Mets hope to avoid a 100-loss season in our 1993 simulation

The dreaded 1993 season has arrived for the New York Mets and they hope to avoid a 100-loss season.

We have officially entered a losing time in virtual New York Mets history. The 1992 simulation started well but ended poorly. As we embark on our simulation of the 1993 campaign, I don’t have the highest of expectations for this virtual organization.

Although the payroll is high and there is some talent on paper, this is the real-life squad that lost over 100 games.

Before we get through what I expect is some ugliness, let’s recap past simulated Mets seasons:

1962: 52-108
1963: 43-119
1964: 44-118
1965: 50-112
1966: 56-105
1967: 64-98
1968: 74-88
1969: 93-69
1970: 101-61 (NLCS loss 3-2)
1971: 100-62 (World Series Champions)
1972: 80-76
1973: 83-77
1974: 72-90
1975: 75-87
1976: 88-74
1977: 78-84
1978: 68-94
1979: 64-98
1980: 65-97
1981: 34-69
1982: 69-93
1983: 64-98
1984: 83-79
1985: 98-64 (NLCS loss 4-3)
1986: 90-72
1987: 95-67 (NLCS loss 4-3)
1988: 99-63 (World Series Champions)
1989: 110-52 (World Series loss 4-1)
1990: 103-59 (World Series loss 4-0)
1991: 84-77
1992: 76-86

Will our simulation of the 1993 season go any better than the real version did? It has been a long time since this team lost 100 games. Maybe it’s time.

Preseason Predictions

The preseason predictions have the Mets finishing 66-96. The only team in the National League with a worse record based on these predictions is a new club, the Colorado Rockies. Even the Florida Marlins have more wins on their preseason prediction total.

No Mets are expected to finish in the top ten in hitting or pitching which is a stark change from the 1980s when the organization was loaded with star players.

Finally, let’s share some results from spring training. For whatever it’s worth, the team went 14-16 while finishing right in the middle of the division. I won’t look too much into it. I’m ready for some games that actually count.

Regular Season Results

The Mets surprised everyone with a strong April featuring multiple days in first-place. However, the division was tight and unless they were able to run away with it, other teams were going to inevitably catch them.

This is exactly what happened. By the time the first half ended, the Mets were already beginning to fade. At 41-46, they are 7 games behind the first-place Philadelphia Phillies. Sadly, there are four teams in front of them before even getting to Philadelphia with just the St. Louis Cardinals behind.

The Mets needed an unstoppable second half to have any chance to earn their way into the postseason. The Wild Card doesn’t exist yet, after all.

Although they were able to make a valiant effort to get more competitive, their 80-82 record was only good for fifth place in the seven-team division.

Honors

The 1993 Mets sent only one player to the All-Star Game, pitcher Bret Saberhagen. It’s his sixth time and second with the Mets. He did get into the game, earning a hold for the National League in relief. Unfortunately, Lee Smith ended up blowing it late with a comeback victory by the American League squad.

Beyond Saberhagen’s All-Star appearance, there isn’t any other honor to report.

Notable Individual Statistics

Bobby Bonilla actually ended up having a pretty good year. He knocked 28 home runs and added 100 RBI. We also witnessed 23 home runs from Jeromy Burnitz and 20 from Todd Hundley.

What really held the Mets back in this year was how quickly the pitching has gotten old. Dwight Gooden and Sid Fernandez don’t look themselves. Gooden went 9-12 with a 3.65 ERA while Fernandez was 7-8 with a 4.87 ERA.

The Mets did stumble on a great year by closer Mike Maddux. He saved 28 games with a 1.30 ERA. This is as much an indication of how poorly John Franco performed. This year featured a 6.98 ERA out of Franco, showing that maybe he won’t be the closer for this simulated version of the Metropolitans that he was in real life.

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The year went much better than anticipated and yet there’s little reason to celebrate. Our next simulated season may go by quickly unless the Player’s Union and Major League Baseball can avoid the 1994 strike.