New York Mets players such as shortstop Francisco Lindor and designated hitter J.D. Martinez have repeatedly credited the “vibes” in the clubhouse for the team’s summer resurgence under first-year manager Carlos Mendoza.
For a piece published Thursday, Mets insider Will Sammon of The Athletic touched upon how the team’s clubhouse is “just different — not necessarily better or worse” than it was a year ago.
Sammon pointed out how Mets owner Steve Cohen signing off on a fire sale ahead of the 2023 trade deadline resulted in numerous veteran players, including co-aces Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander, currently being elsewhere. Sammon also shared that he was told by “one person within the Mets” that “Mendoza has less of a ‘presidential feel'” than former skipper Buck Showalter, who was shown the door last fall shortly before David Stearns was officially introduced as the club’s new president of baseball operations.
Showalter earned National League Manager of the Year honors with the Mets in 2022 even though his squad squandered a 10.5-game lead in the division standings during that season before it fell to the San Diego Padres in a wild-card playoff series. Alleged clubhouse issues then reportedly impacted the Mets throughout the first half of the 2023 campaign before Cohen punted on the remainder of that season.
Sammon wrote that younger Mets players such as catcher Francisco Alvarez and third baseman Mark Vientos have seemingly “played with more freedom to show some emotion” than what took place under Showalter’s watch. Sammon also noted how Lindor and outfielder Brandon Nimmo “stepped up as leaders” both on and off the field during the club’s springtime swoon.
Mendoza and others insisted throughout this summer that the Mets’ turnaround began when Lindor called a players-only meeting the same night the club fell to 22-33 on the season back on May 29.
The 80-66 Mets will head into Friday’s series opener at the first-place Philadelphia Phillies (88-58) holding a one-game lead over the rival Atlanta Braves in the battle for the NL’s final wild-card playoff spot. “Vibes” alone won’t cause the Mets to sweep the Phillies but could help the Amazins remain upbeat if this weekend goes poorly regarding their pursuit of a postseason berth.
