Frank the Tank thinks World Baseball Classic needs to shoulder some blame for Mets' $350,000,000 debacle this year
For years now, Frank the Tank of Barstool Sports has delighted and at times horrified New York Mets fans. The outspoken superfan is known for his emotional and sometimes hysterical commentary on the team.
Despite having broken into the league this year as MLB's richest team, the Mets have been spinning their wheels in the dirt. Billionaire owner Steve Cohen's strategy of out-spending the competition has yielded laughably poor results.
After inking Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer to a combined $215 over three seasons, Cohen and general manager Billy Eppler could only hang their heads after the team dealt both at the trade deadline. Things are indeed worse than they have been in a long time for Mets fans.
On August 17, the Mets eked out a 4-2 win against the St. Louis Cardinals to improve their record to 56-66. Colombian starter Jose Quintana allowed three hits and two runs to his former team across six innings.
Although he has pitched to a 3.03 ERA in five starts since returning from injury in late July, the victory was the first for Quintana in a Mets uniform. The rib fracture that kept him out was sustained around the time of the March World Baseball Classic, causing Frank the Tank to sound off on the tournament.
While Quintana's injury was not directly related to the WBC, another New York Mets star's fall absolutely was. After closing out the victory for Puerto Rico against the Dominican Republic in March, closer Edwin Diaz was swarmed by his teammates. After the crowd cleared, Diaz was seen writhing in pain. He had suffered a full patellar tendon tear and would miss the rest of the season. Making reference to the tournament, Frank the Tank did not mince words, saying:
"The World Baseball Classic really f*cked the Mets in so many different ways."
Frank the Tank is not the first to lambast the World Baseball Classic. US-based pundits have long questioned the point of the tournament, and have called for MLB to stop encouraging players to play. Despite this, the tournament remains more popular than ever around the world, with over 55 million people in Japan tuning in to watch Shohei Ohtani strike out teammate Mike Trout to win it all.
Frank the Tank is truly at the end of his rope
On account of their 56-66 record, the New York Mets are likely not going anywhere this season. Despite being touted as a World Series contender, the Mets are now 23 games back of the divisional lead and seven games back of the Chicago Cubs, who occupy the third and final NL Wild Card slot. If Frank wants to keep churning out videos, the team has given him plenty of fodder to do so.