Carlos Mendoza’s first year as the Mets’ manager — punctuated by their mid-season turnaround and eventual run to the NLCS — could be viewed, in both retrospect and hindsight, as a drastic overachievement. His second year, and the drop-off to 83-79 with no playoff appearance, could be viewed as a massive flop, especially given the expectations attached to the franchise after landing Juan Soto.
In a way, the two years basically offset Mendoza’s ledger. He survived the Mets’ offseason changes that included moving on from pitching coach Jeremy Hefner and co-hitting coaches Eric Chavez and Jeremy Barnes.
The talent assembled on their roster — especially given the moves president of baseball operations David Stearns made over the past week-plus — ensured the ceiling of this group remains a run to the pinnacle of the sport in late October.
But when pitchers and catchers report to Port St. Lucie in two weeks, perhaps no one will enter with as much pressure as Mendoza, who has one guaranteed year left on his contract and, unless he gets an extension at some point, will operate as a lame-duck manager.
