9
2013
Something To Look Forward To From The Mets
An article by 
As I watch the snow pile up outside my window, I am thinking of three of the best words in sports, “pitchers and catchers.’’
The official deadline for the Mets is Monday, but the lockers are already being filled in Port St. Lucie. I am planning to get down there this month and have already started booking my flight, hotel and everything else.
Most of the prognosticators have the Mets fighting the Marlins to stay out of the NL East. Many of them have them losing close to 100 games. I think they’ll finish ahead of Miami and I don’t see them losing that many games. I’d like to see .500, but I’m not ready to go there, yet.
For those thinking the worst, and as Mets fans I know you’ve all done it one time or another, I’d like to give you several things to watch for that could make this an interesting, if not exciting summer.
If you’re already writing off this season, here’s a few things to talk you down off the ledge.
The soundest road to contention is with young pitching. For those lamenting the lack of power and a weak outfield, just remember what the San Francisco Giants did in two of the past three years. Speaking of sparse outfields, was the Mets’ 2000 outfield all that good?
Hardly. It’s all starts with pitching and the Mets have three bright spots they are developing.
Jonathon Niese won a career-high 13 games last season and has the potential, if he stays healthy, to possibly win 17 or more. To reach that level he needs to win four more games in six months. That’s roughly one more every five weeks. That’s not that big a stretch with his stuff.
Niese had a nearly 3-to-1 strikeouts-to-walks ratio and 1.17 WHIP in 2012 while working 190 innings in 30 starts. If he makes four more starts, over 200 innings and maybe 17 wins are possible.
The Mets jumped from habit and signed Niese to a long-term contract way before they needed to because he throws hard, is left-handed, pitches with guile, and has experienced major league success. For those reasons, any team would want him but the Mets continually say no.
Two other rising pitching stars are Matt Harvey and Zack Wheeler. The Mets have brought along Harvey at a good pace and he started ten games last year, showing overpowering stuff and more importantly, composure beyond his years. His is the type of arm franchises are built around.
While Harvey is in the Opening Day rotation, the timetable for Wheeler is later in the summer after more time in Triple A. There’s no rush to promote Wheeler early, but we’ll see him soon enough.
We should also see catching prospect Travis d’Arnaud before the year is out, and I like the idea he’ll get a lot of time with Wheeler. The key to the R.A. Dickey trade from the Mets’ perspective, d’Arnaud has power potential, but he’s also coming off knee and back injuries.
Should he pan out then the Mets can argue success in the trade of their Cy Young Award winner.
Also something to look forward to is Ike Davis’ power. Davis, skillful around the first base bag, clubbed 32 homers last year after a bad start. He’s healthy now and two good halves could make 40 homers a realistic possibility. He could get that, along with more walks and fewer strikeouts, with an improved plate presence.
Then there is David Wright, who played at a MVP clip in the first half before the pressures of carrying the Mets on his back became too great a burden.
I’m looking at .300, 30 and 100 from Wright, and nothing less. He rarely talks about numbers, but he’d probably say the same if pressed.
No, I don’t know how the Mets will do this year. However, if these six players can play to what is expected of them, this has a chance to be an interesting summer.
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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Ahhhhh….Spring Training. The best time of year. February/March is what dreams are made of for all us baseball fans. The time of year when we drink the kool-aid in gulps and are most optimistic about our beloved team, The NY Mets. So here I go and you all can accuse me of indulging in the kool-aid……..
Every year during spring training, as Mets fans we have a whole lot of “ifs”. If this…..if that. We do it all the time. But for some reason, I truly believe that this year a lot of the “ifs” are not all that far fetched. Three of the four players John mentions in this article I don’t even consider their improvements as “ifs”. In the cases of Niese, Wheeler and Davis, I almost see their improvents as expected rather than if. And that is a big difference from previous years.
Now in the case of Wright…..I think his returning to 30+ HR’s is a stretch. However if he can still hit for average out of the 3 hole (.300-.325), 20-25 HR’s with extra base gap power, his contributions could go a long way.
So yes, sip sip on the spring kool-aid, I agree with the author we could be pleasantly surprised this summer in Flushing.
Love the article! Love the optimism!
I agree on many points. I actually feel the Mets will finish AT LEAST .500 and wouldn’t be surprised if they did better.
I think Ike will have a very good season (I also believe he needs to) but that 40 hr number is being thrown around like its an easy thing. I think 35 is a bit more realistic but I believe his avg will be up around .265 to .275 and he should crack the 100 RBI mark.
“Pitchers and catchers” MAY be some of the best 3 words in sports but “Play Ball” is without question the 2 greatest!
What’s this? Optimism? Enthusiasm? A fresh view of the upcoming season?
That is totally unacceptable.
