The Mets aren’t in a very good situation and quite frankly I’m surprised it’s taken me this long to get to them. They have a new GM in Sandy Alderson, a new manager in Terry Collins, and they probably will be playing without Johan Santana until June or July. The Mets have been plagued by injuries the last few seasons, and with very few personal changes there’s no reason to believe that won’t change this year. Best-case scenario this team won’t finish last in the NL East, but for all intents and purposes that’s just not going to happen.
No. 22 New York Mets
Projected Rotation
- Mike Pelfrey-RHP
- John Niese-LHP
- R.A. Dickey-RHP
- Chris Capuano-LHP
- Chris Young-RHP
Projected Bullpen
- Francisco Rodriguez-RHP
- Bobby Parnell-RHP
- D.J. Carrasco-RHP
- Taylor Tankersley-LHP
- Taylor Bucholz-RHP
- Pedro Beato-RHP
Projected Lineup
- SS Jose Reyes
- RF Angel Pagan
- 3B David Wright
- CF Carlos Beltran
- LF Jason Bay
- 1B Ike Davis
- C Josh Thole
- 2B Brad Emaus
Analysis
On paper the Mets have the talent to contend in the east, but in order for that to happen they’ll need Beltran, Bay, and Reyes to stay healthy. That’s pretty wishful thinking and the Mets new management won’t be able to rely on those big guns all year long.
The good news is that David Wright is still one of the best players in the game, and probably is the best 3B in the National League. Wright hit 29 home runs and 103 RBI last season while batting a stable .283. He’s the best thing the Mets got going for them at this point and they’ll need him to be as dominant as ever this season.
Angel Pagan and Ike Davis are both underrated and performed well in 2010. If they can take their games to the next level this season, and all the seasoned veterans can stay healthy then maybe, just maybe, it won’t be an awful season for the Mets.
Pitching is a bleak spot in the organization. The former Cy Young winner will be out until June but probably even longer. R.A. Dickey came out of nowhere to have a productive 2010, I have nothing against the guy but chances of that happening again don’t seem remotely possible.
The bright spot is Mike Pelfrey; he went 15-9 last year and posted a 3.66 ERA to be the team’s most productive player. Pelfrey is poised for another good year but he will have added pressure from start to finish with Santana still recovering from surgery.
The Mets’ pen is the part of the organization that saw the most departures over the off-season. K-Rod’s best setup men are now with different teams and the importance of K-Rod having another all-star season has never been higher. K-Rod also has a $17 million option for 2012 that has yet to be picked up; if he wants it he’s going to have to turn it up a notch. I’m betting that he does so.
The Mets may be the most injury plagued team baseball has seen this decade but there’s no doubt that the talent is there. Unfortunately, the NL East is ever improving with young talent, and dominant pitching. The glass is half empty for the Mets in 2011 as anything better than a last place finish in the division appears unlikely.
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