In this part of my series analyzing the Mets season, I focus on defense and the bench, which will both be very important aspects of a Mets team reliant on pitching.

I had countless discussions with Brodie Van Wagenen in the offseason and there were two words that were present in every discussion: Depth and athleticism; and those two concepts were big parts of his offseason game plan.

When you possess the pitching that this Met team has defense can really be a big factor up the middle and this team is far better in that portion of the field than they were a year ago. This double play combination of Robinson Cano and Amed Rosario has a real chance of being a dynamic duo that could both short circuit innings and get pitchers out of tough spots while conserving pitch counts so starters could go longer in games.

Center field could be a game saving position as this team possesses not one, but two Gold Glove caliber options in Juan Lagares and Keon Broxton. This also leaves Michael Conforto and Brandon Nimmo in corner outfield positions which utilize their skills in the best fashion.

John Flanigan/MMO

But the biggest improvement may be behind the plate as Wilson Ramos has worked tirelessly all spring with each pitcher with one thing in mind-curtailing the running game. Look for the Mets to use the pitchout far more than they did in 2018 while the accurate arm of Ramos will give the Met pitchers a fighting chance to limit the running game of the opposition which was a huge problem in 2018.

Depth will also play a big role for this team as players like Jeff McNeil, J.D. Davis, Dominic Smith, Pete Alonso, and the combo of Jed Lowrie and Todd Frazier once healthy will give Mickey Callaway plenty of options in both constructing a starting lineup and affording him late game options off the bench that can turn a loss into win.

This Mets bench will be the strongest and deepest they’ve had in years and what makes it such a weapon is so many of the players sitting on the bench can play multiple positions. They also can be inserted in the everyday lineup for prolonged periods of time should injuries decimate the roster which seems to happen to the Mets every season.

Depth, athleticism, and improved defense are three factors that will clearly help this team night in and night out making their pitching even stronger.

The experts are really underestimating how good this Mets defense will be as I firmly believe center field, shortstop, and second base can all be Gold Glove positions for this team that will win the NL East.

Next part of my series is Mets predictions both individually and team wise.