The 2010 season opener is just 6 days away for the Mets. In 6 days the Mets will stop playing Spring Training games and play games that really matter. This Spring hasn’t been a great one. Carlos Beltran didn’t make it to the field, Jose Reyes was sidelined for 3 weeks, and there’s still questions going into the season that have most Met fans worried about 2010 before it even starts. I know the numbers aren’t great but it’s only Spring Training.
I’m not a fan of people saying “it’s only April” because as we have seen in 2007 and 2008 every game you play in a 162 game season matters. I also do not believe a poor Spring means that a team will have a poor regular season. Spring Training is designed to get guys back in game shape and ready for the regular season.
This Spring has not been all that what we had hoped for. The starting rotation has not pitched well. Pelfrey, Maine and Ollie are going to be vital parts of our rotation, but have not showed any real progress so far this Spring. The ledge is getting crowded, but their Spring performances are not reasons to jump off that ledge yet. The games do not count, the numbers they put up in Spring Training will be erased next week and they will all have a clean slate to start the season. I understand Pelfrey has given up 7 homeruns, a few that may or may not have been helped by the wind, but none of that will matter after April 4th. Ollie has shown that he’s back to good/bad Ollie. Maine has thrown a lot of pitches by the fourth inning, which is typical of him. Of course Santana has struggled, but he’s a guy that once the season starts you know he will be typical Johan.
Daniel Murphy has failed to impress or do anything at the plate. Ike Davis on the other hand impressed everyone with his performance. Once again keep in mind it’s only Spring Training. I’m not a Murphy defender, I think he’s overrated by the Mets, the media and the fans but he’s better than what his numbers indicate this Spring. I know a lot of people wanted Davis to start the season with the Mets, but lets be real here… he needs more time in the minors. Just because he had a handful of good at-bats, it’s not a guarantee of success in the regular season. The worst thing that could have happened was Davis making the team based on a dozen games only to struggle in the majors ala Nick Evans and get shipped back to the minors. Let him go dominate AAA pitching, he’ll have more confidence when he finally does come up and it will serve Davis and the Mets better.
I know that when you look at the numbers the Mets have put up this Spring, it’s like a kick in the stomach. We all wanted them to have a great Spring that would carry into the regular season, but remember It’s Only March, real baseball starts in April!
