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.
