Ever since Sandy Alderson took the job as the general manager of the New York Mets, and brought in his dream team of executives, the fan base has been waiting for the season when the Mets will be contenders again. Alderson said it would take time and Fred Wilpon said the Mets will spend money to bring in players.
What Wilpon didn’t say was that he is not raising the payroll but just re-investing the money that came off the books. Alderson who is working with these restrictions saw his plan take a one-year setback when superstar pitcher Matt Harvey blew out his elbow and missed the entire 2014 season. Many were curious to see what Alderson could do with a higher payroll than he had to work with in Oakland or San Diego. Every player brought in or not brought in would be dissected and thoroughly reviewed.
As the Mets continued to struggle offensively, young players began to emerge and to put themselves into the core of the team. Alderson’s proclamation that this team is now a playoff team despite a handful of moves this off-season and with a gaping hole at shortstop has the Met fan base very skeptical. Especially since the fences were moved in again at Citi Field to try to generate more offense, but this is a team that will win with pitching and defense. Let’s take a look at the New York Mets position players and potential batting order.
At first base, Alderson picked the right guy. Lucas Duda was tabbed the starting first basemen in April of last season. Ike Davis was shipped out to the Pirates in a move questioned by many. This was a home run by the Mets. Duda had 30 Home runs, 92 RBI and an OBP of .349. This move had serious potential to blow up in Alderson’s face, especially if Davis found himself last season. But Duda is only 29 years old and just now coming into his own.
Daniel Murphy is the much maligned second basemen. Always the subject of trade rumors, Murphy has maximized his talent more than any other player on this team. What you get from him is 100% effort, 100% of the time. Nobody works harder than Murphy. He is a very solid and dependable offensive player. Defensively thought, it’s another story. Murphy has no real range and still will boot some fairly routine plays. Even as the Mets try to figure out what to do with him, he still remains amongst the most respected players on the team. 2015 is the final year on Murphy’s contract and this will be tricky. He can’t be paid like an elite player because he isn’t, and finding the right value to place on his talent will be a challenge for Alderson.
There is no doubt about who is playing third base with David Wright back for another year. Wright was able to get over 500 at bats last season, but seemed to be playing hurt. Its commendable to fight through things, but he he was not as effective as usual with the bat. The Mets are not a team that is built to sustain bad years from their key offensive players, and Wright’s health is key to the team’s success in 2015. If Wright has another bad year, this team cannot be serious contenders. There is some offensive support around him, but he is still the Mets key offensive figure. The fences have been moved in and the Mets need 30 home runs and 100 RBI from Wright.
Now for the huge hole in this team, shortstop. Alderson has said that he feels his team can compete with what is currently on the roster. Most don’t share his optimism. Wilmer Flores will be given a shot to start the season. Flores has bounced around the infield throughout his minor league career, and so there are questions if he can field the position on a major league level. With Murphy’s defensive limitations at second the Mets can’t survive with two starting middle infielders playing bad defense. If you look at the offensive numbers put up by Flores in the minors, he has shown improvement year to year in each level. That said, his power numbers in the hitting friendly Pacific Coast League are a concern, as he has yet to put up double digits in home runs. That said Citi Field screams for gap hitters like Flores.
Another name to watch is Dilson Herrera. The 20-year-old second basemen had a good offensive year in Double A. Overall across two minor league levels and 18 games in the majors he hit 16 home runs in just over 500 at bats. With Murphy heading into his final year on his contract, Herrera’s development is worth watching. As much as Murphy is respected, he is just not a great player. His defense is poor and while he is consistent offensively, his numbers are hardly great. He has little pop and his OBP is just okay. He does take great advantage of the spacious outfield in Citi Field and has made the most out of his talent level. He is a true fan favorite but if the Mets feel Herrera can do the job Murphy could be trade bait for that one last piece the Mets might need to be legitimate contenders.
In the outfield, the big free agent acquisition is Michael Cuddyer. There are two ways to look at the Cuddyer signing. The Good: He has had some big offensive years in Minnesota, so the Colorado theory about hitting better at home does not really apply to him. He can also play first base to spell Duda against tough lefties. His close friendship with Wright seems to have energized both. The Bad: He will be 36-years-old on opening day. Staying healthy was always a challenge for Cuddyer in Colorado, playing 101, 130, and 49 games in the last three years. Cuddyer is the big bat the Mets promised and a slow start or injuries won’t go over well despite his relationship with Wright. If he gives the Mets 130 games this season they will be ecstatic. He has proven he will hit when he plays.
I felt that last season’s Curtis Granderson signing was a good one, and I still feel that way despite his season. He dealt with an injury and was extremely streaky. Granderson should not be batting leadoff, but will probably be back there again this season due to the Mets limited options. This fan base is brutal, especially to an ex-Yankee player brought in to be a main piece to the puzzle. Granderson is a quality hitter and a proven commodity in this town, but may be better suited to be a secondary player not a main cog. The middle of the Mets order of Wright, Duda and Cuddyer can take a lot of heat off him if they hit consistently.
