Spring, At Last

First and foremost, the lineup. No matter how you slice it, the Mets have one of the best lineups in Major League Baseball. The top five of the Mets order can compete against any other top five in the Majors to be the best in the league. With the speed demons Jose Reyes and Angel Pagan(assuming he will bat second) opposing pitchers and catchers alike will be very careful how they approach Reyes and Pagan, lest they walk them, and Reyes and Pagan then steal their way into scoring position. In addition, this season is a contract year for Reyes, and we all know that players magically perform better in a walk year. Following the Reyes-Pagan speed tandem, will be some combination of David Wright, Carlos Beltran and Jason Bay. Wright is coming off a bounce back season where he batted .283 with 29 HRs and 103 RBIs, and proved to the world that whatever happened in 2009 was well past him. Wright was also improved in the field, making more accurate throws once he got comfortable with rookie Ike Davis. Beltran, is coming off once again an injury riddled season, in which he debuted in July, and wasn't close to 100 percent. However, now, Beltran is close to 100 percent, and can be a real offensive threat, as we saw in 2006, when Beltran hit .275 with 41 HRs and 116 RBIs, and was an MVP candidate. Beltran is also in a contract year, and the will give him an incentive as well to do well at the plate. Jason Bay is an interesting case. Bay who signed with the Mets before the 2010 season was supposed to bring power to the lineup, without much defense. It was the opposite, Bay continuously struggled to find his stroke at the plate while impressing all with his defense. Bay had to end the season early after sustaining a concussion after running into the wall at Dodgers Stadium. However, I am confident Bay will bounce back in 2011, much like I was confident this time a year ago that David Wright would bounce back. Bay is a proven hitter, and proven hitters don't just magically lose their hitting stroke. I am confident whatever plagued Bay last year, whether it be Citi Field Syndrome like David Wright in 2009, or First Year to the Mets Syndrome, like Carlos Beltran in 2005, I am confident that Bay will put it behind him, and return to the offensive threat he was in Boston and Pittsburgh. (The rest of the lineup is my assumption of how it will turn out.) In the six hole will be Ike Davis. Davis is coming off a rookie season where he impressed many with bat and glove alike. While Davis was flipping over railings to make acrobat catches he hit .264 with 19 HRs and 74 RBIs in 147 games. One major problem Davis had in 2010 was adjusting to the off speed pitches. I am certain Davis worked on adjusting to the off speed, and will be much improved in 2011. Following Davis, will be the catcher Josh Thole. Thole has been assured by manager Terry Collins that he has the starting job for 2011. Thole was also impressive in 2010, showing excellent patience and contact at the plate, while throwing out potential base stealers 44 percent of the time. Thole announced himself to the world on July 3rd when he faced phenom fireball thrower Stephen Strasburg, where Thole continuously fouled hard fastball after fastball eventually getting a ten pitch walk, and in his next at-bat Thole got an RBI single against Strasburg. Thole is a contact hitter who shows great patience at the plate, which is a key to success. Thole finished the 2010 season batting .277 with 3 HRs and 17 RBIs in 73 games. In the eight hole, will be the second baseman, whoever that will be. It can either be Rule 5 Draft pick Brad Emaus, Luis Castillo, or Daniel Murphy. The three of them are all one large question mark. Emaus, is 24, and has been in the minor leagues his whole career, Castillo looks done at the plate and in the field, and Murphy had a good year in 2009 but missed 2010 with an injury and has to prove he can hit once again at the major league level, and can play second base in the major leagues. 

More reasons to come.