General manager Billy Eppler rallies around struggling Mets
Mets general manager Billy Eppler speaks during a news conference at Citi Field to announce the Mets' re-signing of Jeff McNeil on Jan. 31. Credit: Jeff Bachner
Mets general manager Billy Eppler, who used to work for Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, followed his mentor on Friday by giving an upbeat “State of the Team” address before the Mets hosted the Colorado Rockies on Friday night.
As Cashman did on Wednesday when he told Yankees fans “don’t give up on us,” Eppler spoke optimistically of the Mets, who had lost three straight and nine of 11 going in.
“I believe in this roster,” Eppler said. “I believe in this team, the players that are here. There’s too much track record. There’s too much these guys have accomplished. There’s too much know-how.”
What there hasn’t been is too much winning. The Mets went into Friday at 16-16 after a stunning three-game sweep in Detroit in which they scored a total of six runs, five of them in the first game. The Mets got swept by a bad team despite starting Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander in two of the games.
Of the offense, Eppler said: “There’s times of the year where you overperform in 10-game, 15-game stretches. There’s times when you underperform in those stretches. It’s kind of striking the balance there . . . taking a step back and trying to look at it from the 10,000-foot view . . . I have the utmost confidence these guys are going to break out.”
Manager Buck Showalter made a telling lineup adjustment on Friday. Rookie Brett Baty, who was batting .311 with two home runs, was moved up to sixth, his highest spot ever in the batting order. Designated hitter Daniel Vogelbach, who was hitting .267 with one home run, was dropped to eighth.
Of Baty and fellow rookie Francisco Alvarez (who was not in the lineup), Eppler said: “They've been great. They've really taken every opportunity they've been given with a lot of passion, a lot of energy. There's a purpose behind what they're doing.”
Mets fans would like to see Eppler call up two more youngsters: Mark Vientos and Ronny Mauricio, both of whom are off to hot starts at Triple-A Syracuse.
Eppler said special assistant Carlos Beltran is going to watch Syracuse this weekend to get a gauge on how major league-ready the prospects might be.
“It’s just something that’s definitely on our radar and something we’re thinking about,” Eppler said of potentially calling up Vientos. “But I just wait for the feedback from the [front office] group as they go through Syracuse.”
Eppler seemed less interested in an immediate callup of Mauricio, a shortstop who recently started playing second base. Eppler said he doesn’t want to call up any top prospects until and unless he’s sure they will get enough playing time to not hamper their development.
One thing Eppler didn’t say — possibly because he didn’t have to — is that he knows the Mets have owner Steve Cohen’s large checkbook to call on for midseason reinforcements. Or replacements for those players who are underperforming and don’t snap out of it.
“We've got all the resources here to make it happen,” Eppler said. “A great coaching staff. We’ve got people that care and sometimes that can put you at a point where you try to do a little too much. So I think the important thing for the players is that everybody stays present. You know what I mean? Like just every single pitch, every single at-bat, every single inning has got history and a life of its own. Let that happen. And once it's done, it's done. You’ve got to put it to bed, put it to rest. It's over. Just try to focus on what the day brings. Today brings the Rockies.”
Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.
