Last night I came away with the same impression of David Wright as everyone else did. He looked done. He couldn’t catch up to the fastball. He couldn’t get anything on his throws. It’s just really hard to play baseball when you have a fork sticking out of your back – it’s worse when you have spinal stenosis.
With all that said, there are some reasons to have some patience here. Other than Curtis Granderson‘s fly ball out to start the game, no Met was able to hit the ball into the outfield against Edison Volquez. In fact, Volquez only allowed two hits over six innings. He was making all the Mets hitters not named Michael Conforto look bad. Keep in mind, Wright did show a good eye, and he was able to work out a walk. As for not hitting Wade Davis, who does? As a reliever, the man has a career 1.32 ERA in 287.0 innings. No, we should not have expected Wright to get hits off of these two pitchers last night.
As for Wright in the field, it was a mixed bag. What everyone is pointing to is his poor throws. His inability to get anything on those throws led to two base hits. However, what we are ignoring was Wright’s range. He got to Eric Hosmer‘s bunt when the shift was on. He got to ball Omar Infante hit down the third base line. Yes, a good throw (or even a slightly below average throw) would’ve gotten those runners. However, Wright got to two balls that required some range. That is a good sign.
Even with these facts brought to light, yes, Wright’s arm looked weak, and his bat looked slow. Fact is he may still need some more time to get ready.
Remember, Wright started preparing for the season later than he usually does. He didn’t play in a Spring Training game until March 18th, which is less than a month ago. He didn’t play in a full game until last Tuesday. He didn’t play multiple games in a row until last week. Couple that with his taking less batting practice and infield practice, and you have a player that may still need more time to get ready for the 2016 season.
And if you look back at the 2015 season, there is room for hope. Before Wright went on the disabled list, he was hitting .333/.371/.424. This was before he was diagnosed with spinal stenosis and learned how to address it. Keep in mind, he didn’t suddenly acquire spinal stenosis with one awkward slide. When Wright was diagnosed, and he returned from the disabled list, he hit .277/.381/.437. So no, Wright didn’t forget how to play baseball.
Furthermore, Wright has learned he has to listen to his body. He’s not going to push it. He’s going to play when he’s healthy enough to play. This should result in him being a better player on the days he does play.
Overall, he just needs to play more than one game before we begin to judge him. He may need a week or a month before he returns to the David Wright of old, or at least the David Wright of last year, who was a good ball player.
Wright’s earned the right for the fans to have a little patience with him before we say that he’s done, especially since no one can honestly say that after one game.
Watching the Mets lose the 2015 World Series was tough. There were a lot of what-if moments. The Mets lost three ninth inning leads. There was a lot to get you down.
However, there was one at bat from that entire series that made me smile. The funny thing was the at bat had no bearing on the outcome of any of the World Series games. It was the penultimate at bat of the World Series.
Michael Conforto stepped up to the plate against Wade Davis. The Mets were down 3-1 in the series. Davis has a career 0.84 career postseason ERA, and he had not allowed a run in the 2015 postseason. The Royals were leading 7-2 in the 12th inning. There were two outs, and Davis had two strikes against Conforto. There wasn’t going to be any rallies reminiscent of the 1986 World Series. It was over, and the only issue in doubt was who was going to become the answer to a trivia question for making the last out of the World Series.
It wasn’t going to be Comforto. He would hit an opposite field single. In a World Series where he hit two home runs in a game, I was most impressed with this at bat. It spoke to what he was as a player. He was never going to quit despite mounting odds. It showed how special he was going to be.
Unsurprisingly, Conforto picked up where he left off. On Opening Day, he went 2-2 with a double and two walks. On a day where the Mets hitters struggled, Conforto couldn’t make an out. It was yet another sign that he is a special player. There may be no limit to what he can accomplish. From an offensive standpoint, it’s hard not to compare him to another player who skipped AAA to star in the majors.
In 2003, Miguel Cabrera skipped AAA, and he was called up to the majors to play left field for the Florida Marlins. He was the missing piece for the eventual World Series champions. That year, he hit .268/.325/.468 with 12 homers and 62 RBI in 87 games. He had a 106 OPS+, 106 wRC+, and a 0.6 WAR. He notably hit a homerun off of Roger Clemens in the World Series.
Cabrera would go on to win a Triple Crown, two MVP Awards, and six Silver Slugger Awards. He’s a 10 time All Star. He’s a future Hall of Famer.
