I am not a big fan of predictions probably because they never come true. Why waste your time guessing how the team will do?  It’s hard enough to hear all the so-called “experts” around baseball tell you that the Mets will be horrible this year. They don’t even mention that the Mets are even in the NL East – that really gets me mad!

So, instead of predictions, let’s look at what we hope for. I hope for our young pitchers to gain the experience necessary to make them credible pitchers in the near future, like in 2014. I am looking forward to watching Matt Harvey, Dillon Gee and eventually Zack Wheeler pitch, knowing that we can say we saw them when they first started. They all have great potential so let’s see what they can do.

I hope for our outfield situation to work itself out. Everyone is in love with Collin Cowgill after his Opening Day slam and I  think he played well this spring. Let’s see what he can do. I know that Lucas Duda and Marlon Byrd are starting for now and we’ll have to see what happens, especially in Duda’s case. We all know he’s not the greatest of fielders and hopefully his bat can make up for the defensive hole that he causes.

I hope that Ruben Tejada and Daniel Murphy keep improving and working on their defensive craft. We all know Murph can hit and we will have to see if Tejada can improve on last year’s totals. Tejada played shortstop well last year – yes, we still miss Jose – but Tejada did an acceptable job.

I hope that Ike and David will continue to be the cornerstones of this franchise. We all know what David means to this team and the fans and Ike is turning into a fine defensive first baseman. Now let’s hope that he doesn’t suffer through a miserable first half like last year.

And how about the bullpen? Can Bobby Parnell turn into the closer we need? He has the stuff to do it; does he have the mentality?  Scott Rice is a great story and I loved what Josh Edgin did last year. Could LaTroy Hawkins be a surprise coming out of the bullpen?

Yes, there are many questions that need to be answered but I refuse to believe that we can’t improve on our 74 win season in 2012. I just don’t think we are that bad. If we do the hard work this year, 2014 and 2015 can be very special seasons for the Mets. I have seen many bad seasons over my 45 years of following the Mets but this year can be the start of a promising run.

Mets fans are a hearty bunch – we are loyal and in it for the long haul. I will be watching every game and looking to see a brighter future for our ballclub. My one prediction for 2013 – the Mets will be competitive and fun to watch. I’ll say we finish at 80-82.

Have hope, fellow Mets fans and look at 2013 as  the year when all the future pieces start to fall into place. Watch out in 2014!

Let’s Go Mets!!

“Positive thinking breeds positive results.” ~ Tug McGraw

American League Cy Young Award

Felix Hernandez

Big King Felix took the Cy Young Award with five votes from our staff. In second was Justin Verlander with three and third was Chirs Sale with two. Jared Weaver, the imperfect Yu Darvish, Matt Harrison, Josh Johnson all had one vote a piece.

American League MVP

Mike Trout

Mike Trout took home seven MMO votes to take our MVP award, and to think, he could have been a Met . Albert Pujols was second with three and the new Jay-Z client Robinson Cano was third with two.

AL Home Run Champ

Jose Bautista

Brief but former Met Jose Bautista received six votes to become our preseason home run king. Prince Fielder was second with three tallies.

AL Batting Champion

Mike Trout and Robinson Cano

We have a tie! At four votes a piece, Mike Trout and Robinson Cano were voted co-batting champs. Miguel Cabrera was behind them at three. Josh Hamilton and Joe Mauer had two.

AL Stolen Base Leader

Mike Trout

I’m starting to see a theme here, something seems a little fishy. Mike Trout leads the American League with five votes. Michael Bourn with his new Indians at four and former-met speedster Jose Reyes in third at two picks.

AL Rookie Of The Year

Wil Myers

Now Tampa Bay Rays prospect Wil Myers is our choice for ROY at seven votes. Trevor Bauer had three, and Jurickson Profar and Dylan Bundy nabbed two a piece.

AL Comeback Player Of The Year

Mariano Rivera

Mariano Rivera gets our nod for Comeback Player at five tallies. Jose Bautista had himself four votes. Lance Berkman, Jacoby Ellsbury took home two a piece, hell even Jason Bay got thrown a bone from Jessep!

