Mets writers offer their best and worst takes of the last year

Not all takes stay hot. Ask an honest New York Mets fan how often their takes on a particular issue hit, you’re bound to find some of the best batting only .500.

We all have our share of good and bad takes. Since joining Rising Apple in 2018, I know I’ve had my share of both.

Often, as fans, we find ourselves over or under-evaluating a particular player. We’re ready to put a guy in the Hall of Fame after one hot streak. Others can go cold and suddenly become expendable.

I thought it might be fun to check in with some other writers at Rising Apple and see what they believe their best and worst takes of the last year have been.

Alan Karmin put his faith in Dominic Smith and the Mets starting pitchers

Alan Karmin knows a lot about Mets history and is one of our go-to writers for topics about the past. When I asked him for his best and worst Mets takes of the last year, he revealed the faith he put into one particular player and the trust he had in a group of men.

“The best has to be the emergence of Dominic Smith who seemed to be a man without a position,” wrote Karmin in the brief statement.

This definitely is a take a lot of fans wish they had a year ago. Smith first began to turn things around in 2019 as a part-time player for the Mets. However, it wasn’t until 2020 when he began to do it on a more consistent basis in the everyday lineup.

Still a man without a true position, he’s the everyday left fielder for now. His season may have had some bumps along the way already. There’s no doubt there’s plenty of faith in him turning things around moving forward just as Karmin expected.

On the other side, Karmin shared his worst take with me. He wrote, “The worst has to be the disappointment of what was thought to be the best pitching staff ever. With the exception of Jacob deGrom, gone are Matt Harvey, Zack Wheeler, Steven Matz, and who knows what will be with Noah Syndergaard.”

It’s not a ridiculously bad take and not even one limited to just the last rotation around the sun. For years, we’ve heard about the elite talent of the young Mets starting pitchers. Even in 2020, when the club brought in mercenaries like Rick Porcello and Michael Wacha (okay, maybe not the best mercenaries), there was hope for something better.

Mets starting pitching remains at the forefront of the franchise’s plans to win a championship. While Karmin lost on this take, I don’t think he’s alone.