Last year, Conforto played in 56 games hitting .270/.335/.506 with 9 homers and 26 RBI. He had a 132 OPS+, 134 wRC+, and a 2.1 WAR. As discussed before, he hit two homeruns in a World Series game. When he hit the first homerun, he became the youngest player to homer in the World Series since Cabrera. Furthermore, he has shown himself to be a good left fielder with a strong, accurate arm. Overall, to this point in his brief career, he’s been better than Cabrera.
Also of note, Conforto is a winner wherever he goes. He’s the third player to appear in the Little League World Series, College World Series, and the World Series. He’s the only person to record an RBI in all three World Series. There is no stopping Michael Conforto.
Cabrera went on to become one of if not the best hitter in the sport. The scary part is Conforto was better than Cabrera was at this point in his career. Judging by the first game of the season, Conforto is not taking anything for granted. He’s going to do everything he can do to unlock his full potential. That could mean All Star games, Silver Sluggers, and possibly MVP awards. Hopefully, there will be at least one World Series title.
Right now, the sky is the limit for Conforto. We shouldn’t be surprised at what he accomplishes.
Editor’s Note: this was also published on metsmerizedonline.com
* picture from the Mets Twitter account
Aside from the fact that Curtis Granderson didn’t hit a homerun, Opening Day sure felt like a repeat of the 2015 World Series. As the late Yogi Berra would say, “It’s déjà vu, all over again.” We had the following:
- Yoenis Cespedes failing to make a routine play in the outfield leading to a run;
- A good Matt Harvey effort getting wasted;
- The Royals taking advantage of a poor Mets defense;
- Michael Conforto being really impressive; and
- The Mets losing.
For all the debating over the course of the offseason regarding Terry Collins leaving in Harvey, we got a taste of what Game 6 would’ve looked like. It wasn’t pretty. It really highlighted what the Royals did well, and the Mets did poorly.
The main difference between these teams is fundies (as Keith Hernandez puts it), defense, and a little bit of luck. Cespedes drops an easy out off the bat of Mike Moustakas, and he later scores on a single past Asdrubal Cabrera, who showed off his limited range at short on the play. Eric Hosmer‘s bunt stays fair while Juan Lagares‘ goes foul. Yes, it would lead to a run. Alex Gordon hits one off the end of the bat falling just out of the reach of Lagares to score a run. It was as frustrating as the World Series.
Since the Mets lost, let’s start with the bad. Mainly, it was David Wright. He couldn’t hit a fastball. He was 0-4 with a walk and two strikeouts. The last strikeout was in the ninth with the tying run on third. He made a couple of plays in the field, but he was able to get absolutely nothing on his throws. While it’s still early, and you don’t want to overreact to anything. However, with Wright’s back, I’m not sure it overreacting.
Also, the home plate umpire wax terrible. He was calling strikes in the area where Noah Syndergaard goes when he’s standing 60′ 6″ away, but over the plate was called a ball. Even worse than that was the ESPN brand new telecast. They delayed the start 40 minutes for an already late 8:00 start. They did inane segments like “The Mendoza Line” and Aaron Boone imitating batting stances. Even better, there were all-in on the Royals. When the Mets got something going in the 8th, they were being Royals-esque.
This is also Opening Day – a time when anything is possible. A time when we are supposed to be full of hope. There were definitely reasons for hope.
Harvey was good. The stat line wasn’t pretty with him allowing four runs (three earned) with eight hits, three walks, and only two strikeouts in 5.2 innings. However, his stuff looked good, and he really wasn’t helped by his fielders.
Conforto was 2-2 with a double and two walks. Last year was a fluke. He’s a much better player than he showed he was last year. Another good sign was the Mets offense that was asleep for almost all of Spring Training, woke up in the 8th and made it a game. The rally was highlighted by a Lucas Duda two run bases-loaded RBI single.
Sadly, the 8th inning rally fell short as the new double play combination make the outs killing the rally. In the ninth, we yet again saw Wade Davis and record the save, stranding the tying run on third, and locking down the 4-3 win. It was as frustrating a loss as you could’ve imagined. However, the Mets can build off of this. There was nothing you can point to tonight that would make you believe the Mets aren’t World Series contenders.
It’s time to dust themselves off. Continue to work on things during their off day, and go to the next ace in the fold in Game 2.
I haven’t been this excited for a Mets season since 2008. The Mets might’ve collapsed in 2007, but that was due to injuries and poor starting pitching. The Mets cured that by trading for Johan Santana.
