Mets’ acting general manager Zack Scott held a press conference at Citi Field before Tuesday’s game, and he was brutally honest in assessing his team’s recent play.
“We’ve played very mediocre baseball for most of the year,” Scott said. “This recent stretch has been much worse than mediocre. We would’ve taken mediocre at this point. For this stretch it’s been unacceptably bad and we need to be better.”
The team’s 56-55 record at the time of those comments clearly demonstrates the mediocrity, but the bigger question on everyone’s mind is how a team so talented can struggle this badly, particularly on offense.
“That’s the tricky thing, is figuring out why,” Scott said. “Most of our hitters are underperforming (from) their career norms. There’s never one simple reason. Sometimes it’s the guys’ mechanics and getting those on track, sometimes it’s their approach at the plate, what their plan is. It can be a lot of different things so it’s hard to pinpoint.”
Along with the dreary offense, a never-ending stream of injuries has defined the Mets’ season. Scott was asked about his performance staff, who have seen a bunch of soft tissue injuries derail some of the team’s best players.
“I don’t think there’s a systemic issue,” Scott asserted. “I’ve been impressed with the performance staff overall. They are very well-educated on good preventative methods and good rehab treatments post-injury. In some cases you can have the best plan, and if the plan’s not followed, that’s not going to necessarily yield a good result. On the soft tissue, we’ve talked through each one. There’s nothing that’s stood out to me as some egregious mistake in our process, treatment or training.”
What did stand out though was what Scott said next, seemingly putting some of the onus on the players themselves.
“Most of the time, I’ll be honest, it’s compliance issues,” Scott said while sounding noticeably frustrated. “Following the plan. These are individuals that control their own bodies and sometimes they’re not as compliant as they should be. It’s really an easy narrative to put it on performance staff or hitting coaches. But that’s oversimplified.”
Scott did clarify that he’s not trying to vilify his players, also noting that any compliance issues have been discussed directly with the non-compliers. Still, he harped on the fact that these are grown adults who carry a certain level of responsibility.
“Maybe you’re not eating as well as you could and need to change some habits. Maybe you’re not hydrating enough even though everyone’s on you to hydrate. At some point you gotta take that responsibility. We’re not just going to stick a needle in someone to hydrate them because they’re not doing it themselves.”
Scott also spoke about Noah Syndergaard, when he might make his long-awaited return to the Mets, and in what capacity.
“At this point in the year I think getting him to help the big-league club is the priority. If we can get him to come back in a relief role — we’re looking at September — getting him back in a role where he can help the club in relief would be a good thing for us to do.”
