The Mets are ready to bring home the brass ring. Everything I’ve seen this spring tells me all I need to know about how dominating the Mets will be in 2008. With 19 Spring Training wins already in the books, it shows that the Mets are ready to move on and get this party started already.
I know there are so many of you who put no stock in Spring Training records and stats, but that’s hogwash. It all counts and it all means something. I bet if the Mets spring record was 7 – 24, and Johan and Pedro had ERA’s that were hovering around 7.00, most of you would have been dangling off of your ledges already.
Of course Spring Training stats mean something. It’s the basis for every single decision the manager makes before starting the regular season. It’s the deciding factor between heading up north or getting sloshed at Bourbon Street. It’s the only thing the general manager relies on before deciding to make a last minute trade or going with what he’s got. It’s the only way a pitcher can determine if his new pitch (or delivery) is working or not. It also means something to the team psychologically when you go into the new season coming off of a fantastic spring rather than a dismal spring you would much rather forget. You can all tell yourselves that Spring Training means nothing, but those in the know and those who make all the decisions will tell you otherwise.
Go ask Olmedo Saenz if his .199 spring batting average had anything to do with being waived. Then go ask Angel Pagan if his .350 average had anything to do with his getting the Opening Day left fielders job. While your buddying it up with Saenz, you might want to ask Ruben Gotay, Michel Abreu, and others if their sub-par performances had any correlation with why they’re pigging out on gumbo and jambalaya instead of sipping Pina Coladas and feasting on jumbo prawns with Brady Clark and Matt Wise in Port St. Lucie.
So the next time someone tells you that Spring Training records and stats mean absolutely nothing, make sure you set them straight.
