It was great to see Bay and Wright homer last night, but with the hopes that those home runs get these guys going, there is still no doubt that Jose Reyes, Ike Davis and Carlos Beltran have been by far the best hitters on the team so far this season. Ike Davis is becoming a player teams game plan for, which is a great sign, as he is a huge part of the future. But, Reyes and Beltran are in contract years, and with their great hitting, they continue to raise their trade value by the day.
With that said, if Beltran and Reyes are not going to be here next year, what does that say for the future of this lineup? David Wright and Jason Bay, unless they get traded, will be here with Ike to supply the power and run production in the middle of the Mets lineup next year and beyond. It’s time for them to earn their money, and earn the important spots that they have been awarded in the batting order.
David Wright has not been the same player since he got hit in the head by Matt Cain a few years back, and since he entered the home run derby. I know he has not had great protection in recent years, but he has a big loopy swing now that he did not have 3 years ago. Even last season when his power numbers returned, he still struck out a career high 161 times, and his average dipped below .300 for the first time since his rookie season, as he batted .283. 161 Strikeouts for a 29 homer guy is just way to much.
Jason Bay, oh where oh where has Jason Bay gone? $18 Million a year for 8 home runs in 113 games as a Met, is as Boomer Esiason likes to say “just mind numbing to me”. This is a guy who has hit 193 career home runs, has four 30 homer seasons, and seven 20+ homer seasons. He did it in a small market in Pittsburgh, and then went to Boston, and replaced a living legend in Manny Ramirez. In his time with Boston, which spanned 200 games, Jason hit 45 home runs!!! So let’s compare, In 113 games as a Met he has hit 8 home runs, and in 200 games for Boston he hit 45. So who is playing left field for the Mets and wearing number 44, because is sure as heck is not Jason Bay!
The rest of the lineup needs to contribute more than they have to this point. This team has been winning lately as they are 13-7 in their last 20 games. But, the starting pitching has been better, and the bullpen has had a complete turn around since they weeded out some of the bad apples early on. Reyes, Beltran and Davis have carried this offense for the most part, and they need some help, especially with Ike on the DL now. The home runs last night by Bay and Wright were good signs, hopefully of things to come. It’s time for these guys to go on a hot streak, because being only 2 games under .500, this team is back in striking distance to make this summer interesting.
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