It was also the last season at Shea Stadium. It was a year to re-live all the memories from my 25 years of going to Mets games there. As Sunday Plan ticket holders, my brother, father, and I were guaranteed the opportunity to be there for the last regular season game played at Shea. Not until Jerry Manuel summoned Scott Schoeneweis from the bullpen did I think it would be the last ever game played at Shea. It was a second collapse, and a brutal way to end the season.
Looking back on the 2008 season, I never really enjoyed it. Part of it was the hangover from 2007. Part of it was the slow start to the season. Part of it was the embarrassing way the Mets fired Willie Randolph. It was just a frustrating year.
Here’s the thing. The Mets won 89 games that year making them 16 games over .500. That means the Mets season was full of more good days than bad. When that happens, it’s a pretty good year. It’s a good year even if your team falls short of its World Series aspirations. It’s a shame in a year that the Mets won a lot of games, including Santana’s gem on the penultimate game of the season, is mostly known for misery.
Entering the 2016 season, the Mets are once again seen as World Series favorites. Unlike 2008, I’m going to try to enjoy each and ever minute of it.
No, it won’t be as fun as the second half of last year. That came out of nowhere. It’s always more fun the first time a group of players win. It’s more fun when you don’t see it coming. However, it doesn’t mean that a season in which your team is amongst the World Series favorites can’t be fun.
Overall, the Mets should win more games than they lose. That means there will be more good days than bad days. I hope to not take the losses as hard while taking more enjoyment in the wins.
So starting with Curtis Granderson digging into the batter’s box, I’m going to enjoy each and every moment. This season should be a special one. The Mets should be in the postseason, and as we saw last year, their pitching can carry them to the World Series.
Lets Go Mets!
Sometimes, you overthink things. Sometimes, you ignore what works and try to reinvent the wheel. In these instances, things rarely go as planned, and you wind up reverting back to the way things were.
Last year, Sean Gilmartin pitched extremely effectively as the long man in the Mets bullpen. He went 3-2 with a 2.67 ERA, 1.186 WHIP, 2.75 FIP, and a 139 ERA+. He pitched 57.1 innings in 50 appearances (one start). Last year, he justified the Mets taking him in the Rule 5 draft, and he showed the Mets why he should be in the Opening Day bullpen.
After Logan Verrett was returned to the Mets from the Texas Rangers (Verrett was also a Rule 5 pick), the Mets used him both out of the bullpen and as a starter. However, it was as spot starter where Verrett really shined. In his four starts, he went 1-1 with a 3.63 ERA and a 1.030 WHIP. His work allowed the Mets to manage Matt Harvey‘s innings so he could pitch unencumbered in the postseason. Verrett showed his ability as a spot starter and reliever thereby showing the Mets he belonged on the 2016 Opening Day roster.
Naturally, despite Gilmartin being a good long man and Verrett being a good spot starter, the Mets decided to flip their roles for 2016. Verrett is now the long man in the bullpen. Gilmartin will report to AAA where he will be a starting pitcher. When there is an injury or fatigue, he should be the first one called up from AAA to make a spot start. This seems like overthinking things. It probably would’ve been better to leave the two pitchers in roles in which they excelled.
Hopefully, the Mets aren’t revisiting this decision in a month or two. Hopefully, the Mets aren’t left realizing they should’ve left the players in their roles because they were very well suited for those roles. Hopefully, Gilmartin and Verrett build upon the strong seasons they had last year.
When Ruben Tejada was tendered a contract, I agreed with the move. When the Mets released him, I understood the move. He was taking up a spot on the 40 man roster, and there were important roster decisions to make. Now that Spring Training is over, and the roster is set, I don’t understand the Mets thought process.
Heading into the season, the Mets placed Zack Wheeler on the 60 day disabled list. This frees up a spot on the 40 man roster until such time as Wheeler is back and ready to play. This move coupled with Tejada’s release gave the Mets two open spots on the 40 man roster. With Jim Henderson making the team that leaves one open spot on the 40 man roster. That spot has gone unfulfilled.
The Mets could’ve used it to acquire a backup catcher. Rene Rivera, a strong defensive catcher, is a free agent. The Mets decided to bring back Johnny Monell on a minor league deal despite a tough 2015 season. Apparently, the Mets weren’t happy with their choices or with the choices available because they put Kevin Plawecki on the Opening Day roster. Rather than them using the last spot on the 40 man roster, the Mets decided to allow Plawecki reach Super Two status. They are gambling with hindering Plawecki’s development by not getting him regular playing time.
