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

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Apr 8, 2021; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets left fielder Dominic Smith (2) follows through on a sacrifice fly against the Miami Marlins during the fifth inning of an opening day game at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /

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.

Sep 6, 2020; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets center fielder Brandon Nimmo (9) is greeted by right fielder Michael Conforto (30) after hitting a solo home run in the sixth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports /

Justin Sarachik believes in Brandon Nimmo but also has too much trust in a pair of veteran Mets relievers

Next, I turned to Justin Sarachik. Another encyclopedia for Mets knowledge, Sarachik has done a great job with Rising Apple mixing in his takes about past Mets teams and the current squad. Never afraid to share his thoughts on the team with me (sometimes privately), I knew for sure he would have some piping hot takes that hit or missed.

When asked for his best take, Sarachik said, “Brandon Nimmo is a more consistent player than Michael Conforto, injuries haven’t allowed us to see it.”

This one may not have fully come out as good, but I have a tough time disagreeing. Nimmo, when at his best, is hard to keep up with. He might not have the same power production as Conforto or drive in as many runs even if he was inserted into the middle of the order. What Nimmo does well, he does at a high level.

In part because of our own perception, Nimmo feels a lot less streaky than Conforto does. And as Sarachik points out, we just haven’t had enough of a sample size to truly know what the happiest man in baseball can do.

Similarly, Sarachik’s personal worst take about the Mets is one we can’t yet acknowledge as a full truth. He told me, “Jeurys Familia and Dellin Betances just need to be 80% of themselves to be effective and productive for the Mets.”

Sarachik had a lot more trust in this pair than I did. He admits he was wrong by acknowledging what a bad take this might have been. The verdict certainly looks to be in on Betances. His injury after just a single outing in 2021 could be the end of his time with the Mets—a prediction I have.

Familia is a bit tougher to pinpoint. Often deceptive numbers, maybe the horrible 2019 season is now in the past. I don’t think we’ll ever know. Unlike Sarachik, I think Mets management has moved on.

Jul 6, 2020; Flushing Meadows, New York, United States; New York Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen watches practice during workouts at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /

Nick Kyriacou knows who the darkest horse MVP on the Mets is, thought the GM hunt never should have happened

Finally, willing to share his best and worst take from the past year, we have Nick Kyriacou. Up-to-date with all things Mets and bold enough to make a declaration, he has shared his best and worst takes with either fellow writers or our dear readers before.

On his best take, Kyriacou said, “A healthy Brandon Nimmo is the Mets dark horse MVP candidate.” To clarify, he doesn’t just mean on this roster. Kyriacou, at one point this spring, thought Nimmo could even be the league’s MVP. It’s certainly looking possible.

I’m not so sure Nimmo actually will win an MVP because of just how difficult that is to do. Usually, we find guys who hit for power winning the award because of all of the other numbers which follow. A guy with 35 home runs will probably reach 100 RBI. If he’s also hitting around .300, he’s a safe bet to win the honor.

Not all of Kyriacou’s takes are hits. Regarding the general manager position, he was high on the guy who previously held the job. However, Kyriacou now admits this was his worst take: “After the Mets sale, Steve Cohen should have kept Brodie Van Wagenen as the general manager.”

I don’t think there would be too many people on this planet or any other that would agree with this statement. Van Wagenen was almost universally disliked. It shows in the results from nearly every move he made. Even the J.D. Davis trade brought the Mets a conundrum to ponder; where does this guy play in the field?

We never will know how things may have gone if Van Wagenen stayed. Surely, one transaction would have worked. For every one of those, I think we would have had a half-dozen that didn’t.

Next. Best Mets starting pitchers of all-time

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Thank you to Alan, Justin, and Nick for participating in this study of good and bad Mets takes from a single mind.

Home / New York Mets News

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

Justin Sarachik believes in Brandon Nimmo but also has too much trust in a pair of veteran Mets relievers

Nick Kyriacou knows who the darkest horse MVP on the Mets is, thought the GM hunt never should have happened

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