So that’s our 2013 A.L. Award predictions, hope you enjoyed… We’ll have the National League posted later today. In the mean time, here is how our staff voted individually. Feel free to comment with your own AL predictions!

Joe D.

AL Cy Young: Felix Hernandez

AL MVP: Mike Trout

AL Homerun Champ: Prince Fielder

AL Batting Leader: Robinson Cano

AL Stolen Base Leader: Mike Trout

AL ROY: Trevor Bauer

AL Comeback Player: Jacoby Ellsbury

Paul Zinn

AL Cy Young – Felix Hernandez

AL MVP – Robinson Cano

AL Homerun Champ – Albert Pujols

AL Batting Leader – Miguel Cabrera

AL Stolen Base Leader – Jose Reyes

AL Rookie of the Year -Trevor Bauer

AL Comeback Player – Mariano Rivera

Clare Laferty

AL Cy Young – Felix Hernandez

AL MVP – Mike Trout

Michael Barrett

AL Cy Young – David Price

AL MVP – Mike Trout

AL Homerun Champ – Mark Trumbo

AL Batting Leader – Miguel Cabrera

AL Stolen Base Leader – Mike Trout

AL Rookie of the Year -Jurickson Profar

AL Comeback Player – Mariano Rivera

Vinny B.

AL Cy Young – Jered Weaver

AL MVP – Albert Pujols

AL HR Champ – Jose Bautista

AL Batting Leader -Robinson Cano

AL Stolen Base Leader – Desmond Jennings

AL Rookie of the year – Will Myers

AL Comeback player of the year – Lance Berkman

Matt Balasis

AL Cy Young – David Price

AL MVP – Jose Bautista

AL Homerun Champ – Jose Bautista

AL Batting Leader – Joe Mauer

AL Stolen Base Leader – Jose Reyes

AL Rookie of the Year – Wil Myers

AL Comeback Player – Jose Bautista

Joe Spector

AL Cy Young – Justin Verlander

AL MVP – Albert Pujols

AL Homerun Champ – Jose Bautista

AL Batting Leader – Robinson Cano

AL Stolen Base Leader – Brett Gardner

AL Rookie of the Year – Dylan Bundy

AL Comeback Player – Jose Bautista

Jessep

AL Cy Young – Felix Hernandez

AL MVP – Prince Fielder

AL Homerun Champ – Prince Fielder

AL Batting Leader – Mike Trout

AL Stolen Base Leader – Jose Altuve

AL Rookie of the Year – Trevor Bauer

AL Comeback Player – Jason Bay

Rob (Tie Dyed)

