The Mets finally called up Mark Vientos on Wednesday, a move that immediately paid off when Vientos smacked a game-tying home run in what became the biggest win of the season.
Many believed Vientos should have been called up much sooner, and Tiki wonders if the blame should be geared towards Billy Eppler, who may be too committed to constructing a roster led mainly by veterans, when other teams around the league are handing the keys to their youngsters.
"For years, the Mets have had these young kids in the minors, and they just kind of toiled away…and the reason Eppler didn't bring them up is because he trusted vets more than the kids," Tiki said.
"That's changing in baseball…they pay these guys ahead of schedule just to get them up, and trust them. If they stink for a little while, you find a way to platoon them."
Tiki mentioned the rival Braves as a team that has trusted their young prospects and quickly signed them to long-term deals, paying out their arbitration years to capitalize on their prime. Eppler hasn't taken that route as the Mets GM, and Tiki believes he deserves some blame for the team's slow start being attributed to Eppler taking too long to trust his prospects.
"Billy Eppler held this team back too soon," Tiki said. "If they can't climb back, how much blame are we putting on Billy Eppler?"
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