They are also relying on Wilmer Flores being the primary backup to all four infield positions. They are hoping Eric Campbell can be a good bench player like the front office has always imagined he could be. They are hoping that if he falters, or there is an injury, Matt Reynolds could fill-in. They are taking this risk despite Reynolds not having an obvious position to play in AAA with the presence of Dilson Herrera and Gavin Cecchini.
The Mets knew Tejada could adequately play second, third, and short. His presence could’ve allowed the Mets to let Flores get more time at first and third. For reasons now unknown, the Mets decided not to go this way. The Mets decided not to go with a bona fide major league caliber player to be a utility player even though Tejada arguably had the best year of his career when he started the year as a utility player in 2015.
Instead, the Mets let Tejada go to another National League team. If not for his recent injury, he would be helping the Cardinals try to win a World Series. There was a spot for him to do that with the Mets. Instead, the Mets have decided to let that last 40 man roster spot go to waste.
Upon reflection, the only reason it makes sense for the Mets to release Tejada and for them not to add another catcher is money. By cutting Tejada when they did, the Mets saved about $2.5 million.
The Mets are making cost cutting moves that harms the team’s depth despite tickets sales being much better than the Mets thought it would be. The Mets are paring down payroll despite the Mets slightly raising ticket prices.
Yes, the Mets went out and spent the money on Yoenis Cespedes. Yes, the payroll is more commensurate with what a contending team’s payroll should be. However, releasing Tejada is an unnecessary mickle and dime maneuver. He was depth. After last year’s rash of injuries, you would think the Mets wouldn’t take that lightly. He wasn’t taking anyone’s spot on the roster. In fact, they’re not even using all the spots available to them on the roster.
Hopefully, the Mets season doesn’t come down to a $2.5 million decision the team made in March.
No one anywhere will suggest that a team’s Spring Training record is indicative of anything. In fact, statistics and results shouldn’t be over analyzed. With that said, there are some results from Spring Training that can reasonably be cause for alarm.
deGrom’s Velocity
Last year, Jacob deGrom‘s fastball averaged 95.81 MPH. This Spring, deGrom’s fastball has generally been between 91 – 93 MPH.
There are reasons for this. He took additional time off in the offseason with last year’s increased workload. He dealt with a minor leg injury. He had to get a new mattress because the old one gave him a stiff back. His wife is expecting and may deliver any day now. Overall, there have been a series a distractions and very minor injuries. Through it all, he hasn’t found his fastball.
Now, deGrom can probably still get people out with less stuff, but it’s not ideal. With a slower fastball, he can still be good, but he won’t be dominant. He may find his fastball in real games whether it is due to velocity or him holding something back in Spring Training. However, as of today, he is throwing 91-93 MPH, and Spring Training is effectively over. It’s fair to be concerned about deGrom’s velocity.
Cespedes’ Power
When Yoenis Cespedes came to the Mets, he put on a display. Up until 2015, he averaged 24 homers a year. In two months with the Mets, he hit 17 home runs.
This Spring he has hit one homerun. He has been working with Kevin Long to change his approach at the plate. He’s had stiffness in his hip. In the NLCS, he had to pull himself from a game with an aggravated AC joint in his right shoulder. That same right shoulder has been bothering him this Spring.
Now, Cespedes is a streaky hitter who can start hitting home runs all over the place once the season begins. His one homerun came in the last Spring Training game, which is hopefully a sign of good things to come. However, at this point, we cannot dismiss the possibility that the decreased power is from this new approach, or his wonky right shoulder, or both.
Bastardo’s Control
With Antonio Bastardo, there are two issues you have with him: (1) he pitches well every other year; and (2) walks.
For starters, based upon the pattern of Bastardo’s career, he will have a rough 2016. In even numbered years, his ERA+ has been under 100 and his ERA has been 3.94 and above. In odd numbered years (where he played a full season) his ERA+ is 129 and above, and his ERA has been 2.98 and below. As we know, this is an even numbered year, and his Spring hasn’t instilled any confidence that the pattern will change.
One big reason why is Bastardo has walked 5 guys in 10.1 innings this Spring. Both Terry Collins and Dan Warthen are worried about his command. Warthen has been working with Bastardo on his mechanics to no avail. It’s a problem that needs to be fixed because Bastardo has walk issues. In his career, he averages 4.1 BB/9 (not good) in odd numbered years. In the dreaded even years, he averages 4.7 BB/9 (worse). Right now, Bastardo has given no indication this odd year – even year pattern won’t continue.