Just-Da-Damaja, Bayonne, Alex, get over here and scream at some people. There’s unfettered positivity going on over here. We need you over to remind these people that not only does Sandy suck, and the team suck, but they really suck for even expressing the slightest positive thought.
Hurry up and stop this before it spreads guys.
nah, that’s okay. Have your “manic moment” on February 9.
“I’m looking at .300, 30 and 100 from Wright, and NOTHING less”
138 million reasons why the bar has been set..
and if he hits .287 with 19 HR and 88 RBI’s with average defense
we can point to the burdens of carrying a team, being the team ambassador, being the team babysitter…having to teach Jordany Valdespin how to dress, having to make sure Ike Davis doesnt sneak out past midnight like a 26 year old rebellious teenager going to the movies….having to teach Ruben Tejada how to properly slide into 1B….having to teach Matt Cerrone and Michael Baron how to write in the English language properly and the 101 other things to do that come with being a franchise face/team captain !
this will ensure that David Wright will not be the target of boos when he strikes out with the bases loaded in the 9th inning of a meaningless game in August attended by folks who mainly bought tickets off of Stubhub, that were originally purchased by the team in an effort to artificially inflate attendance numbers.
Let’s Go Mets !!!
The biggest “if” for me is if they can sign Bourn. His defense in CF would help our pitchers (and Duda), and his speed at the top of the lineup might be the biggest factor in DW reaching those 100 RBIs.
There’s a lot to look forward to this season, and it starts with Wheeler and d’Arnaud knocking on the door. Those two, along with the bullpen, can be the keys to making this season a lot better than most are predicting. I’m still not concerned with the OF, even if they don’t get Bourn. Would prefer to have him — at a reasonable cost — but if they don’t, the OF could still be OK.
It starts before that. It starts with Harvey’s first start (or Santana’s). Then by the time your 2 boys arrive we will see how Ike Davis’ season is going.
So it starts more with the players already on the roster, not the ones who may or may not come up either sooner or later.
But I know why you say it starts with Wheeler & d’Arnaud. It’s because of your love of Alderson and funny numbers that serve the same purpose as a Rubic’s Cube. Nothing.
exactly…
Is Buck going to sit so that Travis can make his debut and play on the regular?
not only are we assuming Travis is going to be a star…we are assuming Buck wont perform well enough to stay as a starter !
6 million dollars for a backup catcher, he can sit next to the 6.5 million dollar set up man aka FF
is it me or has anyone else noticed that ALOT of these folks are guys that JP had in Toronto?
Me thinks JP has alot more pull here than DePo when it comes to the MLB roster…and I truly think those 2 clowns are going to be the duo running the ship when Sandy leaves..
You’re looking at it wrong. We aren’t paying $6 million for a backup catcher, we are paying about $7 million for one year for the catchers position.
Recker and d’Arnaud, who will likely swap positions in May with d’Arnaud coming up and Recker going down, are playing for less than a million this year and Buck will be a Met for one year.
And he’s a lot more valuable than just a backup catcher. He is solid defensive catcher with a wealth of ML knowledge on how to handle a major league staff. Something this team has sorely lacked for some time. He will also serve as a mentor/coach to d’Arnaud and that also is very valuable.
It’s really hard to overestimate how important it is to have a solid catching core, particularly with a bunch of young arms coming to this team over the next few seasons. We can bitch all we want about the OF but the upgrade to the catching position should not be overlooked.
“You’re looking at it wrong. We aren’t paying $6 million for a backup catcher, we are paying about $7 million for one year for the catchers position”
Nice rationalization for you. It’s about time he upgraded (you HOPE) the catching position because were were screaming for an professional right-handed complement to Josh Thole since before last season started. You weren’t here or you were under another name.
Upgrading the catching position was an absolute necessity for this team and it had to be done no matter who was the GM. Just in baseball talk alone it had to be done. Last time we had any solid, professional catchers here who handled the pitching staff very well were Rod Barajas and Henry Blanco and both did a VERY good job here until unfortunately for the Mets Barajas simply stopped hitting and had to be moved.
It’s not a rationalization. It’s the method most organizations use when designing their payroll. X amount of dollars are allocated for each position including backups.
Doesn’t always work because some times you end up with a Buck who was made part of the deal and the Mets have to eat his contract but overall the Mets aren’t over paying for the catching position.
I know this flies in the face of everything you believe but I don’t love or hate GMs. Not worth my time or energy. I do evaluate the moves they make and the plan they have for the organization and judge them by those standards. So far, Alderson is doing a good, not great, job in my opinion particularly when you look at the hand he was dealt.
And trust me on this one, you don’t want the Mets to win more badly than I do.
“X amount of dollars are allocated for each position including backups.”
That’s how organizations work? They allocate money to position instead of who is at that position? Show me a link. I’ve never heard of that.
