If you’re to look up the word choke in the English dictionary, you may just see the New York Mets’ logo, along with their 2007 and 2008 records. The Mets are truly the greatest choke artists of our time, from their colossal collapse in ’07 when they held a 7 game division lead with about ten games left in the season, or last year’s breakdown, when they couldn’t put away weaker opponents in September. The most notable losses came against the Washington Nationals at Shea Stadium and versus the Florida Marlins.
This season, and just like the years past, there is a renewed sense of optimism in Mets camp and why not, they have a pretty damn good team. Remember, the Mets from 2006 were just one win away from the World Series, and the same nucleus from that team is still intact.
Two players’ that have seen it all so far with their time in New York are third basemen David Wright and shortstop Jose Reyes. These two are the cornerstones of this franchise and they have not upset in their time in New York. Whether it is one of David Wright’s big hits, or Jose Reyes’ dizzying speed around the base paths, these two are fan favorites.
David Wright is just so good and so important to this Mets organization. He is always a lock to hit at least thirty homeruns, bat in over 110 RBI, and has maintained a three hundred average or better in the last four years. As for Jose Reyes, he is probably the best leadoff hitter in the game today. His hitting ability and speed are a dangerous mix, and whenever he is on base, it is almost an assured run for the Mets. Last year he stole 56 bases, batted in 68 RBI and hit 16 homeruns.
Rounding out the batting order and defensive alignment, and certainly no shortage of flair are switch hitting centre fielder Alex Beltran, and veteran first basemen Carlos Delgado.
Last season was a pretty solid year for Beltran and posted a second straight 112 RBI season. His homerun numbers have declined the past three years, but he still managed to crank out 27. Beltran can easily hit thirty homeruns, something he has done the past two out of three years with 41 in ’06 and 33 in ’07.
Age may play a factor in Carlos Delgado the upcoming season, but the savvy left handed batter can still play the game, deliver big hits and lead a team in any offensive category. He showed all that last year after the All-Star break and pretty much led the Mets in homeruns and RBI’s the rest of the way, and that’s how the season ended as well. Delgado finished up with 38 homeruns to lead the team, and was the second time three years he has hit 38.
The four players mentioned above will carry this team. All they have to do is match last season’s play and statistics and just get some help from the rest of the lineup. The latter of players don’t exactly match up to the Wright’s, Reyes’s, Beltran’s or Delgado’s.
Ryan Church had a three year hiatus from the Major’s, before he finally returned and had a pretty good go around with the Mets, which earned him the everyday starters role in right field. If Church can improve on his twelve homeruns from last season to fifteen, that will make the Mets very strong in the bottom of the lineup. All Alex Cora, Marlon Anderson, and Jeremy Reed need to do is keep it simple, make the pitchers work, and just stay within their comfort level.
One of the main reasons the Mets collapsed the past two seasons, was their bullpen couldn’t hold games, close games, and their big time closer Billy Wagner slowly dropped off as the years went by. General Manager Omar Minaya fixed that situation this off season and brought in two closers. JJ Putz was signed as a free agent from the Seattle Mariners and Francisco Rodriguez was also signed as a free agent from the LA Angels of Anaheim. Just like that, the Mets have one of the better bullpens in baseball, and all that’s left to do now, is prove it to everyone.
Along with JJ Putz, and K-Rod, the Mets still have Billy Wagner, and K-Rod will most likely be the full time closer. Which means the Mets will have two former closers that are now set -up men. Imagine that if you’re a batter in the seventh inning of a close game, and have to face either Wagner or Putz? Scary stuff, no doubt.
The starting staff will only benefit from the solid bullpen, as Johan Santana, Oliver Perez, and John Maine should see their win totals increase. Starting with Santana, good bullpen or no bullpen at all, this lefty can win games on his own, and has posted close to Cy Young award type numbers the past four years. He should hit the twenty win mark again, and that’s what the Mets are waiting for and didn’t dish out a seven year contract worth 117 million dollars for just sixteen wins a season.
John Maine and Oliver Perez both suffered from a weak bullpen, and also weren’t that dominant, as in 2007, when both pitchers posted 15 wins each. Last year they only posted ten wins each. At the end of the day, that cost the Mets a playoff spot, and they now know how important pitching is.
Overall, the Mets have a solid team and can easily match the defending champion Phillies win for win, seeing as the Phillies and Mets are the only two teams with real chances of winning the division and wild card in the NL East.
POSITIVE --> DAVID WRIGHT, JOSE REYES, CARLOS BELTRAN, AND CARLOS DELGADO WILL EASILY MATCH LAST YEARS NUMBERS, AND CAN CARRY THE TEAM.
NEGATIVE --> THE FOURTH AND FIFTH STARTING PITCHING SPOTS NEED HELP.
X-FACTOR --> THE BULLPEN AND EVERYONE IN IT.
SLEEPER PICK --> LUIS CASTILLO PROVIDES GOOD DEFENSE AT SECOND BASE, AND IF HE CAN PLAY AT LEAST 115 GAMES, HE COULD CHIP IN OFFENSIVELY AS WELL.
PREDICTION --> THE METS WILL FINALLY MAKE THE PLAYOFFS, BECAUSE THEY HAVE THE BULLPEN TO DO IT, AND TOO MUCH TALENT ON THE ROSTER NOT TOO. THEN AGAIN THEY DIDN’T MAKE IT THE LAST TWO YEARS, SO YOU HAVE TO THINK ABOUT THAT. WITH A NEW BALLPARK, THERE IS A NEW BEGINNING, AND THE METS WILL EITHER WIN THE DIVISION OR WILD CARD, WITH 90-95 WINS ON THE YEAR.
The opinions and thoughts expressed in this or any other article written by 12nadnuk are of his thinking and what he thinks is correct or close to it in the sporting world. If there are any problems by anyone, 12nadnuk is open for rebuttal and what not, and honest criticism. There is also a comments section, so feel free to post what is on your mind about the article. Thank you for reading.
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