catching the ire of the whole fanbase, I found the picture to be telling. Things haven’t been going well, but they still know who they are and the talent they have. This is a team that still has a lot to play for and I can think of a couple of guys in particular that have been doing just that.

 

Francisco Lindor was in the worst slump of his life. Aside from some short bursts of brilliance, the 3-time Silver Slugger has been an automatic out this season. Every ball that reached his bat either went straight into an infielder’s glove or popped up into outer space. Constantly catching heckles and boos, it seemed like nobody believed in him anymore. That is, except for two people: his daughters. No matter how low his batting average is, he will always be their hero and nothing could change that. So just like Homer Simpson making a collage of baby pictures to spell out “Do It For Her”, Freancisco added a special touch to his work day. On Thursday, he changed his walkup music to “My Girl” by The Temptations. The results were immediately staggering. In his first game with it, he went 4/4 with 2 RBI a home run and a stolen bag. He stole another bag on friday in a 2/4 performance. While not always reliable day in and day out, the song change has definitely sparked something in him. No matter how much the team slides, he’ll always play for his daughters. 

 

J.D. Martinez made it perfectly clear that he has nothing to lose. After an emergency team meeting on Wednesday, he told reporters that their goal is to just have more fun: 

 

“The pressure’s on everyone else right now. Let them have it. If we lose, we lose. They already think we’re the worst in baseball.”

 

This perfectly summarizes how a slumping team should think. Don’t worry about championships and accolades. You’re getting paid to go out and play baseball, so they’re going to keep doing that. They know that they’re not the worst team in baseball, but if opponents want to think that, there’s no reason to persuade them otherwise. Let them mess up and feel bad about it. And J.D. has also doubled down on this comment by going on an absolute tear. Since the meeting, he has batted a symmetrical .333 with 2 homers. He continues to be the most consistent bat in the lineup and his power is creeping back in, just as advertised. This is a player that has been all around the league. He’s won his championship, he’s been a part of some legendary squads and now he’s in New York as the veteran voice of reason. There a plenty of teams that are doing worse than the Mets, but because they’re in a big market, every take is exaggerated. Not being phased by this is a great quality to have and if this mindset can infect the locker room, things can easily turn around. J.D. Martinez is the player that the Mets need more than ever. 

 

So why are the guys in the photo smiling? The answer is simple. They’re getting paid a great wage to play baseball for the best city in the world. They may have lost 7 of their last 10, but 5 of those games were within reach. And now that the entire world is underestimating them, they have full reigns to have fun and play spoiler. It also helps that the road ahead is well-paved. Next weekend, they will travel to London to play the Phillies. At the end of June, they have two games against the Yankees. The other 32 games before the All-Star Break are against teams that are either underperforming, has a losing record or both. I can’t even look at the schedule without smiling, it’s kind of beautiful. They are in perfect position to turn some heads as long as they can get luck back on their side. If the team has nothing to lose, they have everything else to gain.