Did Doug Melvin Take A Shot At The New York Mets?

Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

It appears Doug Melvin is still a little peeved at the New York Mets for asking too much in return for Ike Davis (I’m half-joking).

In an interview with the Mike Heller Show on The Big 1070 Madison, the Milwaukee Brewers general manager claimed that center fielder Carlos Gomez was rushed to the Major Leagues when he was a member of the Mets.

“Carlos was pushed in the big leagues way too early,” Melvin said. “If he’d had a couple years at 19 and 20 in A ball and Double-A, he might not had to wait until 27 .”

Now, while Melvin didn’t call out the Mets specifically, it’s pretty obvious who he was talking about. Gomez signed with the Mets as an international free agent in 2002 when he was 16 years old, and made his minor league debut in 2005 with the Class A Savannah Sand Gnats. After spending only two seasons plus change with the Mets minor league affiliates, totaling 281 games, he was promoted to the majors. Melvin wasn’t wrong in his assessment.

When teams have an athletic, speedy player, they tend to try and rush him through the minors, something Melvin is very aware of.

“Everybody wants the instant gratification when you hear a player’s got great tools,” Melvin said. “But there’s a development process for all these players and some it comes earlier and some it comes later.”

Luckily for Brewers fans, Melvin believes it takes players with incredible athletic talent, like Gomez, a while longer to hone their skills and that the key is to be patient.

“I’m just a big believer in players that are athletic and players with speed, they sometimes develop a little bit later because they’re so fast, so aggressive, that they bring the game back to them a little bit and it’s a learning experience.”

I’m sure if the Mets had a do-over, they’d take their time with Gomez and let him work things out in the minors before giving him a shot in the big leagues. If they had, he still might be in New York instead of Milwaukee.