In this latest MMO Roundtable, I asked our writers to tell me which new Mets player would be most critical to the team’s success in 2014.
Gerry – The new Met that will prove most critical to the team’s 2014 success will likely be Granderson. Marlon Byrd‘s emergence as an offensive force behind David Wright gave the lineup whatever semblance it had of providing a consistent threat last year, and Grandy is due for a bounce back after his injury plagued 2013. I just hope they can get some people on base ahead of him.
Xtreem – Granderson. The Mets have the pitching. Colon doesn’t really need to be an ace so long he’s at least solid. It would be nice, but I digress. Granderson needs to regain his form and form a real dangerous 1-2 punch with Wright. They need to score runs.
Stephanie – Granderson has the weight of the world on his shoulders. Being that this is the first year in his deal, it is crucial that he does not come out of the gate slow. David Wright finally has worthy protection in the lineup and he cannot afford for Granderson to slack, especially if he has a season like last year. Grandy has the potential to have a career year in terms of doubles and triples; his home run count will presumably go down as these go up. Not just on the offensive side, but his position in the outfield is important for obvious reasons: the outfield is the Mets’ weak point, especially the corner spots. With Byrd gone and all other corner outfield options essentially being bench players, Grandy has huge shoes to fill.
Peter A. – In my opinion, Chris Young. If he can return to his 2010 form or something remotely close, it would be a huge boost to this offense and give them a formidable 3-4-5 combo in Wright, Granderson, and Young. It’s not out of the question as he’s just 30 years old. He worked with Rod Carew over the winter in order to become a more complete/consistent hitter and claims to thrive under the spotlight. Maybe he just needs a change of scenery. Maybe not. We’ll just have to see. One thing is for sure though, he has looked mighty good this spring.
Roger – I think the most critical new addition is Curtis Granderson. We still have a bad taste in our collective mouths from the Jason Bay signing and we need a big signing to actually perform like a big signing. Grandy offers protection to David Wright and a big threat that can hit one out, even in Citi Field. Yes, he will strike out a ton, but even when he’s hitting .240 and striking out, he’s not going to walk back to the dugout with that hound dog look on his face that tells the opposition that they’re in his head. He also has a winning pedigree that can hopefully rub off on the rest of the squad.
Andrew D. – Curtis Granderson. The range of possible outcomes is extra wide for him. He could hit 40 homers, or he could hit 15. He could hit .260, or he could hit .210. He could continue playing nimble defense, or he could turn into an aging, slow liability. He could return to his traditionally healthy and dependable ways and prove those two HBP last year were a fluke, or he could get hurt again. And unlike our other big acquisition – Bartolo Colon – we have no other options to replace him if he gets hurt or sucks. The last power hitting outfield acquisition the Mets tried to acquire through free agency didn’t go so well, so hopefully Granderson can buck the trend and carry an otherwise uninspiring Mets lineup this year.
Dylan – Curtis Granderson will be most vital for not only Met success this season, but in the coming seasons. He will be the Carlos Delgado to Wright’s Carlos Beltran. He will provide what the Mets have longed for in a pure cleanup hitter. With 30+ homers from Granderson this season, who knows where the Mets will wind up.
David – Curtis Granderson – he is coming from an organization that puts everything into winning and has proven that, so with what he experienced in the Bronx, that sort of leadership will be key and will tremendously help Wright not only in the clubhouse but also on the field. If, and I am very optimistic that he will, but if he puts up good numbers and gives Wright the protection he needs in the line up, Wright can will finally have a year that he can focus on not doing it all by himself.
Dexx – I actually think Chris Young is the most crucial to the Mets success in 2014. If he repeats his 2010 or 2011 season, then we have the steal of the free agent class, and a well above average OF with the glove that can hit in the middle of the lineup, and steal 20+ bases. If he is the Chris Young of 2013, and most of 2012, then we have a 4th OF that we wasted $8 million on.
Corey – Curtis Granderson. Grandy brings a legitimate presence to the Mets lineup and clubhouse that will be extremely valuable over 160 games this season. Equally important to his production will be the impact that he provides batting after David Wright. Granderson is the first legitimate threat behind Wright since Carlos Delgado and should help Wright get back into the MVP discussion.
This was pretty much what I expected as all one needs do is to simply follow the money. The Mets are banking a lot of money on Granderson and they’ll need to see him hit the ground running.
Kevin Kernan of the NY Post recently wrote that in a spring training where much has gone wrong for the Mets, Granderson has done everything right and that he has been one of the biggest positives of the spring.
“With the Yankees, Granderson was another cog in the machine. With the Mets, he’s out front, leading the way. None of this is an act — Granderson truly believes. David Wright is not alone anymore as a positive force.”
This is one of the things the Mets needed from Granderson in addition to his potent bat. I’ve been impressed with his demeanor and the way he handles himself not only on the field, but also with the media which is just as important when you play in New York.
I’m looking forward to a big season from Curtis Granderson – and in fact 2-3 of them.
