NY Mets: 3 ways the team failed, 3 ways they succeeded in 2021

Sep 19, 2021; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets catcher Tomas Nido (3) hi fives New York Mets left fielder Jeff McNeil (6) for hitting a home run during the seventh inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 19, 2021; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets catcher Tomas Nido (3) hi fives New York Mets left fielder Jeff McNeil (6) for hitting a home run during the seventh inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports /
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Sep 24, 2021; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; New York Mets pitcher Tylor Megill (38) reacts after giving up back-to-back home runs in the third inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports /

The Mets failed with their starting rotation

There was no actual moment when we crossed a line with this failure. The team appeared to do a lot of things right in the offseason. There was depth. There was talent. Everything looked surmountable.

What the team didn’t anticipate was the lengthy loss of Jacob deGrom, continued IL stint and rehabs from Noah Syndergaard, and the absolute collapse of just about everyone else in the second half.

A far more minor blow than some others the rotation received, they even lost Joey Lucchesi and David Peterson to season-ending injuries. What could go wrong, did go sideways.

The worst part about it all might be that there’s no one single person to blame. A lot of what made this a failure is the unexpected. Taijuan Walker was definitely pitching above expectations in the first half. That doesn’t help when we factor in how rough it has been to watch him pitch post-All-Star Break. Tylor Megill has also seemingly hit a wall while Carlos Carrasco hasn’t been the reliable veteran starter we hoped he could be.

It was an ugly season for the Mets starting pitchers as a whole. It’s tough to imagine, in only early July, deGrom was on his way to an MVP and one of the most magnificently pitched years in MLB history.