So how much money do the Mets have invested in CF? How much do the invest in catching? And so on? This is news to me.
When the Mets announce that their payroll will be X dollars, how do you think they do the math to get to that number? Do you think they just roll dice or pick salary dollars out of a hat?
Just like any other organization they slot dollars to each position and if they have to overpay for one position they are going to have to be more frugal elsewhere. In my job, I am given a budget for my staff. If I want to overpay for a particular engineer then I can either beg my boss for more money (unlikely) or spend less on other positions. It’s not magic.
The Mets are doing the same thing. They have a certain number allocated to Bourn, for example, and they are either going to get him for that number, get the Wilpons to cough up more money (unlikely) or spend less on another position.
Budgets and fiscal responsibility have come to the Mets. The days of “How much of a premium to do we have to pay you to come to the Mets instead of the Yankees, Carlos” are over. Who knows, it might even work.
You allocate to your needs. You made it sound like they allocate money to a position first no matter who is there. That is exactly what you said, c’mon man, don’t try that stuff with me. They don’t slot money to a position, they have a budget to work with and you use that budget as smart as you can and if the best player they need for a certain position cost x amount of money and they can afford it and it’s in their best interests as far as COMPETING and WINNING is concerned you do it.
Allotted money for each position beforehand? Sorry. You made that up i don’t care what you do for a living. And your explanation flies in the face of how you said it.
No. What was up last year is more or less a given in my book. And while I will enjoy watching all of them, it’s the wild cards and unknowns such as Wheeler and d’Arnaud who I am most looking forward to and who I think can make the biggest difference between last year and this.
yeah okay, Harvey is a given and Ike is a given.
Those 2 will set the tone for the season long before d’Arnaud or Wheeler even surface so stop the BS. You’re just saying that for one reason – Sandy Alderson and NOTHING objectively.
We don’t even know if Wheeler and d’Arnaud may even make the team coming out of ST! So maybe ALL of them get off to a good start
Or Wheeler gets off to a good start and Harvey falters. Or Harvey get off to good start and Wheeler falters. Or d’Arnaud wins a game on Opening Day with a HR? It could happen. Maybe not. Maybe Ike Davis sends everyone home happy on opening day with 2 HRs, one a grand slam and the other a walk off. Does the season start with Wheeler & d’Arnaud then?
Knock off the BS.
Yeah, like I said “more or less.” Both will likely be close to the numbers they put up last season.
I’m assuming Wheeler and d’Arnaud DON’T make the team out of ST. I never said they would.
The topic was what to look forward to from the Mets this season. And for me, it all starts with Wheeler and d’Arnaud.
No one is saying that any of the other players on the roster aren’t important. It’s just that they are not the real attractions this year, IMHO.
You knock off the BS.
well say it’s “for you” then. You didn’t say that initially. That’s your personal opinion that the season starts with Wheeler & d’Anaird. If you would have said that right from the beginning that the context is entirely different and I don’t respond because it’s YOUR opinion. Don’t make it sound like that’s how it is for everyone. And you say that because of your LOVE of Alderson and your hate for Omar Minaya.
It’s Omar Minaya’s players that everything is built upon and hopefully the 2 kids that you’re Sugar Daddy got at the expense of purposely tanking 2 seasons can contribute.
Huh? Why would the statement I made mean anything else but my own opinion. The whole title of this post “Something to look forward to from the Mets” is by nature a subjective topic.
Take this as NOTICE: Anything I say on this blog is my own opinion UNLESS I am making an assertion of fact.
And by now, it’s Sandy’s team 100%!
..built on players acquired by Omar Minaya. We are still waiting for the players that Alderson acquired (other than the filler) to make an impact. He had a chance to make an impact on the team last year and ALL of his big moves flopped (The Pagan trade and the wasted millions on bullpen help that helped the opposition more than the Mets)
Those are facts, not opinions.
Here’s a fact: Reyes, Wright, Glavine and Feliciano were not acquired by Omar. The Mets don’t get to the postseason without those 4. So I guess the 2006 team was NOT just Omar’s. It was Omar’s, Duquette’s and Phillips’ team. Right?
Glavine? Duquette?
Is that the subject of this post. Now you are off topic this conversation is OVER. Another win for Bayonne
Glavine. Duquette.
The subject of the post is how Glavine, Reyes, Wright and Feliciano were NOT obtained by Omar. So if you say 2013 is not all Sandy’s team, well then 2006 was not all Omar’s team.
You lost long ago when you refused to answer a simple question.
there was at least 50% turnover from 2004- 2006…
damn near ALL the mets in 2013 are guys acquired from 2005-2010 or before
1B – Ike
2B – Murph
SS – Tejada
3B – Wright
C – Buck ( new )
LF – Duda
CF – Den Dekker?
