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Message: [QUOTE="SWC75, post: 3935632, member: 289"] An article on the differences between the Dogers/Giants and the Mets and how the Mets want to become what they are: [URL unfurl="true"]https://theathletic.com/2786865/2021/08/24/this-week-in-mets-giants-dodgers-show-importance-of-internal-improvement/?source=dailyemail&campaign=601983[/URL] "One of the disappointing aspects of this season for New York is that some of its attempted strides in player development have been stunted by big-league needs. Zack Scott was hired as an assistant GM with an eye toward overhauling how the Mets develop players; instead, he’s been the acting GM since late January. Hugh Quattlebaum was supposed to be the director of hitting, implementing an organization-wide approach at the plate; instead, he’s been the major-league hitting coach since early May. His assistant is Kevin Howard, who was hired to be the farm director. So many of the hires the Mets made last winter came from organizations generally thought to be progressive: Scott came from Boston, Howard from Cleveland, director of player development initiatives Jeremy Barnes from Houston, and head of analytics Ben Zauzmer from Los Angeles. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Mets look San Francisco’s way for inspiration (or a hire) this offseason. The impulse when a team is enduring a season like New York’s is to spend your brainpower thinking of whom to move — what pieces from the supposed core don’t fit, and what external players could be brought in as replacements. It isn’t that hard to write “Five Offseason Trade Candidates to Spark the Mets Offense,” and a story like that spurs plenty of conversation. It’s less fun (and a heck of a lot harder) to write “The Five Changes Mets Hitters Can Make to Their Swings This Winter to Possibly Achieve Drastically Different Results,” in large part because we hear so often about changes that don’t make enough of a difference. But that’s what the Giants have done so well in the past two years and what the Dodgers have done so well for nearly a decade. It’s about asking different and better questions about the players on the roster already or lower-key additions. The new Mets front office didn’t have a chance to do that last offseason; it was in the process of being installed. This winter will be its first opportunity to show just how competitive it can be with the sport’s best developmental organizations." [/QUOTE]

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