AL Cy Young – Chris Sale

AL MVP – Mike Trout

AL Homerun Champ – Jose Bautista

AL Batting Leader – Billy Butler

AL Stolen Base Leader – Jose Reyes

AL Rookie of the Year – Wil Myers

AL Comeback Player – Jose Bautista

Connor

AL Cy Young – Justin Verlander

AL MVP – Miguel Cabrera

AL Homerun Champ – Adam Dunn

AL Batting Leader – Joe Mauer

AL Stolen Base Leader – Michael Bourn

AL Rookie of the Year – Dylan Bundy

AL Comeback Player – Eric Hosmer

Clayton Collier

AL Cy Young – Matt Harrison

AL MVP – Robinson Cano

AL Homerun Champ – Jose Bautista

AL Batting Leader – Miguel Cabrera

AL Stolen Base Leader – Michael Bourn

AL Rookie of the Year – Wil Myers

AL Comeback Player – Victor Martinez

Gerry Silverman

AL Cy Young: Felix Hernandez

AL MVP: Mike Trout

AL Homerun Champ: Prince Fielder

AL Batting Leader: Mike Trout

AL Stolen Base Leader: Mike Trout

AL ROY: Jurickson Profar

AL Comeback Player: Jacob Ellsbury

Adam Rossi

AL Cy Young – Yu Darvish

AL MVP – Mike Trout

AL Homerun Champ – Jose Bautista

AL Batting Leader – Mike Trout

AL Stolen Base Leader – Mike Trout

AL Rookie of the Year – Wil Myers

AL Comeback Player – Jose Bautista

Dan Valis

AL Cy Young – David Price

AL MVP – Jose Bautista

AL Homerun Champ – Jose Bautista

AL Batting Leader – Josh Hamilton

AL Stolen Base Leader – Michael Bourn

AL Rookie of the Year – Wil Myers

AL Comeback Player – Mariano Rivera

XtreemIcon

AL Cy Young – Justin Verlander

AL MVP – Evan Longoria

AL Homerun Champ – Josh Hamilton

AL Batting Leader – Josh Hamilton

AL Stolen Base Leader – Emilio Bonafacio

AL Rookie of the Year – Wil Myers

AL Comeback Player – Mariano Rivera

Gregg Hopps

AL Cy Young -Josh Johnson

AL Batting Leader -Mike Trout

AL Comeback Player -Mariano Rivera

Jim Mancari

AL Cy Young – Chris Sale

AL MVP – Albert Pujols

AL Homerun Champ – Albert Pujols

AL Batting Leader – Robinson Cano

AL Stolen Base Leader – Michael Bourn

AL Rookie of the Year – Jurickson Profar

AL Comeback Player – Lance Berkman

Earlier this week there was news that Beltran participated in limited batting practice, but he rarely swung at any pitches. In addition, he participated in some outfield drills. It has also been reported that when Beltran plays in a minor league game he will have a pinch runner when he gets on base. This means that he is not yet at full speed.

It is becoming clear that Beltran will not be on the Opening Day roster. If the Mets keep him in minor league games during the rest of the spring they can backdate his DL-stint so that he can come back sooner. The question is what can the Mets expect from Beltran once he is able to play?

For the first four years of his contract with the Mets, Beltran put up great numbers. However, since 2009 he has had an injury bug. Over the past two years he played just 145 games. However, he did hit 17 home runs and batted .295 over that span. Could that be what the Mets can expect from Beltran this year? Those numbers certainly don’t justify the $18.5 million that Beltran is owed for this year.

It is possible that Beltran will not play on a daily basis for at least a month. The move to right field should help Beltran stay healthier since he does not need to cover as much ground as he did in center.

Assuming that Beltran stays healthy, it is possible that he plays in as many as 135 games this season. If that does happen, it is reasonable to expect that Beltran could put up a line close to .280/.365/.490. The Mets could also see Beltran hit between 20 and 25 home runs and drive in 80 to 95 runners. Beltran will likely see his stolen base numbers drop to less than 10 in an attempt to keep his knee healthy. This would be the best-case scenario.

A possible worst case scenario would be that for the third year in a row Beltran struggles to remain healthy. He is only able to appear in 70 to 80 games. In this limited playing time Beltran posts a triple slash line of .260/.335/.440. He is only able to hit 8 to ten home runs and he does not drive in more than 45 runners. This is also a plausible outcome for Beltran’s season.

If Beltran is able to stay healthy this year and the Mets struggle then the team could trade him away to a contender and bring back a solid prospect or two that can help them in the future. If the Mets are still in contention, they can hold on to Beltran to help them make a playoff run.

The fact of the matter is that Beltran could be the key to the Mets season. If he is healthy, the Mets could be a playoff team. If not, the Mets could suffer through a long season yet again.

Let’s take a look at the schedule and break down the upcoming month of games for the Mets:

July 15-18:  4 games at San Francisco (playoff contender)

July 19-21:  3 games at Arizona

July 22-25:  4 games at Los Angeles (Wild Card co-leader)

July 27-29:  3 games vs. St. Louis (playoff contender)

July 30-Aug. 1:  3 games vs. Arizona

Aug. 2-4:  3 games at Atlanta (best record in the NL)

Aug. 6-8:  3 games at Philadelphia (playoff contender)

Aug. 10-12:  3 games vs. Colorado (Wild Card co-leader)

Aug. 13-15:  3 games vs. Philadelphia (playoff contender)

The Mets begin their second half schedule with their longest road trip of the year, an 11-game jaunt through California and Arizona.  The series in Arizona must be looked at similar to their two series against Baltimore and Cleveland last month.  The Mets were doing poorly on the road before those series but they didn’t play down to the level of their competition.  They won all six games against the Orioles and Indians and gained ground in the playoff race.

