A gut-wrenching loss in the Wild Card game is not how we all envisioned the Mets’ season ending. The reality is they ran into one of the best postseason pitchers in baseball history and couldn’t find a way to scratch out a run. But that doesn’t mean there shouldn’t be hope for the Mets in 2017.
The number one reason I’m hopeful for the 2017 season is the guy who was on the mound on Wednesday night – Mets ace Noah Syndergaard. In his first full season, he became one of the best pitchers in Major League Baseball (tied for 1st with 6.5 fWAR) and he continued his strong postseason performance againstthe Giants.
Syndergaard wasn’t the only bright spot on the team’s banged up pitching staff as Bartolo Colon had his best season as a Met and I see little reason why he won’t be brought back for another year.
How about two rookies in Robert Gsellman and Seth Lugo that stepped up to pitch well and helped the Mets get to the postseason? They’ve both shown they can add solid depth for a pitching staff that could need it again.
The Mets have one of the best late game duos in the game with Addison Reed and Jeurys Familia, in what was overall a good bullpen in 2016. Reed became one of the more dominant setup man in baseball (Mets single season record 1.97 FIP) while Familia broke the team’s saves record.
Josh Smoker also stepped up to get some key outs and should be ready to take on a bigger role in 2017. It will be interesting to see if the Mets bring back Jerry Blevins and Fernando Salas who were both key cogs this season.
I will admit that I was skeptical of how much Jose Reyes had left in the tank but the fact is he helped stabilize third base after David Wright had surgery. He gives the Mets depth on the left side of the infield despite needing some work defensively at third. He also gives what the Mets have really been missing for quite awhile, a good leadoff option.
Asdrubal Cabrera was another guy that exceeded my own and most Mets fans expectations, especially in the last month-plus of the season when he was impossible to get out. He proved to be a perfect candidate to bat behind Reyes and gave the Mets a sure-handed shortstop which they have lacked the last few seasons.
Curtis Granderson was left for dead by most in early August before turning it on to have an OPS over 1.000 in the final month of the season. He was also dispatched to play center field where he looked better than expected, and could give the Mets flexibility next season.
It was beginning to feel like T.J. Rivera would never get the chance he deserved with the Mets, but he didn’t disappoint when he finally did. His surprising season (.821 OPS) gives the Mets yet another infield option that lengthens the bench which has been an issue at times the last two years. Combined with Gavin Cecchini, Rivera gives them a solid backup option if Neil Walker doesn’t return.
The suddenly strong infield depth also includes Wilmer Flores who will be coming off a strong season which saw him best the previous season’s OPS for the third straight year. He continues to mash left-handed pitching while proving he can play an adequate first base.
First base was a weak spot (James Loney is not an everyday player) for the Mets in 2016 after Lucas Duda went down with his back injury. Shockingly he was able to return at the end of the season which seems to bode well for him being tendered a contract and returning to the 2015 version that was a huge part of the Mets offense. That’s the hope.
I still hold out hope that the Michael Conforto of 2015 will rear his head next year after posting an .817 OPS while going the other way with more frequency in the last month of the season.
Pitchers get hurt, that’s the unfortunate reality and the Mets felt that big time in the second half of the season with their rotation. The good news is that Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom and Steven Matz all had successful surgeries so they should all be ready to give the Mets the dominating rotation they got a glimpse of this year.
Of course there are question marks surrounding this offseason. Will Yoenis Cespedes be back? How will the Neil Walker situation play out? Was Travis d’Arnaud battling a labrum issue all season? Will Zack Wheeler ever be healthy enough to pitch? Can David Wright come back healthy enough to contribute?
Over last two seasons the Mets have shown that even when facing great adversity they could be a playoff contender. Next year the Mets should find themselves again in position to fight for a playoff spot and I’m confident we could be looking at the first team in franchise history to make the postseason in three straight seasons.
