I think it’s safe to say we are all excited to say goodbye to 2020. With 2021 finally here, we thought it would be fun to give New Year’s Resolutions to some of our favorite Mets.
What resolutions would you give?
Noah Syndergaard – Return to the rotation by June and be ready to help anchor the rotation into the playoffs. The Mets’ 2021 postseason hopes probably rely on him performing at a high level.
James McCann – Maintain his framing numbers. I believe the numbers are legit and he can be a good defensive catcher.
Steven Matz – Forget about everything that happened in 2020.
Matz looked like he had turned a corner in 2019, only to produce the worst season of his career a year later. But due to the circumstances of the shortened season, with no real spring training, Matz need not overreact to his down year. Instead working with new catcher James McCann (who he already has a relationship with), Matz should look at what made him successful in the second half of 2019 and try to build off that.
Pete Alonso – Be a more complete hitter.
He was on a 41 home run pace in 2020, which would’ve been acceptable had he not regressed elsewhere. Taking into account the small sample size of last season, Alonso’s batting average went down 29 points, his on-base percentage lowered by 32 points, and his OPS sunk from .941 to .817. Pete certainly doesn’t need to replicate the 53-homer performance of his rookie campaign, especially if he’s surrounded by capable hitters in the batting order. In fact, a more balanced stat line will make him even more valuable in 2021 than he was in 2019.
J.D. Davis – Commit to becoming a quality defensive third baseman to solidify a long-term place among this Mets core.
Third base is still a major question mark headed into 2021 and with the emergence of Dominic Smith the last two seasons, Davis’ defensive inconsistencies could make him expendable as a trade chip to upgrade at the hot corner or other positions. JD does possess a talented bat with tremendous upside, so hopefully he can put in the work to take the next step and shine on both sides of the diamond in 2021 and beyond.
While he wasn’t bad by any means in the shortened 2020 season, he certainly left something to be desired and was a far cry from his star rookie campaign. Especially with a full season to work with, I believe he will rise back to star levels of production. Even if he doesn’t quite reach the heights of his magical rookie season, I think he’s going to be one of the better offensive first basemen in the league.
Edwin Diaz – Build off of his 2020 season and return to being the reliever he can be and has been in his past as a Mariner.
Despite blowing 4 saves, this last season was a still lot better than his 2019 one. Of course the sample size was much smaller, but a decrease in ERA of nearly 4 is a vast improvement. Even if he doesn’t return to his elite form we saw in 2018, it would be a huge boost of confidence for him and fans alike if he can continue his success we saw in 2020.
Michael Conforto – Continue his progression and become a legitimate, perennial all star.
He is close now. He is adding more consistency at the plate, and playing solid defense. If he can further his progress against LHP, and avoid the ups and downs that characterized his early years, the Mets will have a home-grown, elite player on their hands. Then, of course, they have to lock him up long-term. That’s more of a resolution for Sandy Anderson and Steve Cohen. Conforto, I think, recognizes all NY has to offer star athletes, and it seems as though his preference is to stay. Let’s hope so.
Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
So, I’m going to stretch the rules a bit and not pick one player, my 2021 New Year’s Resolution for the Mets is better defense.
Let’s finally care about defense, something that has been a struggle for quite a few years at this point.
Sign Springer – a solid defender in center – and push Nimmo to left (where he’s good), that’s a big plus. If McCann keeps building on his D behind the plate that will be a huge boost over Ramos.
There’s other moves like signing Jackie Bradley Jr. for center (if they missed out on Springer) or Kolten Wong for second base that would significantly help the defense.
The biggest point is regardless of the specific players they sign, they need to focus on improving the defense as a whole.
Pete Alonso – Remember that hindsight is 20/20.
This past season wasn’t the follow-up most had in mind, but control what can be controlled – building up a solid glove, working with a different approach at the plate – so that 2021 can be another one to remember.
Luis Rojas – Continue to adapt, continue to gain confidence, and continue to grow into the position.
He earned this job doing things his way. Keep it up. Good things will happen.
Marcus Stroman – Perfect the newest pitches that he’s adding to his arsenal.
Stroman’s pitch mix changes from year-to-year and this year should be no different as he adds a new four-seamer and split-change. If he can perfect those new pitches, he can really keep batters guessing in 2021.
My New Year’s resolution may not even qualify for this piece. I just want the pandemic to end so we as a family can go to Citi Field and hug one another for a good while. We all some degree of cabin fever and let’s all hope it’s cured soon. And what better way to cure it than a healthy dose of Mets baseball IN PERSON!
Noah Syndergaard – Come back and become Thor.
It was a tossup between Syndergaard and Conforto for me, but I went with Syndergaard as coming back from TJ surgery isn’t always a walk in the park as we all know. His arm is needed in the rotation, and if he’s back to being Thor, that will definitely push the Mets closer to the playoff run we’re all waiting for.
