3 NY Mets players the team has continued to mishandle all season

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The mismanagement of players is one thing every fan will notice. We all love to play armchair manager and general manager. We know what the New York Mets should do before getting to the ball field and in the middle of the game.

Throughout the 2023 season, there have been questionable calls in both aspects. The Mets have systematically and continually mishandled several players. It’s these three who stand out most as the ball club continues to mishandle them on the roster and in game action.

1) NY Mets have mishandled David Robertson’s usage out of the bullpen

Has Buck Showalter forgotten how to use David Robertson? The last few weeks have been brutal. It began on June 18 when the Mets didn’t go to Robertson against the St. Louis Cardinals with a day off on Monday. They lost and there wasn’t an opportunity to even use him the next three games as they blew out the Houston Astros then lost the next pair.

This mistake by the skipper has continued throughout the team’s struggles since the calendar turned to June. Even in the most recent series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Showalter decided against bringing him into the game on Saturday fresh from the All-Star break. The Mets lost the game and we can question whether the outcome would’ve been different if their best reliever was on the mound.

Those are just two examples from the last month where we were left questioning Robertson’s usage and there were surely more along the way. The Mets’ entire handling of their bullpen has gone against what they say at times.

In the offseason, they refused to sign veteran relievers due to their lack of options and yet they opened the year with Stephen Nogosek and Tommy Hunter on the roster. Neither had options.

The greater second-guessing comes with the in-game management of the bullpen with the way they’ve handled Robertson looking the worst. At least they quickly shifted to making him the full-time closer instead of sharing duties with Adam Ottavino.

Rest and availability is a big part of how the Mets plan out their relievers and yet in opportunities when Robertson is rested or will receive some the next day, they’ve gone with a weaker option and paid for it.

Watch them double down and NOT trade him at the deadline.

2) NY Mets have mishandled Mark Vientos in every which way they could

Mark Vientos failed to keep his roster spot, however, he didn’t get much help from management. Vientos sat too often once called up. Obvious opportunities to start him or get him into the game went overlooked. A lot of time was wasted on having him sit on the bench only to then get sent back down to the minors.

Vientos was mishandled in every way possible by the Mets, more so in a string of events created by the previous decision. They made oddball choices along the way, too. His 2023 Mets debut began with a start at third base. By the time they were ready to demote him, Vientos wasn’t going anywhere near a glove.

Mets fans have quieted down about having Vientos on the MLB roster because of how badly he did perform in the small sample. In 49 plate appearances, Vientos batted .178/.225/.244 with a home run.

The mishandling of Vientos is somewhat similar to Robertson. One mistake with the way they handled him let to another. The Mets were correct in promoting Vientos but flubbed it when he rode the bench far too much.

3) NY Mets have mishandled Daniel Vogelbach by handling him at all

There are players you use in the wrong situations. There are those you don’t use enough or incorrectly. And then there are players like Daniel Vogelbach where there’s no winning at all if you decide to handle him. Vogelbach must know all of the inner secrets of the Mets. There is no reason why he should have remained on the roster this long. Furthermore, why is he continually batting as high in the lineup as he does?

The trouble with this year’s Mets lineup is they aren’t getting a whole lot from anyone. Pete Alonso is barely doing anything other than hitting home runs. Jeff McNeil is a shell of last year’s self. Starling Marte, 34, is playing like you should flip the numbers in his age.

Nobody has experienced more time as the scapegoat for this team’s problems than Vogelbach. It’s understandable. He is a terrible fit. Who needs a DH-exclusive player who cannot hit against left-handed pitchers? Vogelbach hasn’t so much underperformed this year as much as the Mets seemed to and continue to think he’s better than he is.

It might actually make more sense for the Mets to carry three catchers rather than one Daniel Vogelbach just so they can keep Francisco Alvarez’s bat in the lineup every day.

The mishandling of Vogelbach isn’t carrying a baby by the ears. It’s picking up the baby at all when it doesn’t belong to you.

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