Likewise, the upcoming series in Arizona, sandwiched between two series against playoff contenders, must be gone into with a sense of “we’re better than you and we’re going to prove it”.  Although winning two out of three on the road is usually considered a success, I believe the Mets can and should take all three games in Arizona.  The Diamondbacks have nothing to play for in the NL West, other than to showcase some talent that may be used in deals at the trading deadline.  The Mets have won 16 of their last 19 games played in Arizona going back to 2004.  They can’t settle for anything less than a sweep.

Meanwhile, the two series wrapped around the Diamondbacks series are a little tougher to look at.  The Giants have been hot of late, winning six of their last seven games going into the All-Star Break.  Of course, those games were against the Brewers and Nationals, two teams with a combined record of 79-99.  However, the Giants have held their own against the NL East this year, going 12-6 against them, despite losing two out of three to the Mets at Citi Field back in May.  The Giants are 25-17 at AT&T Park this season, but the Mets have Carlos Beltran coming back for this series.  His return will not only boost the lineup, it could also give them a sense of completeness that they haven’t felt in quite some time (assuming Jose Reyes is ready to play).  For now, I will accept a split of the four-game series, but I’m really hoping for three out of four.

Will the real Los Angeles Dodgers please stand up?  Are they the team that went into Citi Field back in April and got swept by the Mets in a series that included John Maine’s sole victory of the season?  Are they the team that blistered their way through the National League in May and June, going 23-7 over a 30-game stretch to temporarily take over the division lead from the Padres?  Or are they the mediocre team we’ve seen since then, winning series against non-contending teams (Diamondbacks, Marlins, Cubs), while losing series to playoff contenders (Red Sox, Angels, Yankees)?  The Mets have to take the Dodgers seriously even though they’ve been more streaky and slumpy this year than Jeff Francoeur.  To add to the confusion, the Dodgers are great at home (28-18), but horrible against the NL East (5-11).  It’s a tough call, but I think the Mets will split the four games in LA, which makes sense considering the split personality the Dodgers seem to have this year.

From there, the Mets will come back home to the friendly confines of Citi Field.  They will face the Cardinals and the Diamondbacks.  Again, the only option with Arizona is a sweep, especially at home.  Anything less than three victories would be unacceptable.  The series with Arizona will coincide with the trading deadline, so it’ll be interesting to see where the Mets are in the standings during this series and who they end up acquiring, if they acquire anyone at all.

For the series against the Cardinals, it’ll all boil down to pitching.  The Cardinals have a great one-two punch in Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter, while the Mets currently have one great puncher in Johan Santana.  However, the Cardinals are just as poor on the road as the Mets are and they will be the road team in this series.  I’m hoping the Mets can take two out of three in this series, but wouldn’t be surprised if the Cardinals’ pitching holds the Mets to just one win in the series similar to the way the Braves’ pitching did this past weekend.

Speaking of the Braves, following their short homestand against St. Louis and Arizona, the Mets take their show on the road to face their hated division rivals in Atlanta and Philadelphia.  That road trip could make or break this team more than the 11-game trip after the All-Star Break could.  The Mets know that losing both of these series could drop them back into third place in the division (a place where they might be already if they don’t get off to a quick start after the Break).  They will need to split these six games at the very least.  Losing a minimum of four games on this road trip could prove devastating.

