5
2012
Mets Face A Difficult Start
An article by 
It won’t take long to figure out the 2012 Mets.
The team entering spring training without expectations – at least positive ones – face a difficult schedule despite 13 games at Citi Field and ten on the road. That includes everybody in their division, so we’ll have an idea of how they’ll stack up against the NL East.
I looked at their schedule this afternoon and if things play out as expected, they could be done before the weather gets warm. It isn’t hard to imagine interest in the baseball season being done in Flushing before the kids are done with school.
They open with a pair of three-game series at home against the Braves, who always give them a hard time, and the new-and-improved Washington Nationals (80-81 last year), who are talking with Prince Fielder.
Then they have consecutive three-game series at Philly and Atlanta before coming home for four games against San Francisco and three with Miami.
The Nationals and Marlins were sub-.500 last season, but both played the Mets tough and are expected to be better this year, perhaps to the point of wild-card contention.
They close out the month with three at Colorado and one in Houston, places where they have struggled.
Following two more at Houston, the Mets play Arizona, at Philadelphia and Miami, and home to Milwaukee and Cincinnati before May 18.
Think there’s a chance they could be ten games under or more by then? You bet.
It is not productive for a team to look too far ahead, but with all that’s going on with the Mets, it isn’t hard.
About the Author: John Delcos
I am an active member of the BBWAA and have covered Major League Baseball in several capacities for over 20 years, including ten in New York working the Mets' and Yankees' beat. I covered the Baltimore Orioles for eight years and the Cleveland Indians before that. I currently serve as an editor and senior staff writer for Mets Merized Online. Follow me on Twitter @jdelcos.
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NL East Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Braves | 41 | 28 | .594 | - |
| Nationals | 34 | 34 | .500 | 6.5 |
| Phillies | 33 | 37 | .471 | 8.5 |
| Mets | 25 | 39 | .391 | 13.5 |
| Marlins | 21 | 47 | .309 | 19.5 |
Last updated: 06/16/2013
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The only series that wont give them fits is most likely the Houston Astros, but who knows really. This is why you watch the games.
As long as the Mets have to play major league teams, the schedule will give them fits. Best case is that players like Santana, Dickey, Ramirez, Wright, and Bay perform well enough for the Mets to trade them for good prospects so the team has a good young foundation for the new owner whoever that may be.
The Mets are gonna need some good fortune to get out of the first couple of months near .500. Maybe if the Phillies and Braves get off to a slow start. Some players will definitely be traded near the deadline for prospects. Lets just hope and pray the Braves and Phillies get off to slow starts.
Wow! I believe you are giving the Mets way to much credit. I really don’t think they are going to make it out of April, before owning the basement. Bring back Basement Bertha!
2012 Mets “Meaningful baseball in March”!
Without further personnel moves this squad cannot compete. The ONLY material impact of their early season record is at the ticket booth. Whether they start 5-10 or 10-5…..it’s a 162 game marathon that will reveal all of their shortcomings.
There is no speculation or mystery…Or HOPE!!!
John D. — I’m not a quitter by any means and neither are most Mets fans. But the scenario you’ve described leaves me a bit weary. We’re going to have to play our best games to compete with teams that have gotten better. So our best attitude is ‘bring it on, we’ll see what you’ve got.’ We are tied with all the best teams to start the season, and they have to beat us on the field, not in the scouting reports and the newspapers.
first 23 games mets are looking at a 5-18 start….
If nothing else, in recent years the Mets tended to not do what you expect (play well vs. good teams, get beat up by bad ones).
And even last year, they had a crappy start (5-13?), and managed to come back from it by mid-season.
but that is a tough looking start to the season. Hope a lot of those teams are full of warm weather players and slow starters!
And even last year, they had a crappy start (5-13?), and managed to come back from it by mid-season”
and the first one to wave the flag was the GM who dismantled the bullpen by trading the closer for absolute crap and traded our best all around hitter for a single A pitcher 5 years away.. all of that while paying for their salary in the year 2011…
As far as the final 162 game record, it doesn’t matter much how the season starts…I think even the most optimistic Met Fan knows that any playoff run in unlikely and finishing near .500 will be overachieving.
The scary thing is, look back at last year…the team started 3-1 and a lot of people seemed very upbeat and optimistic…well, of course everything fell apart pretty quickly and all those good vibes were gone. Then the Mets started playing pretty well and even got above .500 before Sandy punted, but because of the horrible start in April, fans never came out in May and June and after the ASB, there wasn’t much a reason to watch. I wonder how attendance and TV numbers would have been different if they started off better in April. A better April could have drastically changed how the season was handled and how much money the team has for payroll for 2012.