Conforto Hasn’t Played RF
Right now, the Mets have five outfielders capable of playing everyday. Of those five, Curtis Granderson, Alejandro De Aza, and Juan Lagares have platoon splits. Last year, Michael Conforto was only allowed to face righties the vast majority of the time.
The plan for Conforto this year was to let him play everyday. Having Conforto play everyday and not play in RF is going to be difficult. When the Mets face a lefty, especially a tough lefty, it’s likely Collins will want Lagares in CF and Cespedes in RF. That means the left-handed batter will have to play RF. In that circumstance, Collins will be more likely to play Granderson or De Aza as both have experience in right field.
For his part, Conforto hasn’t played right field in his very limited time as a professional. He’s worked there during practices in Spring Training, but he has not played right field in a game. There is simply no substitute for in-game experience. It’s likely the lack of game experience may hold him back. It’s likely Collins will not play Conforto in right.
By not playing Conforto against lefties, they may be hampering his development. Furthermore, the Mets may not be putting their best lineup out there against lefties.
David Wright’s Back
To be fair, when David Wright returned from the DL last year, he hit .277/.381/.437 in 30 games. If Wright can keep that up – he’s a career .298/.377/.492 hitter – there’s no reason to be concerned about him. Even better, he had a full offseason to adequately prepare for 2016.
However, Wright had trouble playing three games in a row after his return from spinal stenosis. It wasn’t until this week that Wright dared to play four games in a row in Spring Training. At the end of the day, no one knows how many games Wright can play in 2016. Everything is in estimate or a guess whether it be 130, 100, 81, 10, etc. That’s a problem.
Wright is the Mets’ captain. He’s the best option at third base. He’s still a good hitter who gets on base more than anyone else in the lineup. Whether the Mets or anyone else will acknowledge it, the team needs him. Unfortunately, no one knows how much Wright can give them.
Overall, there are things about this Spring that should give Mets fans cause for concern. The record isn’t one of them. It’s not the production. It’s the team’s general health and preparedness for the 2016 season.
Despite these issues, the Mets still look to be a great team that can not only compete for a playoff berth, but also win the World Series.
When you are the Captain of a team, you’re the designated leader of the team. As the leader, you are tasked with leading both in and out of the clubhouse. At least publicly, you need to have your teammates back.
Looking at his quotes from David Lennon’s Newsday article regarding Matt Harvey‘s media silence, David Wright doesn’t have his teammate’s back with the media:
“Ask Matt,” Wright replied trying to stifle a grin. “If he’s talking to you.”
We tried again a minute later. This time the question was about Harvey thriving on the controversy, maybe even performing better under these types of circumstances. Wright smiled.
“I am not Matt Harvey’s mouthpiece,” Wright said. “I imagine playing in the big leagues, getting a chance to pitch on Opening Day, should be motivation enough. So I expect him to go out there and pitch well.”
I’m not suggesting Wright was malicious here. What I am suggesting is it’s a bad moment for him. He’s grinning while talking about Harvey’s media boycott. He’s declaring he’s not Harvey’s mouthpiece.
You know what we didn’t see here? Quotes about how his teammate was treated unfairly. Maybe as a leader of the team, Wrighf could’ve not spoken to the media at all. Maybe he could’ve had his teammate’s back after the way the media treated Harvey. Sometimes being a Captain is about biting your tongue. Wright should’ve gone to Keith Hernandez for some advice on how to handle the situation.
Back in 1989, the beginning of the end of the Mets terrific run, Darryl Strawberry tried to start not one, but two fights with Hernandez at picture day. At the time Strawberry was upset with Hernadez because he did not support Strawberry’s threats to walk out in the team over a contract dispute. Hernandez supported Strawberry’s request for a new contract, but he also advised that it was a mistake for Strawberry to threaten the front office.
These quotes, the fact that Strawberry was seated next to Hernandez, and probably some of Strawberry’s other demons came to a head. Despite the media being there, Strawberry tried to fight him twice.
After the altercations, the media finally caught up with Hernandez. What did the twice attacked Keith Hernandez have to say about the incident? He simply stated, “It was unfortunate, but we will be fine.” Strawberry was unhinged and tried to attack him twice, and Hernadez simply swept it under the rug.
