I’ve watched Mets baseball games since 1962. Before every season has started there have been questions about the team that the upcoming season would have to answer.
However, in thinking about the 2015 team I am stunned by how many questions I have about this team – the one that promises to make a “playoff run”.
Let’s run through them and you’ll see that they are numerous.
Catcher – Is Travis d’Arnaud really the guy who came back revitalized from Las Vegas last year or is he just an average hitting catcher who only rarely can throw out a base stealer? Will Kevin Plawecki surface this year as a major league catcher and will it be as a Met? Is Johnny Monell a name we’ll become familiar with or just minor league fodder?
First Base – Will Lucas Duda continue to flash the big time power he did in 2014? Can he solve lefthanded pitching or will he have to be platooned? And if platooned is his partner named Michael Cuddyer or is it John Mayberry, Jr.? Might the manager ever realize that just because Duda qualifies as the clean-up batter vs righties that he fits better as the #6 or #7 hitter vs lefties?
Second Base – While Daniel Murphy‘s bat is not in question, his glove and Met future are questions. Will he be a Met all year or be jetissoned around the trade deadline to open up the position for Dilson Herrera or Matt Reynolds? Might a David Wright injury turn Murph into a part-time third baseman again? Can Kevin Long help Murphy hit HRs in the double digits vicinity this year?
Shortstop – Any Mets fan who can’t think of questions at this position just isn’t trying. Will Wilmer Flores hit enough to justify sub par range at this critical position? It’s worked for Jhonny Peralta but most teams think it best to think defense first at this position. Will Manager Collins’ affection for Ruben Tejada give the player more starts at SS than his bat will justify? Will the GM finally find a SS solution from outside of the organization?
Third Base – Is David Wright going to be David Right this year? Will the shorter right-center field fence at Citi be useful in increasing his homerun production? Will he remain healthy all season (OK, fair enough – that’s a question for everyone, not just David)?
Right Field – Why is Curtis Granderson still penciled in at this position? With his throwing arm which can best be described as noodle-ish shouldn’t he be manning LF so that every ball scooting through the Duda/Murphy hole doesn’t result in a runner from first cruising to third? Cuddyer, while range deficient, has demonstrated a much better arm over the years. Should he not be given the RF gig? And is Curtis a better fit at the top of the lineup or should his 20 HR bat be utilized in the 4-5-or-6 hole?
Center Field – While no one can ever question Juan Lagares‘ fielding props the question with him is whether he really can be an effective leadoff batter. His OBP last year was .321 which would be low for a leadoff batter and all the projections I have looked at show his OBP decreasing. Will Terry be fooled by Juan’s improving ability to steal bases and put him at the top of the order just for that reason?
Left Field – The questions here concern Cuddyer’s age, health, and lack of range. How early in each game can Collins go to Captain Kirk for defensive purposes? How many games will Cuddyer play? Can he avoid being a free agent hitting bust like so many before him have been in Flushing?
Starting Pitching – Is Harvey going to be Harvey for the full 2015 season? Yes we all hope so. How much will the loss of Zack Wheeler hurt the club? Will baseball finally figure out Bartolo Colon or can he pull off his Houdini act for still another season? Projection systems (yes, I am a sucker for them) see regression coming for Jacob deGrom. Will he still be real good anyway? Will Jon Niese hold up for another season? It’s hard to predict which pitchers will go down with an arm injury but personally I worry a bit more about this southpaw than about the others. Who will get the lion’s share of the lost Wheeler starts: Gee, Montero, Syndergaard, Matz?
Bullpen – What, if anything, will GM Sandy Alderson acquire as a LH’d reliever? Who’s going to end up the closer? How good might Bobby Parnell be coming back from his year off? How many games will Collins not use Carlos Torres?
Manager – Is Terry Collins this team’s manager at the All Star break? If yes, is he back in 2016?