Finally, this tough stretch of games ends with a six-game homestand against the Rockies and Phillies.  The Rockies are doing what the Rockies do best, and that is going on a run that takes them from the bottom of the division to the top of the Wild Card race.  A month ago, the Rockies were a .500 team, sitting in fourth place because the Diamondbacks had a no vacancy sign in last place.  Since then, they have been one of the hottest teams in baseball, going 19-9 and moving into a tie with the Dodgers for the Wild Card lead, after the Mets had held the Wild Card lead for weeks.  In their month-long run to the top, they have won series from contenders like the Red Sox, Giants and Padres (twice) and swept the Cardinals.  The Rockies will not be a pushover, even with the series taking place at Citi Field, especially if the Mets have to face Cy Young Award favorite Ubaldo Jimenez, who may be closing in on 20 wins by the time the Rockies travel to New York.  I’ll be cautiously optimistic when I say that the Mets will win two out of three against the Rockies, but will be prepared for them to lose two out of three.

As for the Phillies, they will certainly have their last series at Citi Field on their minds when they return to New York.  In what might have been the highlight of the Mets’ season so far, the Phillies came into New York and left with nothing, as in no runs on the scoreboard.  The three-game shutout of the Phillies gave the Mets hope and has given fuel to their post-season push, but to expect something like that again would be ridiculous.  Even to expect another three-game sweep might be too much.  The Phillies just swept a four-game series from the NL Central division leading Reds, the same team that came into Citi Field and took two out of three from the Mets last week.  Despite the injuries that have wiped out most of their infield, the Phillies have remained in contention all year and will continue to do so.  Just like the series with the Rockies, I’ll say I want the Mets to win two out of three, but will not be surprised if they lose two out of three.  I’m expecting a split of the six-game homestand with the Rockies and the Phillies.

The Mets will begin their post-Break schedule by playing 29 games against mostly contending teams.  Having a losing record over that stretch would surely damage their post-season chances.  Using all my fingers and toes, I have tallied up the wins and losses I expect from the Mets over this month-long stretch of games following the All-Star Break.  My caveman math has given the Mets an 18-11 record over that stretch, which of course, includes six wins in six games over the Diamondbacks.  Failure to sweep both series against Arizona would change things drastically, but I have confidence in the Mets that they can pull it off.  Of course, that means I’m also saying that the Mets will barely have a winning record against all the other teams they play during this tough stretch of games.

Getting Carlos Beltran back into the lineup on Thursday, along with the return of Jose Reyes will make the offense whole again.  Hopefully, this will prevent many extended periods where the Mets go into a hitting slump (like during the just-completed 2-4 homestand). The combination of the upgraded offense, Johan Santana’s resurgence and perhaps a little help at the trading deadline (if it is a starting pitcher, Omar Minaya can’t just acquire him just to make an acquisition.  He has to be someone who will improve the rotation immediately.  Please, no more Victor Zambrano-like deals!) can help the Mets approach the 18-11 post-Break record I’m calling for them to have.

After that 29-game stretch, the Mets will spend the next two weeks playing Houston, Pittsburgh, Florida and Houston again.  All three teams have fallen out of contention in the National League.  All four series are winnable series.  The Mets should feast on these teams, but of course, feasting on paper and feasting on the field are two different things.

It’s time to put up or shut up for the Mets after the All-Star Break.  The next month’s schedule is going to tell us a lot about this team.  Either things could spiral out of control or we’ll prove we belong to be mentioned with the big boys of the National League.  Get ready for the second half of the season.  Regardless of what happens, it’s sure to be one fun ride!

“Yep, the Mets are up to something, and close to making a deal… fingers crossed.”

I would certainly hope the Mets are up to something…

With Ben Sheets now being the best option left in free agency, everyone suddenly thinks they are Nostradamus and are predicting that he is the Mets’ top target and that they will be making a strong push to sign him. Really? Well, DUH!!!

As long as everyone’s making predictions, let me peer into my crystal ball and see what the immediate future  might hold for the Mets.

Joe D’s Five Fearless Predictions

1. This one is not really a prediction, but merely just overstating what you already know. The Mets “will” sign Ben Sheets, not because they love him, but because at this point they need to sign another big name for PR’s sake, and they need a number two starter. As I said, Sheets is the most talented pitcher left at this point, and when he’s healthy he’s a top ten pitcher. Health is always a concern, but the Mets will have to roll the dice and hope for the best.

