Terry Collins told reporters today, that he intends to go to Jeff Wilpon and Sandy Alderson to discuss naming David Wright the official captain of the Mets. “I’ve never had to do that before, so I’m not really sure what the process is,” the manager said. “I have an idea in my head of how to approach it as we move forward, and I’ll start that process. But it’s something I need to discuss with [...]

Updated by Joe D. You can deny it all you want, jump up and down, throw a tantrum, or just ignore the facts – the choice is yours. But when you look at the evidence, there is no denying that David Wright has practically mirrored Derek Jeter in terms of overall production and value to the team during the regular season. In fact, Wright outproduced Jeter over a broad array of offensive and defensive measures. [...]

Most of you may have been listening when Terry Collins appeared on the YES Network with Mike Francesa last week, and laid down the gauntlet for top Mets pitching prospect Zack Wheeler when he was asked about his chances to make the Mets starting rotation out of camp. “As we sit here today, no,” Collins told Francesa. “We have five starters. He needs to go down to Triple-A and pitch. If he wants to be [...]

Almost everyone is going to pick the Mets to finish fourth in the division. That’s a given. They are looking up and down at team rosters, and giving their projections based on the players on those rosters. A roster is simply a list of names. It can’t tell you if a player is going to have an up year or a down year, it can’t tell you if a player is going to get injured [...]

Despite losing a Cy Young Award winner via trade this offseason, the Met pitching rotation is still arguably the club’s biggest strength. The rotation is built around a few young and talented pitchers, with a more just a few months from the big leagues. The most promising of the bunch is Matt Harvey, who catapulted himself to ace status after last year’s incredible ten-start stretch to end the season. Harvey, 23, was the subject of [...]

So, just like every recent spring, the Mets are not picked to do anything in 2013. In most cases, they are not even mentioned as being a team in the National League East, which to me is quite insulting. The so-called “experts” don’t pick the Mets to finish above .500 yet alone being mentioned for even a Wild Card spot. Why not the Wild Card? Why not even the Division? Yes, most people would say [...]

About a week ago, I posted an opinion piece about having hope in the spring. Why? Because there is no reason to be negative and already count your team out just days before or after pitchers and catchers report. I got a lot of feedback on the post — both good and bad. As I sit here on Feb. 16 to write a follow-up post, I watch college basketball with my New York Mets hat [...]

I know that 2013 hasn’t even started and this maybe way ahead of schedule, but it is something that needs to said. The thought coming into this year is that the Mets will use this season to play out the final year of large contracts, develop young prospects, and prime the team for playoff contention in 2014. Depressing doesn’t begin to describe how that feels, knowing that this is basically a lost season before it [...]

In Part One of my story, we left off with a discouraged Collin McHugh coming off a mediocre junior year at Berry College in Georgia. McHugh found himself at home watching the 2008 MLB Draft, more out of habit than because of any expectation that he would be selected.  But then the phone rang… It was the New York Mets. By Elliot Chester McHugh was floored. Beasley had known it was coming. “I knew Collin [...]

As promised, here’s my second installment of economically building the Mets’ bullpen. You can read my first part here if you need to brush up or simply missed it. Last week, I showed how opportunity cost could help identify the best relief candidates for a particular inning. I concluded by saying that Scott Atchison should pitch in the 8th inning. He cannot be used as the next best alternative to compare to now. Additionally, the [...]

According to John Heyman of CBS Sports, Johan Santana will be named the Opening Day starter for the Mets and will not compete for Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic. Sources told Heyman that Santana did not think participating in the WBC would be a good idea since he finished 2012 on the disabled list (ankle sprain, lower back inflammation). The highlight of the day in Mets’ camp this morning was Johan Santana’s first mound session of [...]