This has to be what general manager Sandy Alderson envisioned when he acquired Yoenis Cespedes at the trade deadline.
Adding a big bat to the middle of the New York Mets lineup was necessary if the club seriously hoped to contend for the playoffs. The addition of Cespedes transformed the Mets from possible playoff team to World Series contender.
The Cuban outfielder is one of the hottest hitters in baseball at the moment and has helped give the Mets a seven-game lead in the National League East.
On July 31, the Mets sat just three games above .500 and trailed the Washington Nationals by two games in the division. The team is 25-11 since the trade and just finished a three-game sweep of second-place Washington.
Since the Detroit Tigers shipped the outfielder to New York, Cespedes is hitting .312 with 14 home runs and 36 RBIs in 36 games, according to Baseball-Reference.com.
Kelly Johnson told Anthony DiComo and Bill Ladson on MLB.com that seeing a player get on this type of hot streak is fun to watch.
“When guys with this much talent get on these kinds of rolls, it’s unbelievable,” Johnson said. “It’s so much fun to watch. It really does kind of remind you of some throwback player, like your dad used to tell you about Clemente or Mantle.”
Richard Justice of MLB.com notes that Cespedes turned the Mets offense into a powerhouse.
“The Mets were the lowest-scoring team in baseball before getting Cespedes. Since then, they’re the highest-scoring team. In New York’s first 103 games, the team scored 365 runs and averaged 3.54 per game. In their past 36 games, the Mets have scored 221 runs and averaged 6.14.” Justice writes.
Cespedes is turning a career year into an MVP-caliber season. He’s hitting .298 with 32 home runs and 97 RBIs in 138 games with the Tigers and Mets, according to Baseball-Reference.com. Teammate David Wright told Maria Guardado of NJ.com that Cespedes deserves consideration for the NL MVP Award.
“I’m not sure how that works, but he should be in discussion for the National League MVP,” Wright told Guardado. “I mean it’s impressive. He’s been a big-time run producer for us. It just seems like those big situations find him and more often than not, he comes through.”
There is plenty of excitement among the fanbase and some believe the team is going to win the World Series this year.
The 29-year-old’s performance has helped skyrocket expectations for this group. After the three-game sweep of the Nationals, manager Terry Collins told DiComo and Ladson this isn’t just a hot streak.
“We’re legitimate,” Collins said. “This is not a fluke.”
Season fading
Things aren’t going so well for the Nationals.
The club entered 2015 with World Series aspirations after the front office signed starting pitcher Max Scherzer to a seven-year, $210 million deal.
Washington is 17-21 since the trade deadline and its playoff hopes are nearly extinguished. The team’s two-game division lead at the deadline has turned into a seven-game deficit as mid-September nears. The Nationals trail the second wild-card spot by 9.5 games.
Shortstop Ian Desmond told DiComo and Ladson that the three-game sweep by the Mets was disastrous.
“It’s pretty devastating,” Desmond said. “We put ourselves in a good position coming into this series. We were a lot more optimistic coming into this series than exiting it. Is it over? No. Until the numbers tell you it’s over, it’s not over. We still have jobs to do. We prepare for tomorrow and try to put our best foot forward tomorrow.”
One of the bigger problems for the Nationals is their slumping ace. After recording a 2.11 ERA in the first half of the season, Scherzer has a 5.12 ERA in the second. The team has lost 10 of his last 13 starts, according to ESPN.
Scherzer gave Deron Snyder of the Washington Times a clue as to why he’s struggling.
“I’m leaving the ball thigh-high instead of getting the ball to the knees,” Scherzer told Snyder after a recent start. “That’s something that’s been symptomatic in the second half. I have to get the ball back down to knee level. That’s what’s going to keep me up late tonight, figuring out how I’m going to do that.”
Fans have voiced their frustrations with the team on Twitter.
One of the bright spots for the Nationals in an otherwise puzzling season is Bryce Harper, who is an MVP candidate himself. He’s hitting .336 with 36 home runs and 85 RBIs in 132 games, according to Baseball-Reference.com.
Despite the club’s postseason dreams fading, Harper told James Wagner of the Washington Post that players can’t get too down on themselves.
“We just got to keep rolling,” Harper said. “Keep trying to play games. Keep having fun and enjoy the season. Really just come in every single day with a plan to win ballgames. Just gotta grind it out to the end, and when it’s over it’s over.”
New York has the pitching to win in the playoffs, but can this offensive hot streak last through September and into October? The Mets need Cespedes to continue slugging like one of the best hitters in baseball if they hope to hoist a World Series championship.
The Nationals should start looking ahead to 2016 because losing three straight to the Mets was a dagger. It’s tough to waste a strong season by Harper, but getting Scherzer back on track as well as others should be a point of emphasis. The team has enough talent to contend in 2016, but a managerial change should be on the horizon.
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