RF – ?? ( new )
thats 6 out of 8
almost the ENTIRE starting pitching staff are guys Sandy ACQUIRED
look at the 2006 mets
1B – Delgado
2B – Valentin
CF – Beltran
RF – Nady / Green
C – Loduca
do we still need to debate this or are you going to further embarass yourself..?
you mean Omar acquired those pitchers, lol
Doesn’t matter what percentage it is. Four key players, without whom the 2006 Mets don’t go to the postseason, were acquired by Omar’s predecessors.
Are you going to keep your blinders on? Or are you going to admit your utter hypocrisy?
BTW, I asked you a question the other day and I never got an answer so I’ll try again …
Whose team was it in 2006? Just Omar’s? Or Omar’s, Duquette’s, and Phillip’s?
ah you applied a “jessep” technique to weasel out of the corner you’re in. Don’t waste my f*cking time.
LOL, you’re the one who weaseled out of the question. You never answered it. Because if you did, it would reveal you to be a hypocrite.
When your GOD Alderson is able to acquire players that make an impact in the standings like Minaya did immediately you can claim then he has his hands on the team.
If the Mets do anything this year it will be because of the players Sandy obtained, kept or developed.
This year it’s 100% Sandy’s team.
“kept”
aka ACQUIRED FROM OMAR !!!!
aka – MOST OF THE TEAM
aka – YOU LOSE
aka – Insert 1 quarter to continue
Acquired, developed, and kept. That’s right, read selectively to fit your agenda!
You lost.
Add $100 to continue!
o so we wont count the guys he ACQUIRED from Omar? even when it’s over 50% of the team??
but we’ll call the 2006 mets not Omar’s team because 6 out of 25 players were leftover? even if 2 of those 6 were acquired when he was Asst GM further twisting up your pretzel ?
bwahahahahahah
Huh? LOL, you count the full 25-man roster and consider it ALL Sandy’s by now because he’s the one who has either acquired, developed or transitioned (ie, Murphy), or kept all the players by now.
Just like you should count 2006 as all Omar’s team.
But if you say 2013 isn’t all Sandy’s, then you can’t say 2006 is all Omar’s
Talk about twisted pretzels! Just trying to keep you from being the hypocrite you are.
excellent, so if we still churn out another sub-.500 team…is it all Sandy’s fault ?
As I’ve said multiple times on this site, the 2013 team should be considered 100% Sandy’s, win or lose.
Do you agree now?
No answer??
awesome, so if the team’s record makes no improvement upon 2012, and we regress….It’s Sandy’s fault
We are in agreement
That’s not what I asked. I asked if whether the team wins of loses, it’s all Sandy’s team.
Yes or No?
Looking forward to:
- Harvey first full season
- Ike’s first full healthy season
- The debut of both TAD and Wheeler
- An improved BP that hopefully won’t blow lead after lead (keeping my fingers crossed)
For starters….
Just looking forward to the 2013 season beginning.
It is hard not to get enthusiast about. LGM
Good read John. I know I definitely am looking forward to watching what players like Niese, Gee, Harvey, Edgin, Gorski, Familia, and Mejia will do in 2013 along with players like Wright, Ike, Duda, Tejada, and Capt Kirk. I am in particular looking forward to seeing what Wheeler can do. His stuff in the little bit that I have seen him is just so electric that if he ever delivers on that potential and becomes the real deal look out.
Pitchers & Catchers can’t come fast enough.
LGM!
There’s a lot of things I’m looking forward to this season. Aside from the arrivals of Wheeler and d’Arnaud, here’s some of the stuff I’m gonna be following closely.
-Will the bullpen actually be copasetic for the first time in 4 years? Bullpen depth looks strong from AA on up, but seeing is believing now isn’t it?
-How strong the starting rotation will be (if healthy) and are they able to get that consistency going like they did in late May-June.
-Jordany Valdespin making his presence felt on the major league level once he gets the chance to play everyday
-The transformation of Jon Niese into a 17-game winner
-Matt Harvey. Nuff said.
-Dillon Gee: the forgotten man. Which Gee are we gonna see? The one who really struggled at the start of last season or the one we saw in his last 10 starts?
-Ike Davis having the big season everyone knows he can have
-State of the OF. The best OFs right now on this team are Valdespin, Den Dekker, Cowgill, Nieuwenhuis and Brown in that order. Duda & Bax? Bax should be in AAA with Lagares (who will probably be getting a look in ST) and Duda….well, you know by now how I feel.
Jon Niese winning 17 games is certainly doable, IMO. Especially considering all the QS he had last year. Just have to make sure this year’s BP doesn’t blow any lead he’s got going into the late innings.
Adding to what you said I’m looking to see how some of the lesser known but talented young arms in the minors develop, and also hoping Nimmo and Cecchini will show signs that they were worth the bonus money and top billing.