We are living in a turbulent moment in history with a country that is indignantly divided at times and tearing at each other’s throats. Sadly, that’s probably the one thing all of us can unanimously agree on these days. Writing about the the New York Mets has become my retreat from the acrimonious barrage of negativity that engulfs us day by day. It has become my place of solace and assuagement from an unpredictable and raging hot future.
It may be two and half minutes to doomsday out there, but here at Metsmerized the grass is always green, the sun is always shining, the leather is popping, the bats are cracking, and as the great Ernie Banks would say, “Let’s play two.”
In just 12 days, pitchers and catchers will report to Port St. Lucie and what a sight for sore eyes that will be. Some will say that this offseason flew by, but not me. I thought it was agonizingly long and if I had to read or write one more article about Jay Bruce or Michael Conforto I swear I was going to gouge my eyes out.
When Russian composer Igor Stravinsky first wrote about the Rites of Spring, he opined about the crisp mountain air, the blooming of the lilies, and the annual ritual of sacrificing the life of a young virgin girl at the village square. Here at MMO, our Rites of Spring are a bit more subdued. Here are three things to look for at Mets camp this year:
1. The Starting Five – Everyone is holding their breath and hoping that Steven Matz, Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom and Zack Wheeler will make it across the finish line with no setbacks as each one is coming back from one type of surgery or another. Sandy Alderson also announced during the Winter Meetings that while Noah Syndergaard had a bone spur in his throwing elbow, team doctors made the decision to allow him to pitch through it in 2017. What are the odds all five start the season on time? Will the Mets return to innings limits this season? How many of them will make 30 starts this season? What about a six man rotation? Will they be able to pitch in the postseason? Lots of questions.
2. What’s The Catch – The Mets are committed to starting the season with Travis d’Arnaud as their starting catcher with Rene Rivera returning to reprise his role as Syndergaard’s personal catcher. That said, team brass will be monitoring d’Arnaud very closely in camp and new coach Glenn Sherlock will provide daily feedback as TDA’s hold on a job is very tenuous at best. It would behoove him to hit the ground running when Grapefruit League play begins. Also, I get the feeling that Kevin Plawecki has become that obscure relative you never hear about that you see every few years at a funeral. “Oh Kevin, my goodness, it’s been years, how’s the wife and kids…”
3. Outfield, What Outfield – Remember a short time ago when we had no outfielders, prompting Sandy Alderson to make his famous quip? Boy, how times have changed. The Mets arguably now have five starting outfielders to fill three spots in Yoenis Cespedes, Jay Bruce, Curtis Granderson, Michael Conforto and Juan Lagares. Under normal circumstances a team would simply let Bruce and Conforto battle it out and may the best man win. But this battle has already been fought in the boardroom and Bruce will be your everyday right fielder – in name only – as he’s the worst defensive right fielder in the Milky Way. Conforto, in the meantime, will likely post a 1.120 OPS in Las Vegas and make our mouths salivate on a day to day basis until somebody gets hurt, gets traded or gets released.
There are a few other things to watch for in camp this Spring but I’m gonna hold off writing about them until we get a little more clarity on them as the offseason technically continues. Namely, who will be the 7th inning reliever, who sets up if Addison Reed is forced into the closer’s role, and who gets that final bench spot.
