NY Mets: Searching for the identity of the 2021 team

The Biggest ID Factor

While these aspects of the season have certainly been key, there is another dynamic that has proven to be far more defining: injuries. At the end of the day, this has been the largest source of the 2021 club’s identity.

Consider the injury-related hurdles New York has faced this season. Superstar Jacob deGrom was on a first-half pace that would have rewritten the history books. However, a mysterious arm injury has caused the ace and team leader to be limited to just 15 total appearances this year. This was crippling to the team.

The starting rotation also felt the stinging effect of injuries in several other areas.

• deGrom has been absent without a timeline for return.
• Carrasco was forced to miss the majority of the season, appearing in only nine games to date.
• Starter Joey Lucchesi underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery after just 10 appearances.
• Noah Syndergaard has yet to appear in a game as he recovers from TJ surgery.
• David Peterson was also ruled out for the season after just 16 appearances.

What other teams have suffered so many injuries to their starting staff? It is certainly a shortlist. Yet, despite facing so many challenges, New York is still 8th in the league in team ERA (3.80). They are also top-10 in most other pitching categories.

Imagine how a healthy staff could have catapulted the franchise into postseason success. This would have easily been the source of their identity under better circumstances.

The Mets’ injury bug also doesn’t stop with the rotation. Star hitters like McNeil, Conforto, and Brandon Nimmo have all missed well over a month of action while on the IL.

The Rest of the League

At this point, you may be wondering: How does the rest of MLB compare to the Mets injury woes? I’m glad you asked.

This June, the Mets were ranked 5th in baseball in terms of games missed by players on their 40-man roster. This included 846 days missed by 22 different players.

Things got even worse over the second half of the year. The most current data suggests that New York ranks 2nd in the league in games missed due to injury with just over 2,000. The San Diego Padres, who have also failed to meet preseason expectations, are the only team with a slight edge in this unfortunate category.

This graph is a hugely helpful tool in displaying just how many the Mets have had to overcome. It also shows that Mets’ players have missed nearly DOUBLE the number of games as league average. And drastically more than teams like Boston, Oakland, Baltimore, Kansas City, and Cleveland.

Every team struggles with injuries. Especially during a COVID pandemic. However, the numbers clearly show that the Mets have faced a heavier dose.

What does this mean? 

At the end of the day, these factors mean very little. As unfortunate as they are, every club should strive to build the depth necessary to withstand being the most injured team in the sport. This is something New York failed to do.

Their injury status is not a valid excuse for failing to capture the division crown in what proved to be a weak NL East. We all executed more for the 2021 team. We all have been let down.

However, it is also worth considering that no single factor has defined this version of the New York Mets more than their injury status. It is the message written on the tombstone of the team.

With any hope, the silver lining to this season will come in the form of a much more aggressive approach to free agency and the trade market. New York cannot afford to repeat the same mistake as they seek to build a contender under Cohen in 2022 and beyond.

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They say the first step in fixing an issue is admitting you have a problem. Let’s hope this identifying factor serves as a wake call to the owner and front office.