If the mets had a different manager this past year, would they have made the playoffs?

Question

did willie not give his players enough rest during the year, the team seemed burnt out by mid august to me, so was willie to blame ?

Answer 1

Absolutely.
I've been saying it all year here -- Randolph is a bad manager for this team. First, he is a choker. Behind that fake stoic face he is a big-time panicker. When things start to go south he panics and makes poor decisions, such as pitching guys on 3 days rest against Atlanta and not resting starters.
Second, this Mets team has always had an inferiority complex. All of those years of the Braves clobbering them and the fact that they are second fiddle to the Yanks really does impact this teams feelings of self-worth. This factor helped their collapse to be a self-fulfilling prophecy.

THey need a manager more like Pinella. A guy that will get in their face and call them out. A guy that can fire them up and demand that they start playing with the confidence and swagger befitting their talent.
Randolph is just too much like Torre. That works for Yankees where there is so much talent and over-confidence all you need to do is manage egos. It doesn't work for a team like the Mets who deep down are always asking themselves "are we good enough?"

Answer 2

Perhaps. But IF the Phillies didn't get hot, they would have won. IF they had won 3 or 4 more games during the regular season, they would have won. IF Pedro had been able to come back a month earlier, they could have won. We could go on for a long time with the IF's, but unless there is a really obvious answer, like the top 5 players being injured or something, all we can do is add up the IF's.

Answer 3

they make millions of dollars to play an entire season. Almost every team in the playoffs played their regulars. The Indians did not rest their regulars even after they clinched a playoff berth because they were still seeking the best record advantage. Rookies may get tired because the minor league season is substantially shorter than a regular MLB season. However, how can you justify resting Beltran, Reyes...et al. during a playoff race? That would be ridiculous. If Randolph had done that, he would have been roundly criticized for benching the studs and then someone would be posing a question as to what was Randolph thinking by resting millionaire ballplayers during a playoff race. ALL players are tiring by mid-August. The Indians slumped mightily in August but came back in September and not because Eric Wedge rested his starters. Grady Sizemore has played in EVERY game.

Answer 4

It's easy to point the finger at the man in charge, but what about the man on the mound, behind home plate, in the outfield or anywhere else on the diamond? I think that age and hot streaks by other teams at the right time were the true reason the Mets failed.

Answer 5

You are saying these professional baseball players get tired? They players just did not perform against the the cellar dwellers over the last month. The Mets played at home for the last week and could not just win a couple of games. The manager does not play the game, the players do.

Answer 6

Grant you we were hampered by injuries, rest was really hard to come by for some position players....
We also rotated players in and out like
Gomez, Castro, Milledge, Eiasley , Gotay, Conine

Different Manager or not......the entire team as a whole is to blame.....no finger pointing....they just didn't get it done.

Answer 7

The players are the ones responsible for winning or losing; they are the ones actually playing the game. The manager simply makes the decisions as to who plays. You win as a team, you lose as a team. Not one person is responsible for how the Mets lost their lead.

Answer 8

I say yes. Willie lost this for the chokers

Answer 9

NO!!!! Its not Willes fault that the METS collapsed. The players DID NOT HAVE THE DESIRE TO WIN AND TO BE CHAMPIONS!!! ITS THAT SIMPLE......IF THE METS HAD A DIFFERENT ROSTER THEN MAYBE THEY WOULD BE THE NL EAST CHAMPS AND IN THE POST SEASON....