The 2015 New York Mets are the team to watch intensively for the upcoming year because they are, in a sense, like the Chicago Cubs: young and restless. Despite six straight losing seasons (argh!), many columnists and analysts have the Mets breaking out in their own right this season, finishing with at least 80 wins (and hopefully a winning record). The Mets are my favorite team, and I’m not afraid to admit that. The possibilities they have for the future are endless with the pitching and young hitting prospects they have, and it will be interesting to see what kind of damage they can do in the National League East. It has been seen in Spring Training that Matt Harvey is ready to come out of his cage after Tommy John surgery and make a real impact on the league, and the futures of Noah Syndergaard and Steven Matz are very promising. Even with Zack Wheeler possibly lost due to Tommy John surgery this season, the Mets still have a very good shot in their division.
2015 Team Overview: New York Mets
The same saying is popular in Mets town: “Wait till next year.” It’s a very unfortunate saying in the Mets world, because the next year is usually as bad as the last. But this year has a different vibe to it, and most of that can be attributed to the Dark Knight of Gotham, Matt Harvey. Harvey’s 2012 and 2013 seasons were proof enough that the Mets organization were finally picking up the right prospects and heading in the right direction. Every time Harvey was scheduled to pitch, it became Harvey Day in Flushing Meadows. Harvey’s innings will not be limited as many other pitchers who had the procedure performed have had done in the past, and Harvey is clearly ready to get back into games as he has demonstrated in Spring Training.
The Mets biggest concerns are the hitting of three guys: Curtis Granderson, David Wright and Michael Cuddyer. Granderson was extremely inconsistent in 2014, while hitting in just about every place in the Mets line-up. Granderson needs to limit the strikeouts and start hitting more balls the opposite way, and after a winter and most of the Spring reacquainting himself with former Yankees hitting coach and now Mets hitting coach Kevin Long, Granderson looks to have a better season and avoid becoming the Mets next Jason Bay.
David Wright hit his first homer since June of 2014 in a Spring Training game on March 14. It was a three-run shot to deep center field off Major League pitcher and 15-game winner in 2014 Tanner Roark. This is what the Mets are hoping Wright can do this season, is return to All-Star form and be a leader in the middle of the Mets line-up. Wright’s power was sapped last season and his season ended on September 8 after a shoulder injury limited his abilities. As captain, Wright looks to step up and play like a captain too.
Michael Cuddyer dealt with injuries last season with the Rockies, and hopes a new team with his best friend Wright will help him totally recover at 36 years of age. Obviously, Cuddyer has lost some steps and will have some trouble roving the outfield, but his hitting seems to still be on track at the moment, with two long home runs in Spring Training already. A combination of Wright and Cuddyer hitting would be huge for the Mets at this point.
Roster Moves
He’s Here: OF Michael Cuddyer, OF John Mayberry Jr.
Non-Roster Invitees with chance to make roster: 3B Alex Castellanos, C Johnny Monell
He’s Gone: OF Andrew Brown, C Juan Centeno, P Gonzalez Germen, P John Lannan, P Daisuke Matsuzaka, 1B Josh Satin, OF Eric Young Jr.
The Boys of Flushing
The lure of prospects are very appealing to Mets fans at this point, who are fed up with empty promises by the Wilpon ownership. Syndergaard, Matz, Akeel Morris, Rafael Montero, Kevin Plawecki, Brandon Nimmo, and Matt Reynolds all make good cases for the next two to three years. With Zack Wheeler almost certainly requiring Tommy John surgery (according to a 11:15 news conference by general manager Sandy Alderson today), the Mets need to season either Syndergaard or Matz enough at Triple-A Las Vegas to get them ready for the Majors, while using Dillon Gee, who was going to be the odd man out, in the rotation for now.
Daniel Murphy, Juan Lagares and Lucas Duda were all major bright spots for the Mets last season, with Murphy remaining consistent with his hitting and being the Mets lone All-Star representative, Lagares winning a Gold Glove Award for his stellar defense (his hitting so far this spring has given the Mets hope he can be an all-around player) and Duda hit 30 home runs, with hope that it wasn’t just a freak year and that he can repeat his success.
The shortstop problem has been highlighted all off-season, but the early spring hitting of Wilmer Flores has shown he put a lot of work in during the off-season, and while his defense may still be a little shaky, his hitting has proven to the Mets that perhaps he has what it takes to be their starting shortstop.
Team Outline
(Red indicates a new acquisition)
C: Travis d’Arnaud
1B: Lucas Duda
2B: Daniel Murphy
3B: David Wright
SS: Wilmer Flores
LF: Curtis Granderson
CF: Juan Lagares
RF: Michael Cuddyer
With Lucas Duda still unproven against left-handed pitchers, the Mets will most likely utilize Cuddyer at first base and place new addition John Mayberry Jr. in the outfield, or leave Cuddyer in the outfield and use Mayberry Jr. at first, but would like to get Mayberry some time in the line-up throughout the season.
1. Matt Harvey
2. Jacob deGrom
3. Jonathon Niese
4. Bartolo Colon
5. Dillon Gee
*Zack Wheeler injured(elbow injury, possible Tommy John surgery)
*Noah Syndergaard and Steven Matz possibilities later in the season
Bottom Line
Obviously the Mets aren’t being looked at as a contender for this season due to the upgrades of the Miami Marlins and the dominance of the Washington Nationals, but if the pitching can pull together (even without Zack Wheeler) and the hitting becomes a better overall skill of their team, the Mets have a good shot at uprooting the Marlins and possibly making a run for a Wild Card spot. The return of Matt Harvey will have Mets fans on the edge of their seats every “Harvey Day,” and big years from the “Core Four” (according to Harvey) of Murphy, Wright, Granderson and Cuddyer will help the Mets progress even further. I, as a Mets fan, can’t wait to see a young prospect come up and make a difference, like Matt Reynolds at shortstop or Syndergaard in the rotation. I see the Mets as an 81-86 win team, and finishing somewhere around second or third place in the National League East.