You couldn’t blame Hernandez if he went off on Strawberry there, but he didn’t. He did what a Captain does. He didn’t make it a bigger deal. At least publicly, he gave no indication of any prior or lingering problems. He at least tried to make things easier for his teammate. It’s what Wright should have done.
There was no one forcing Wright to talk to the media. No one was forcing him to say he wasn’t Harvey’s mouthpiece. These were Wright’s choices. With these choices, he was quoted in an article about how Harvey needs to talk to the media, about how he’s going to make things harder for his teammates. Whether intentional or not, whether or not it was malicious, Wright came off as the good guy, and Harvey came off as small and petty. Wright looked like the good teammate while Harvey looked like the bad teammate.
A Captain has to know better. Furthermore, Wright has been in New York for 12 years. He has to know better. With his responses, he gave the media yet another story about Harvey.
Wright has been a terrific Met. He’s been great with the media and fans. He wasn’t a good Captain or teammate yesterday. Hopefully, he will get better because his teammates need a Captain who will stand up to a tough New York media, not feed it with more stories about his teammate.
It’s a process that began with Game 5 of the World Series.
In that game, I saw Terry Collins turn to noted steroid cheat, Bartolo Colon, when the Mets were down in extra innings. The Mets went to him even after he blew Game 1 of the World Series. Why turn to a younger, fresher, and overall better arm like Hansel Robles? No we go to Colon, who blew it again.
I processed the emotions of that loss, and I moved on. Then the Mets bring back Collins, the very same man who managed a horrendous World Series. They brought back Colon because, well, there was no good reason for that. Also, because Sandy Alderson is trying to replicate his late 80’s Oakland Athletics teams (i.e. steroid users), he added Antonio Bastardo to the bullpen mix. That was also after the Mets offered Jenrry Mejia a contract – if you’re not cheating, you’re not trying.
While the Mets made sure to keep their steroid cheats, they got rid of Daniel Murphy, who single-handedly carried the Mets this offseason. I guess if Murphy started a steroids cycle and hit 30 home runs last year, the Mets would’ve given him a legitimate contract.
Think about it. The Mets threw away Murphy, who led them to the World Series, and they kept Lucas Duda, who literally threw away the Mets chances of winning a World Series. If the Mets were really serious about winning, they would keep the players that helped them win, and they would’ve gotten rid of the streaky players that did nothing to help them win anything.
Furthermore, during the offseason, we had to see Matt Harvey flaunt his bedroom prowess on Bravo. We saw Noah Syndergaard take a victory lap at every New York stadium and arena after the Mets lost. He probably should’ve spent that time learning how not to lose a World Series or needlessly throw at batter’s heads.
Even better, the Mets released Ruben Tejada for no reason at all. Tejada was an integral part of this Mets team. It was his injury that galvanized the Mets. Even with a cane, he was able to help the Mets win the pennant. When the Mets released him, they not only got rid of their leader, they had no legitimate backup plan. Eric Campbell has no business being a baseball player, and Matt Reynolds is a complete bust. Seriously, just remember it was Omar Minaya’s players, not Sandy Alderson’s that won the pennant.
I got past all of that and more. However, this Spring Training was the final straw. This Mets team has gone 13 straight games without a win. It’s clear from all of this Spring Training, they’re not taking getting ready for the season seriously.
Well, if this team can’t take winning seriously, I can’t root for this team anymore. I still can’t root for another NL team, and I’ll never root for the Yankees. I’ll be honest. It’s hard to pick another team to root for. I’ve been a Mets fan all my life, and the vast majority of my family (including my Dad and brother) are Mets fans.
Right now, I’m leaning towards the White Sox. Their coaching staff is full of great former Mets like Robin Ventura, Joe McEwing, and Daryl Boston. They’re taking getting ready for this season seriously. They actually addressed their needs in the offseason, and they let Adam LaRoche know they will not let his son be a distraction.
I wish Mets fans the best of luck. It’s been 30 years since the last World Series. I’d like to tell you to hang in there; that’ll happen soon. However, I’ve seen two collapses, Carlos Beltran not swinging, and Mike Piazza fly out to deep center. I know it’ll never happen in my lifetime, especially not with this offseason.
Best of luck to you Mets fans. Go ChiSox!
Now that we know Matt Harvey is healthy, he’s about to become the 25th pitcher in Mets history to start on Opening Day. Can you name the other 24? Good luck!