2. The Mets will sign a 4th outfielder type that might include either Rocco Baldelli, Endy Chavez or Eric Byrnes. With Angel Pagan pressed into starting duty, the Mets will make sure they don’t make the mistake of letting Fernando Martinez languish on the bench again.

3. The more I keep hearing Carlos Delgado to the Mets, the more I believe they will instead sign Ryan Garko to platoon with Daniel Murphy. Garko can really mash lefthanded pitching. Signing Delgado and Sheets and Smoltz (read below) would be taking on way too much risk.

4. The Mets will probably add John Smoltz because he makes sense. He is versatile enough to work out of the bullpen, and can quickly jump into the rotation if the need arises. He’s a bulldog, even at 42 years old. 

5. For some strange reason the Mets don’t like Rod Barajas even though one look would suggest that he’d make a lot of sense for the Mets. Dan Warthen and Jerry Manuel are not impressed with Omir Santos and blamed him for some of the pitching problems last season. Omar knows this, so he may have to look at the other Molina brother, Jose, or make his peace with Yorvit Torrealba.

Bonus Prediction – The Sheets thing wasn’t all that fearless, so let me conclude with this. Despite everything you may have read on this site or elsewhere, the Mets will make the post season in 2010 and possibly even win the division. Remember that you read it here first.

NL Biggest Bust

Rob – Pamela Anderson…. oh, wait, that’s a different kind of big bust. I’ll go with Manny Ramirez

Sach – Aaron Harang, Cincinnati Reds

Joe D – The Phillies bullpen and rotation is rocked by injuries and ineffectiveness and keeps the Phillies out of the post season.

Mikey J – Francisco Rodriguez, NY Mets

Ryan – Aramis Ramirez, Chicago Cubs

Paul – Cole Hamels, Philadelphia Phillies

Joey M – Raul Ibanez, Philadelphia Phillies

Jessica – The Cubs…

Matt – Philadelphia Phillies

Kelly – Jimmy Rollins, Philadelphia Phillies

AL Biggest Bust

Rob – AJ Burnett, NY Yankees

Sach – Jarrod Washburn, Seattle Mariners

Joe D – A-Rod returns, but fails to above .280 for the first time since 1995, and will struggle to knock in 75 RBI’s.

Mikey J – CC Sabathia, NY Yankees

Ryan – Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins

Paul – AJ Burnett, NY Yankees

Joey M – Mark Teixeira, NY Yankees

Jessica – If the Yankees don’t win division it will be considered a bust. Go Rays!

Matt – Los Angeles Angels

Kelly – CC Sabathia, NY Yankees

NL Biggest Surprise

Rob – Garret Anderson has a huge year in Atlanta

Sach – Matt Lindstrom of the Marlins will have more saves than Brad Lidge, but Jose Valverde will lead the NL in saves for the 3rd consecutive year.

Joe D – Hanson, Vasquez and a rejuvenated Francoeur lead Braves to a Wild Card.

Mikey J – Fred Lewis, San Francisco Giants

Ryan – Mike Pelfrey, NY Mets

Paul – Fred Lewis, SF Giants

Joey M – Daniel Murphy, NY Mets

Jessica – The Reds will rebound nicely this year.

Matt – Florida Marlins

Kelly – Daniel Murphy, NY Mets

AL Biggest Surprise

Rob – The Yankees fail to make the post-season again, and the Royals are in a pennant race thru early September.

Sach – The Angels sign Ben Sheets in July, and finally get out of the first round.

Joe D – Despite off-season improvements from the Yankees and Red Sox, the Rays win the AL East division.

Mikey J – Manny Parra, Milwaukee Brewers

Ryan – Alex Rios, Toronto Blue Jays

Paul – Russell Branyan, Seattle Mariners

Jessica – Texas Rangers

Matt – Kansas City Royals

Kelly – Nomar Garciaparra, Oakland A’s