The Photograph

[batmagadanleadoff]

Carig: For Mets, an old snapshot with 5 special pitchers comes into harsh focus



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https://theathletic.com/1690618/2020/03/24/carig-for-mets-an-old-snapshot-with-5-special-pitchers-comes-into-harsh-focus/https://theathletic.com/1690618/2020/03/24/carig-for-mets-an-old-snapshot-with-5-special-pitchers-comes-into-harsh-focus/



Excerpt:

It was early in spring training four years ago, photo day at Mets camp, and I wanted to witness the moment myself. A sense of hope had enveloped the franchise. The previous fall, the Mets won their first pennant in 15 years, a triumph built on the back of their suffocating starting pitching. Matt Harvey kept the ball in the ninth in the World Series, and though it ended in agony, it represented the trust that he had earned. Earlier in that playoff run, Jacob deGrom survived an elimination game against the Dodgers with almost nothing. His effort was preserved by Noah Syndergaard, who emerged from the bullpen throwing lightning bolts that appeared to come from another world. Steven Matz returned late in the season and made three starts in the playoffs. Only Zack Wheeler had missed the party, sidelined by Tommy John Surgery in the spring. But once he returned, the Mets would have a full house, the foundation for a sustained run of success. That's why I wanted to be there when the photographers showed up and all five (along with Bartolo Colon) came together on the field in Port St. Lucie, Fla. I wondered how that photograph would be viewed in the following years. “There's a lot of promise and a lot of hope,” Matt Harvey told me, not long after it was taken. “But where we want to be is to make sure that people, 20 years down the road, will look back and say, ‘Damn, that was something special.'” [***] I thought of that picture again on Tuesday, when the Mets announced that Syndergaard would undergo Tommy John surgery. Once the procedure is complete, it will be official: All five pitchers from that photo will have undergone elbow reconstruction.

[Edgy MD]

Well, there are six guys in the photo. And three of those five pitchers underwent Tommy John surgery before the photo was taken.



It's the nature of the beast. Snapshots last but their subjects don't.

[Ceetar]

Team has a lot of good pitching. Mostly pitches well but maybe not as exceptionally as "all things go right at the same time" would have been. I don't think there's much here. They took a picture. how nice.

[Edgy MD]

They should've taken the picture on motorcycles. In leather. Barefoot, for some reason.



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[batmagadanleadoff]

Edgy MD wrote: Well, there are six guys in the photo. And three of those five pitchers underwent Tommy John surgery before the photo was taken. It's the nature of the beast. Snapshots last but their subjects don't.

Perhaps my excerpting gave a slightly distorted view of Carig's premise.



Try this:

It's a commentary that's less about the Mets and more about the strain of pitching in the major leagues. There has never been more science within the game. Nevertheless, losing a talented pitcher to injury has passed into the mundane. [***] The photograph's power stemmed from the hope it evoked for the future. In the end, the group's most lasting achievement was already behind it.

When Carig refers to "the group", he's referring to the staff collectively, as one unit. And by staff, that would be the youngest five, excluding Colon.



And yesterday's NYP back page:



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[seawolf17]

Well yeah BUT that picture was taken AFTER four of those five surgeries. But whatever, I geuss.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Yeah, but those surgeries were already baked in. Even accounting for those surgeries, Mets fans were imagining a dominant several years run anchored by what was supposed to be a dream pitching staff.

[Ceetar]

Yeah, but those surgeries were already baked in. Even accounting for those surgeries, Mets fans were imagining a dominant several years run anchored by what was supposed to be a dream pitching staff.

Then Mets fans were stupid. And I wouldn't put it past guys like Carig to pump that narrative because it's fun, knowing that they'd be able to turn that hype around for a "Generation K 2.0" story, which isn't true in the least bit but is also seemingly what's being prepped for here.



Oh, and guess what? The Mets rotation was projected to be like, second best last year. and third best this year. in baseball. almost everyone in baseball WOULD be envious.