Maybe A Little Patience Is Needed With Mets

Although I never actually said that I think Joe Girardi or Jerry Manuel should be fired (merely suggested it), some people took umbrage, especially having to do with Manuel. So I think I need to clarify a bit.

Jerry Manuel's biggest problem right now is injuries. He's missing some of the best players on his team and playing guys who shouldn't be in the major leagues. And some of those who "should be" are underperforming. I thought Daniel Murphy would do a fine job for the Mets but he hasn't. His defense was subpar in left and he's really never found a position (thought 1st may be his best bet). And he's been one of the disappointments. As FanGraphs wrote on Tuesday: "Originally an infielder, Murphy’s penchant for errors led to a move to the outfield, where he spent all of 2008 while in the Majors. This season, he’s split his time between left field and first base. His 2009 line of .250/.324/.362 is below average for both positions, as is his ISO at .112." And Baseball Prospectus via ESPN.com wrote on Tuesday that Daniel Murphy ranks among the worst regulars in the majors with Daniel Murphy .250/.324/.362 line, 1 SB, and a -2.1 VORP all while compiling 216 PA (at that point). And the Mets have had to keep on playing him because of injuries.

But one of the "good" side effects of the injuries, as Ken Rosenthal points out, is that it saves Omar Minaya from himself:

No one trade will fix the Mets' problems, not when the team is without center fielder Carlos Beltran, shortstop Jose Reyes and first baseman Carlos Delgado.

The last thing Minaya should do is trade prospects for a short-term solution. Better he should wait for his injured players to recover and then reassess his needs near the July 31 non-waiver deadline.

The Mets need to stop depleting their inventory of young talent. One rival general manager, when asked to rate the Mets' system, says, "to call it ordinary would be kind."...

Since the end of the 2006 season, the Mets have moved two young players for second baseman Luis Castillo, four for left-hander Johan Santana and four in the three-team, 12-player blockbuster for setup man J.J. Putz. They also have parted with Padres closer Heath Bell, Marlins closer Matt Lindstrom and Royals right-hander Brian Bannister in deals that yielded little in return

So while the blame, in some ways, should definitely be shared between Minaya, Manuel and the players, and injuries have killed this team, they will need to shape up quickly. The Phillies are getting Brad Lidge back and Jimmy Rollins is probably going to get better at some point (and they'll probably go get a pitcher too). The Rockies won 17 of 18 to get back into the Wild Card race. The Brewers have a dangerous team that beat out the Mets last year. The Giants have the best 1-2 in the game. The Cubs are better than they've shown. And Cincinnati, Florida, and Atlanta could all get hot with the weather (especially with their pitching). So Manuel needs to get his team ready to play.

My biggest problem with Manuel is not how the players have played (not his job), but rather the lack of hustle and fundamentals they've shown (probably his job) and how he's managed the team (definitely his job). As Jon Heyman wrote: "Mets manager Jerry Manuel has been about the unluckiest manager in terms of injuries. And while the team has hung in the race (only three behind Philly despite the loss of Carlos Delgado, Jose Reyes, J.J. Putz, John Maine and now Carlos Beltran), he's getting criticized by Mets fans for his use of the bullpen. Or in a couple cases, overuse."

And that overuse is one of the things I talked about yesterday on this blog. The other problem is his penchant to throw players under the bus and have odd feelings towards certain players. He seems to hate Ryan Church with a passion, for instance. I don't think that Manuel should be fired yet, but this team does need to start playing better with the players they do have for him to keep his job past this season.