Juan Lagares is a major cog. Defensively, he is as good as any center fielder in the game. The Mets need that especially in Citi Field and with the players on the corners. Offensively what he has done in the majors is on par for what he has done in the minors. That is a positive as Lagares still has lots of upside. What this 26-year-old has done in his first two major league seasons is exactly what you want from a young player. He has improved in all categories. RBI, runs scored, hits, stolen bases and OBP have all improved while his strikeout numbers have gone down. It is progress like this that makes you believe he is gaining confidence. It would be a huge coup if he could handle the lead-off spot and stretch the bottom part of this lineup.
The Mets might be the envy of every team with their catchers. Travis d’Arnaud struggled early last season, and was sent to the minors. We started to hear the name of Kevin Plawecki, who is another highly touted catcher in the Mets farm system. The Mets needed D’Arnaud to be a player, and when he came back to the big club he put it together. D’Arnaud started to look like the player the Mets thought they were trading for in the R.A. Dickey move. His maturation is another key to this coming season. So where does that leave Plawecki? He could be trade bait, or perhaps they share the catching duties in the majors one day. Maybe they learn to play other positions and give this team deadly lineup flexibility.
The best possible lineup for the Mets, if all goes according to plan is as follows:
Lagares CF
Murphy 2B
Wright 3B
Duda 1B
Cuddyer LF
Granderson RF
D’Arnaud C
Flores SS
I still think this team needs another bat both in the outfield and a short stop as I am not sold on Flores yet. The problem with this lineup is that no one can really have an off year.
The crown jewel of this organization is their pitching depth. Matt Harvey exploded on the Major League Baseball scene. He was dominant in 2013 and started the All Star Game, looki like one of the best young arms in all of baseball. Tommy John Surgery would follow, and Harvey missed the entire 2014 season. This pushed back expectations for the club to 2015. Bartolo Colon was signed at a reasonable price to be the mentor to all these young arms. Dillon Gee and Jon Niese could be the next two super arms from the minors. Rafael Montero got his chance, but Noah Syndergaard was deemed not ready yet. Montero clearly needed more seasoning in the minors. All that disappointment turned to glee as the Mets got their first look at Jacob deGrom. DeGrom didn’t seem to be in in the teams long term plans entering the year, but he certainly is now. He proved to be a huge unexpected treasure for the Mets, adding even more to the collection of arms Alderson is stock piling. DeGrom went on to win the rookie of the year is now considered the number two guy in the rotation behind Harvey. Zach Wheeler and Bartolo Colon round out the rest of the rotation along with either Niese or Gee. Now comes the numbers game.
Colon will be gone by season’s end if not earlier. That still leaves as many as eight starting pitchers which include Steve Matz along with Syndergaard and Montero in the minors. The Mets are the envy of all general managers and Alderson knows it. He has been very careful and stingy in moving any of these arms. Most notably the Mets were not willing to pay the price the Rockies want for Troy Tulowitzki. But at some point, something has to give. You would think Gee and Niese are pitchers that don’t have high salaries and other teams would want to fill out their rotations. Looking at some of the trades made this off season for shortstops you would think Alderson could have got a deal done.
The bullpen is better than most people think. Jenrry Mejia was solid in his first season as a closer. Jeurys Familia also closed fairly well. But the return of Bobby Parnell is as big as anything the Mets could bring in. Parnell had a great year as a closer in 2013 only to have his season cut short by injury. Whether he is the closer or not, he adds depth to the bullpen. Vic Black makes for a fourth dynamic arm in that pen. A name to watch is Jack Leathersich. His career strikeout per nine innings pitched is over 15. He has struggled at Triple A so far, but with the way the Mets have been developing pitching they can possibly turn him around and get him to the majors.
The optimism is huge right now in Queen’s. Mets fans are anxious and impatient for a winner. The city is up for grabs for the first time in a long time. Alderson is doing what he had been brought in to do and that is build a team that can compete and win for a long time. That said, questions remain. Alderson has the unenviable task of deciding who to bring in and who to get rid of. No team hits the jackpot with all their top prospects. Does he trust the short stop he has on his roster right now? Does he trust Terry Collins to take this team to the next level? Whether you like him or not Collins has been basically a baby sitter the last couple of seasons and does deserve a chance to manage the finished product.
Whatever happens this fan base is ready to pop. Much like a child on Christmas Eve who can’t wait to see what Santa left under the tree, Met fans have been waiting for a long time for this moment.
Thank you for reading. Support LWOS by following us on Twitter – @LastWordOnSport and @LWOSworld – and “liking” our Facebook page.
Have you tuned into Last Word On Sports Radio? LWOS is pleased to bring you 24/7 sports radio to your PC, laptop, tablet or smartphone. What are you waiting for?
