The Mets have many concerns. One of their biggest problems is the inability to evaluate their own personnel in a timely fashion.
There is too much paralysis by analysis. After watching the Mets strike out 61 times in their first homestand, the most through six games in team history, it is time for the front office to make some decisions.
Such is the case with first base.
Ike Davis has four hits in his last six at-bats, over a span of three games, including the walk-off pinch-hit grand slam Saturday. Davis had two of the Mets’ four hits Sunday in their agonizing 2-1 loss to the Reds at Citi Field.
They are 2-4 and head out on a nine-game trip to Atlanta, Anaheim and Arizona.
Naturally, since Davis is hot, he will not be in the starting lineup come Tuesday when the Mets face the Braves.
That’s because the Mets have an evaluation plan, and part of that plan is play Lucas Duda to get a read on him. Duda will start Tuesday.
That the Mets don’t have a final read on Duda and Davis in Year Four of the Sandy Alderson Regime is hard to comprehend.
Davis has more than 1,700 plate appearances in the majors, Duda is closing in on 1,300. Make a decision and if that decision is to go with Duda, trade Davis.
“The Mets are afraid they are going to get burned on a Davis trade,’’ a scout said at the game. “They can’t think like that. They have to have the courage of their convictions and make a trade.’’
All true.
“A team must be able to scout its own talent and must know its own organization better than any other team, that’s the most important aspect of scouting,’’ added the NL scout.
It sure is.
The Mets are afraid they will make the wrong decision, so they put off making a decision.
When Terry Collins was asked after the loss if Duda is going to play the entire Braves series, he answered, “If I had the whole lineup for the rest of the year, I’d give it to you today. But I don’t. He’s going to play Tuesday.’’
Collins avoided answering the question because he doesn’t have the answer. Those decisions haven’t been passed along. That’s the way of the baseball world.
So, while Davis was coming off one of the most dramatic hits of his career and then doubled to left off Alfredo Simon in the second and scored on Juan Lagares’ single for the Mets’ only run and then added a hard single in the seventh on Sunday, he is back on the bench Tuesday.
The other Mets hit was a double in the third by Eric Young Jr. That was it for the Mets’ offense.
Come Tuesday, Davis, who is hitting .500 so far, told The Post he will go with the flow: “Just grind it out. Same stuff.’’
Same stuff with the Mets, different season.
Both Duda and Davis will hit in Anaheim because of the DH.
The front office has not been able to settle on the best bullpen arms and that has cost the team as well. Some of the better arms are in Las Vegas.
The Mets have hit into some hard luck, too. Young catcher Travis d’Arnaud is still looking for his first hit of the season. He ripped a line drive to deep left that was caught for the second out of the seventh, a ball that looked like it had a shot at going out.
Every decision a front office makes is not going to be a home run.
If the Mets trade Davis, it could come back to haunt them, but those things happen in the game. If it were me, I’d stick with Davis and hope for the best, but if Duda is your man, Alderson needs to do what is right and make a deal and move on and let the chips fall where they may.
Make a decision and have the guts to stick with it.