This year…Unless the team is in first place in mid May, I don’t think attendance is do anything but drop…there isn’t much to cheer for…there won’t be winning and odds are, Sandy will trade away somebody making the team worse off (for this season at least) and CityField will be empty and the Mets will lose even more money and payroll will probably drop to $75mil for 2013.
With expectations that are so realistically low, mgmt forecasts a 10% increase in attendance over last year! There is just no way that is about to happen. Reality is that attendance will dive and the red ink at the bottom line will get larger even with all the salary dropping. How can the Wilpons be staying on this track which is doomed to failure? Oh yeah I nearly forgot, Fred is stubborn and Jeff is stupid, while their Puppet is hollow through and through. Unfortunately, we as Mets fans are doomed to this eternal punishment. I guess our glory will be in Heaven when we’re dead as reward for our suffering here.
While no one can realistically think the Mets can be contenders in 2012, isn’t there just a touch too much pessimism here? My point is, no one expected anything out of Arizona in 2011 and look what happened. Yes, the D’Backs last spring possesed a better talent base than the Mets entering 2012. But that’s why you play 162 games. Everyone predicted the Red Sox to run away with the AL East and win 100+ games. They did neither. Everyone predicted the Phillies to win 100+ and possibly the World Series after building an uber-rotation of Halladay, Lee, Hamels, Oswalt, and Worley. They did neither. Bad things happen to good teams and good things happen to bad teams, that’s the nature of MLB and the reason why you have to play out the season for real, not just on paper. Personally, I expect 70-75 wins from the Mets which might be a bit optimistic, but I also realize strange things can happen in this game.
This is a great point. Stranger things have happened in this sport. The Mets bullpen is now stronger and if they can get good seasons from Wright, Davis, and improvement from Duda (and anything Bay does will probably be above expectations, he can’t possibly get any worse, right? hopefully?) then the season will at least be as good (or as bad, whichever way you wanna look at it) as last season. Its good to be realistic, but lets not get too dark…
couple of points:
- Mets have actually had more talent over the last few years than really manifested itself on the feild (largely due to injuries, with some underperformance). So if they get normal years out of the important guys, along with maybe 1 breakout type season, then they will be as good as last year, and about a .500 team.
And the phils did win 100 games last year. And got bounced early, making them almost meaningless!
agreed 100%.
We all know it’s going to be a long season. Yet another just stating the obvious.
However, if it was as easy to look at a schedule and predict wins/losses the SI would get the WS players and winners right every season.
Stop raining on my parade. I know their chances going in. Isn’t going to stop me from watching. In fact it might be a little easier and a lot more enjoyable given the fact that there’s low (or more like no) expectations going in. Those of us still watching come the dog days of summer will likely be the die-hards.
I’m not giving up on this team. With the fences moved in we now have four 30 homer guys on the team with Bay, Wright, Duda and Ike. Plus Gee and Tejada will be even better after solid rookie years. Dickey and Niese is a great 1-2 punch and the bullpen is now one of the best in the league. My only worry is catcher but the offseason is not over.
That’s the spirit. We do have a decent crew of hitters if they perform up to expectations. Bay rebounding is key. What Santana will return and if, which Pelfrey, and frostbite might actually improve a knuckle ball. We have Mejia returning from TJ surgery and the bullpen is not weak, I like Murphy and Parnell for Upton. We’ll have to see.
So we are all saying something different?
I will watch the games because I am a fan, bad or good, and my hope is that all players hurt last year return and the promotion of some others from minors will make watching a possible non-contending team play hard for Terry and make the other team work hard for their victories, nothing more can be asked so lets see how the season plays out before we bury our Metsies.
God, i love baseball! We all do! It’s timeless, a fantasy, and unpredictable…the most unpredictable of ALL sports. No clock. And, short of the prize fighting ring, the most mano-a-mano of all sports also.
i think the Mets @ MAX win 85 games and @ MIN lose 94 games in 2012, BUT ‘what’ IF: Santana has a rebound year, Dickey gets the wins his gritty mound presence deserves, Pelfrey removes the bells ringing from his head, Niese proves more than an enigmatic southpaw, and Gee gets an enlightening email from Greg Maddox and figures out how to thrive over a full MLB season?
Along with, Bay, Wright, Davis, and Duda belting between 25 – 35 HRS each at the nee’ cozy CITI Field?! Along with, the bullpen not being reliable, but God dream-it, even effective in ’12…AND (i’m not finished), Tejada, Murphy, Thole ALL having career years?! AND (getting hallucinatory now), Hairston, filling in for our injured CF, smacks 25 HRS in ’12?
Damn, this wine is good!