Like most of you I could not wait for the 2009 baseball season to begin. I felt the Mets were most definitely the team to beat in the National League.
Omar Minaya did an awesome job rebuilding the bullpen by adding JJ Putz and Frankie Rodriguez. The Mets offense had no problems hanging crooked numbers on the scoreboard. This was going to be our year. Then the injury plague came.
Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought Reyes, Delgado and Beltran would all be on the DL at the same time! Even the most optimistic fan has got to admit the Mets have a lot of problems here. Sure there are still about 100 games to go, and sure its way to early to toss in towel. What this entry deals with are what I think are some of the interesting story lines we have to follow this season.
Firstly we should be concerned about how well the players who are currently on the DL perform when they come back.
Will Reyes injured leg bother him all season?
Will Delgado be able to hit the way he did before he went down?
How will Maine and Ollie do?
Does Ollie go to the pen when he comes back?
Of the currently healthy guys there are also some interesting stories. Will the legend of Omir Santos continue to grow?
Is Daniel Murphy going to be the first baseman of the future? Will Murphy start hitting again?
Will David Wright become the first Met ever to win the NL batting crown?
What about left field? Who is going to be the “regular” left fielder? Will Fernando Martinez make the most of this great chance he’s been given? What about Ryan Church? Can he stay healthy? Will he return to being the doubles machine he was with the Nationals?
Besides K-Rod, who will emerge as a force from the bullpen?
These are just a few things Met fans need to consider while we wait for the team to get healthy again.
I’m not ready to give up on the 2009 season, but it also doesn’t hurt to look toward the future.
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To be truthful, once Beltran went down, I decided it was time to look at 2010. I can’t see this team succeeding with the Buffalo lineup it is putting up. No one expected for everyone to get injured like this.
I, sadly, agree 100%. Buffalo is in last place in their league, and now half of that team is being called up to the Mets. It is a bad situation. The current Mets roster is not a major league roster.
In order:
I guess you should always be concerned when players are on the DL and how well they are when they come off it.
I have a bad feeling saying it way. We may see Reyes being a lot more conservative. Fewer triples and fewer steals.
I don’t know. Chase Utley and A-Rod had the same type of surgery and they are having the opposite results. I think Delgado will still have poewer, but I expect we may see some slumps.
I would expect Maine to be Maine, but Ollie is the bigger concern. Either he throws strikes and gets hit, or the doesn’t get his pitches over and walks the other team. I’d keep buried in the bullpen till he can throw 7 consecutive sroreless appearances.
I love the way Cora has stepped up, on the field and off it.
Murphy is not the 1B of the future, and I don’t think Evans is either. I don’t know who is.
Yes, but not this year. I think either Hawpe or Pujols gets it. Don’t forget Beltran has a chance also.
I think Church is the starter, and he’ll bat .280 with 60-70 RBI’s if he plays everyday. Martinez will likely go down to AAA after everyone gets back, and take RF next year.
Stokes. I would say Parnell, but he’s been overused. We need to keep Parnell/Feliciano’s innings down. I wonder why Jerry doesn’t use Stokes more often.
I think it may be time to rebuild. If Beltran, Reyes, Ollie, and maybe Wagz come back healthy before the trade deadline and the Mets are say 10 games back (not unrealistic looking at these lineups) Do you guys think it would be smart to do a quick rebuild. I mean think of the prospects the Mets could pull in for a player like Beltran or even Reyes who would be traded in the winter if he proves his legs are healthy in Sept. Just food for thought.