It's not the star NY Mets players, rookies, or even pitchers facing the wrath of fans

For now, the New York Mets have their fall guy. With Carlos Mendoza now on the unemployment line, the team will try to regroup in order to save its rapidly disappearing playoff hopes. Mendoza, of course, certainly did himself no favors, but those in the know are right when they say the problem runs much deeper.

In fact, there are many issues that have led to the current situation, and not just one. However, one problem area is front and center, and the group that makes up this cohort deserves all of the heat that they're taking.

The biggest issue hasn't been with the stars on the team, and it hasn't been with the pitching staff either. Sure, you could have gripes about both, and they'd be valid, but that's not the point.

Although Francisco Lindor has been injured and ineffective when he's played, he hasn't had much time to get going, logging just 27 disjointed games. Meanwhile, Juan Soto has a 168 wRC+, and Bo Bichette is hitting .337 and has been surprisingly good defensively all year long.

As for the pitching, as a whole, the staff owns a 4.12 ERA, which ranks 14th. Not great, but it is hair above average. The starters have been a mixed bag, for sure, but the bullpen has been really good, ranking sixth in MLB with a 3.40 ERA.

Instead, it's the supporting cast, specifically the last wave of New York's top prospects, which includes Mark Vientos, Brett Baty, Ronny Mauricio, and Francisco Alvarez, that has drawn fans' ire and truly let the team down.

The quartet of Mark Vientos, Brett Baty, Ronny Mauricio, and Francisco Alvarez failing to develop has cost the Mets dearly

Every fan dreams of their team's hotshot prospects becoming the next big thing in the league. We hope for superstardom, but realistic fans understand that the chances any youngster, no matter how promising, reaches those heights is slim-to-none. In fact, chances are, a good number of prospects won't ever amount to anything.

However, if you can get a couple of solid contributors from the pipeline, you're in a good spot. If we define a solid contributor as a roughly average starter, that means a 2 WAR player. Between Vientos, Baty, Mauricio, and Alvarez, the Mets haven't accumulated 2 WAR total from this group to date.

Instead, the group has come together to subtract 1 fWAR from the cause this season. The only player who has somewhat been pulling his weight has been Alvarez, who owns 0.8 fWAR through June 28. Baty and Mauricio have -0.4 fWAR apiece on their ledgers, while Mark Vientos has been a trainwreck at -1.0 fWAR.

Ideally, New York would close the books on 2026 with 8.0 fWAR from these four players. Instead, it's on pace for a reduction of 2.0 from its total. That 10 fWAR swing is the equivalent of taking Aaron Judge off the 2025 Yankees for the entire season.

So Mark Vientos deciding not to hit while not being a viable defensive player at any position on the diamond, Baty proving that last year's roughly average offensive season after years of disappointment was merely a mirage, Mauricio struggling to prove he even belongs on an MLB roster, and Alvarez's inconsistencies, have had as big if not a bigger impact than any other crisis the Mets have faced.

Once there was hope that guys like Vientos and Baty could become trade chips even if they proved insufficient for the Mets' needs, but now, no one in their right mind would touch them with a 10-foot pole.

This is a whole generation of up-and-comers who have neither risen up nor come along. Regardless of how much cash is in Steve Cohen's pockets, it's hard to win when that happens, and 2026 is proving that to be exactly the case.

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