METS SEASON PREVIEW: Is the Magic Back?

​In the spring of 1980, The Mets brass and Marketing people came up with this slogan, "The Magic is back." It was cheesy and a few years to early. The Mets were horrible for the next few years, finally turning the corner in 1985 and breaking through for the magical 1986 season. Now that the history lesson is done, it begs to ask the question this question, “Is the Magic Back?”

​After the Metropolitans sixth straight losing season where they went 79-83, we wonder what’s in store. This has been the year that we have been waiting so long for. This year is the year, Mets fans, are supposed to be expecting improvement. The cold winter has past and the spring is starting and that means baseball is back!

​The Mets went into the season with major holes. They needed a corner outfielder with some pop, a SS to who can field and produce in the lineup, and to sure up the bench and bullpen. They made waves or at least a splash early in the offseason when they signed veteran outfielder Michael Cuddyer to a two year 21 million dollar deal. They 35 year old outfielder won the Batting Title two seasons previous to this year. He is also coming off a season where he only played in 49 games. He will definitely bring improvement to an outfield that struggled to hit for much power at all. He will also play in games at first base against lefties on days the Mets want to give Lucas Duda a day off. Cuddyer is coming off a strong spring where he hit 6 home runs, hopefully this is an indication that his bat will help this stagnant offense.

Photo Credit: Brad Barr-USA TODAY Sports

The Mets spent most of the offseason talking to teams about acquiring a Shortstop. Nothing ever manifested from these conversations so the Mets will go into the season with once promising prospect Wilmer Flores starting at short. Flores has been a name that you heard out of the farm system for the last few years. He will enter the season with 105 games under his belt as a big leaguer. This means that he still has a lot to prove and it leaves some mystery to his ability. He started the spring off hot, he eventually cooled down after a minor foot injury. He finished the spring hitting .266 and 2 homers in 64 at bats. Flores bat isn’t the biggest question mark about the young ball player, it’s his glove. Last year his range and ability to just flat out play defense came under fire. This spring he has looked like a more capable player at what some call the most important position on the field. His teammates are confident in him, “After this year is over, I foresee everybody saying, ‘I’m really glad we didn’t make a move at shortstop because this guy was really good,” David Wright said of Flores in an article written by Matt Ehalt of northjersey.com. If Flores could keep his strike outs down and his average around .250 while playing serviceable defense he will be just fine as the Mets SS.

​The Mets, outside of their starting pitching, where not a very deep team. This winter Sandy Alderson addressed these concerns. First, he made an addition to the bench with the signing of John Mayberry Jr. Mayberry once a top prospect in the Phillies system played in 78 games for both the Phillies and Blue Jays. He will mostly play outfield and a little first base for the Mets. He can provide some pop off the bench and fill in when needed. The Mets also needed to sure up the bullpen. Josh Edgin was supposed to be the go-to lefty out of the pen but his season came to an end when he suffered an injury which has resulted in him having Tommy John surgery. This created a vacant spot in the bullpen. The Mets select Sean Gilmartin in the rule 5 draft. This move was not the last they would make. Alderson waited till late in the spring and made a pair of moves to acquire lefty pitchers Jerry Blevins from the Nats and Alex Torres from the Padres. Both have plenty of experience and both can help the big league club.

​Even with the moves the Mets made there are still plenty of question marks on the roster. The Mets lost young stud pitcher Zack Wheeler for the season to Tommy John. They have a number of pitchers coming back from the same surgery. Closer Bobby Parnell and the Mets own Dark Knight Matt Harvey. Parnell is not due back till mid-april and Harvey has had an amazing spring. The Mets ace finished the spring with 22.2 innings pitched striking out 21 and only giving up 3 earned runs. The Mets will have plenty of Starting Pitching to go around this year. They have plenty of prospects in the wings, Noah Syndergaard and Steven Matz to name a couple.

​When it comes to the returning offense your first thoughts are David Wright and Curtis Granderson. They both are coming off very poor seasons. Wright had his worst season to date where he battled injuries and hit only 8 homers. Granderson had a typical season hitting 20 home runs and 20+ doubles but his average was sub .230 and he struck out way too much. The Mets must also see more consistency out of Travis D’Arnaud in the catcher spot and center fielder Juan Lagares who hits leadoff. The Mets brought in Yankees former hitting coach Kevin Long. This spring the team has looked stronger offensively. The Mets players have had nothing but great things to say about the new coach. “He’s one of the best at his job in the league,” the Mets’ David Wright said of Long. “He commands respect from Day 1. He’s an attention grabber. As hitters, we tend to gravitate toward him because he’s worked with some of the best players in the game.” This coming from Tim Rohan of the NY Times.

Image Credit: Ryan Stone; NY Times

​With The Nationals boosting their pitching staff and the Marlins retooling the Mets will have some serious competition in the division. The Padres and Cubs are two other NL teams that improved drastically this winter. I still believe the Nationals will win the East but the Mets will have a chance at one of the two Wild Card spots. I believe that the Mets will win anywhere from 83-86 games this year. The wild card winner has averaged around 88 wins the last few seasons.

​When it comes down to it this is the best Mets team we have had since the opening of Citi Field. With an offense hopefully improved and a pitching staff ready to take over baseball we can have a ray of hope. These Mets will be relevant and we hope this season is Magical. The Future right now is bright.

 

BY: Gallo @PicoDe_Gallo

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