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Endy Chavez: The Missing Spark

By Stefi Kaplan
Posted Monday, June 25, 2007

The team’s struggles have stemmed in large part from their failure to perform late in games. In fact, the Mets scored first in 12 of their last 15 games heading into the Oakland series, but they won only three of those games. The team is missing its late inning spark, and that spark is Endy Chavez.

The Mets miss Endy more than they could have imagined. Endy was the late-inning defensive replacement who always seemed to get a big hit late in the game. He delivered whatever it was the team needed exactly when they needed it. Then there’s The Catch. You don’t expect production like that from a gold glove all-star, let alone a utility backup outfielder like Endy. We all started to take for granted how great Endy was as a fourth outfielder. To say that Endy has been the biggest surprise on this Mets team might even be an understatement. Just look at his career prior to coming (back) to the Mets.

Endy was with the Mets organization as early as 1996 but never played in the majors and was lost to the Royals in the 2000 Rule 5 draft. After batting .208 in 28 games, Endy was released by the Royals and was bounced around a few times before landing with the Expos for the 2002 season.

In just over three years playing with Montreal, Endy was somewhat successful, with a batting average hovering in the mid-to-high .200s and speed. But he had twice as many strikeouts as walks, no power and for the most part, he was unremarkable on a team that didn’t win too many games. Then things got ugly for Endy when he was shipped to the Philadelphia Phillies in 2005. In what was clearly the low point of his career, Endy bat .215 with a .243 on-base percentage and only two stolen bases over 91 games in Philly.

So what led the Mets to pick up this 28 year-old free agent following this horrid season? You might just call this the first of Omar’s “taking a chance on the unlikely player” moves. I was skeptical about this signing and I’m sure I was not alone. But Omar saw something in Endy from his days in Montreal. The Mets signed Endy predominantly for his speedy defense, which has proven indispensable. Rick Down immediately went to work on Endy’s problematic swing, which at the time emulated that of a power hitter more than a speedy singles hitter. The result? Your 2006 Endy Chavez, with a .306 batting average along with 48 runs and 42 RBIs as a part-time player. Amidst injuries and poor defensive outfielders, Endy found his place on the team. More importantly, Endy’s presence brought a unique feel to the team, well beyond just strengthening the bench and closing up defensive holes.

I’ll admit that I was unimpressed with Endy at first. Sure, he was getting big pinch hit after big pinch hit, but to me, a skinny guy slapping hits just out of the infield did not instill confidence that he could duplicate his good performance. I felt he was a bit lucky and that he would easily be exposed as the season progressed. Of course, his reputation in Philly also preceded him, so I was slow to warm up to the guy. Speaking of which, if you really want to get under a Philly fan’s skin, mention Endy Chavez. And who can blame them? After performing so miserably for them, he has been nothing short of sensational as a Met.

So when did I come to realize how wrong I was about Endy? For me, his “Welcome to the Mets” moment came in this game when he made his first of countless spectacular catches that likely saved the game for us (by the way he was also 4-5 in that game). Watching that play, I realized how valuable Endy actually was to the Mets. In few opportunities, Endy has displayed late inning heroics so often you almost forgot he was a bench player and not an all-star.

But even if I was not sold on Endy by looking at his numbers and watching his defense, Endy proved to even the most skeptical fan that he was an asset as more than merely a “clutch” utility outfielder. As early as spring training in 2006, Endy earned the respect of his teammates, coaches and managers, on and off the field. Shortly later, the fans discovered him too. And somewhere in the middle of 2006, I was finally completely sold on Endy as a Met. No, I was obsessed with him. I started looking forward to his pinch hits and I loved when he got a spot start on a day game after a night game. Because he was Endy. A fan favorite, and rightfully so.

The same player who was released by the Mets organization three times prior to 2006 was also earning his keep by mentoring the young all-stars on the team. Just ask Jose Reyes, who learned about hitting with two strikes by watching Endy, one of the best two strikes hitters in the game. Think about that: our free agent signing that didn’t expect to play a day in the big leagues was teaching our lead-off hitter how to hit? I think that, more than clutch hitting and defensive play, is what makes Endy so invaluable to the team.

In a year that the Mets had several MVP candidates, Endy’s success occasionally was lost in the shuffle. But seeing the Mets struggle this month without him, I realize just how crucial he is to this team. When the team lost Pedro and El Duque last year, the Mets rose to the occasion. When Wright and Delgado slumped through April, Reyes and Beltran picked up the slack. When Alou, Green, Beltran and Valentin suffered injuries in May, the team went on winning. But the Mets battled adversity so well in large part because of Endy. On June 6, when Endy fell to the ground grabbing his hamstring running to first, the heart of the Mets took a huge hit. The team was dumbfounded and Endy was not replaceable.

It’s no coincidence that the Mets have struggled so mightily in the late innings of games since Endy’s departure. Some of the lack of runs and poor relief pitching late in the games can be attributed to the lack of Endy’s late inning spark on offense and defense. Now, with a significantly weakened bench, the players have placed more pressure on themselves to get that big hit and that pressure has attacked the team’s confidence. But more importantly, it is Endy’s heart that the team misses.

In October, Endy told ESPN: "I think when you try to do your best, and you play with your heart a lot of positive things can happen." How can you not love this guy? That quote says it all about the confidence Endy adds to the game. He brings a positive energy to the team that the Mets have been unable to reproduce consistently in his absence. The loss of Endy, our unlikely hero, was a big factor in throwing the team off course in June. Somehow, the Mets will need to search within themselves to find that replacement spark in Endy’s absence, both on and off the field.

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Stefi Kaplan of You Can't Script Baseball writes for FU every Monday

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