1st Quarter Awards

Believe it or not, The 1st Quarter of this somewhat beautiful 2012 season is already over. There has been bright spots, dark spots, and surprises out of the blur. Here are the awards:

MVP: David Wright. Easy choice for this award. The face of the franchise has been making big hits, great defensive plays, and helping his teammates all through out the year. He also leads the NL in Batting Average with an amazing .415.

Silver Slugger: Lucas Duda. Even though not the leader on the team in HR's (his name will show up later), Lucas has benefited greatly from the moved in Citi Field walls. He has 4 HR's so far, with at least 1 that would not have been a Homer if not for the moved in fences.

Cy Young: R.A Dickey. The resilient knuckleballer is the most that jumps out at you on the rotation so far into the year. Even with his knuckleball, he has a 5-1 record and an ERA just over 3. He has given up a lot of longballs this year, but he hasn't let that phase him. Nothing phases him.

Rookie of The Year: Kirk Nieuwenhuis. I might have spelled that last name wrong. Kirk, callled up after Andres Torres strained his calf on Opening Day, has been the catalyst of this Mets team. Everything about him in the big leagues is astounding for a rookie, hitting, speed, defensively. He can do it all and probably should have been called up sooner.

Best Newcomer: Jon Rauch. You might be surprised that i'm giving this award to a pitcher. Rauch has deserved it though. Rauch did not give up his first run in a Met uniform until his 7th apparance, ever since then, Rauch has been somewhat shaky, but still is the most consistent in our horrible bullpen.

Biggest Dissapointment: Our Bullpen/ Ike Davis. Bullpen first. The Bullpen has blown so many well pitched games by our starters, late game leads, and its arms. Without their inconsistency, we could easily be contending for 1st in our division, not 3rd. On to Ike. Ike, even though the team Leader in Homers, Ike's average is a horrific .160. Whenever in a big, potential game changing situation, Ike can't come through with that big swing of his.

Biggest Surprise: Terry Collins managing Injuries. Collins, our manager, gets the award here because of his fantastic fishing through our farm system and backup players to find replacement for Injured players (jason Bay, Ruben Tejada, Josh Thole) and replacing them with no-name but talanted players (Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Ronny Cedeno, Rob Johnson and Jordany Valdespin).

R.I.P Gary "The Kid" Carter #8. Never Forget Jose Reyes.

Where Are They Now?: Beltran, Reyes, and Pagan Edition

In the game of baseball, people make names for themselves. Players also come and go within the complicated GM system today in the major leagues. Trades before the deadline, mid-season moves and the MLB Draft, these can determine if your team is a contender or not. But this is not a story about a team that has made those moves, it's about the players involved and how they have fared after their tenure in a Mets uniform.

It's an image that will be forever burned in all Mets fans eyes forever. All Star centerfielder Carlos Beltran taking a curveball Strike 3 from Adam Wainwright with the bases loaded in Game 7 of the 2006 NLCS. Ever since that one pitch in Beltran's career, all Mets fans have remembered him as the scapegoat of that 2006 playoffs.  No matter how many Homeruns or walk-off hits he had, it would never be enough to get that image out of Mets fans eyes. So, last year, new GM Sandy Alderson made a daring move right before the trade deadline. He sent the aging Beltran to San Francisco for a young, promising prodigy named Zack Wheeler. Beltran gave his final hugs to his Mets teammates before he left for the Bay, and started his new life. In his half season with San Francisco, Beltran made basically no impact all year. He did reach 300 career Home Runs with the Giants though. Beltran became a free agent, and signed a deal with the Cardinals during the offseason. This year, with the Cardinals, he has been tearing the cover off the ball. He has 14 Bombs so far this year, which leads the National League.

He was cheered as he exited off the field for what would be the last time in a Mets uniform. Jose Reyes had just gotten a hit to extend his lead in the Batting Title race against Ryan Braun, the eventual NL MVP. The controversy spread across many sports shows later that night about how Reyes had taken himself out of the game to secure his spot as the batting champ, the 1st in Mets history. Mets fans also knew that Reyes might have taken himself out of a Mets uniform too. Reyes was due to be a free agent in the offseason, and there was a slim chance that he would return to the Big Apple, especially with the financial situation swirling around the team. Reyes would later take his talents to South Beach that year to a revamped Miami Marlins team. Reyes is now leading off for the Marlins and bringing his electricity to that team. Now, his average isn't as good as last year, neither is his fielding, and neither is his play. 

Andres Torres sat in his San Francisco home, and got the call he wasn't expecting. It was his manager Bruce Bochy, telling him that he had been traded to the Mets for Centerfielder Angel Pagan. Pagan, the longtime centerfielder since Beltran hurt his knee in the '09 season, had made outstanding plays, clutch hits, and had captured Mets fans hearts in the big outfield of Citi. Pagan, not the leadoff man in the Big Apple because of Reyes, still had his speed has a weapon while on the bases. He had double-digit steals in each of his years as a regular starter. He wasn't your traditional centerfielder, capturing the minds of the media, he was humble. One of my favorite memories of the daring Pagan-Reyes-Beltran combo was on a Wednesday night last year in late July. It was a nationally televised game, mostly because of the Beltran trade rumors surrounding the team, and nothing would prepare the Mets for what would happen. Beltran hit a bomb early in the game, what would turn out to be his last homer in a Met uniform. Reyes got another multi hit game, as he had so oftenly done during the year. The bullpen, though, let the offense down in the Top of the 9th, letting the game get tied. Pagan, who had been quiet all game, sat in the dugout waiting for his turn at bat. He finally stepped up in the box, took a few pitches, then let it rip. Rip was the correct word to use. He ripped the ball and it went over the fence for a walk-off solo shot. His teammates awaited him at home plate, mobbing him once he got there. While getting interviewed on the sidelines, he got the shaving cream pie-in-the-face. Pagan smiled. Pagan, now is starting for the Giants in centerfield, and is tearing up the cover on the ball.

R.I.P Gary "The Kid" Carter #8. Never Forget Jose Reyes.                 Pictured: Beltran Strikes out, Fans cheer on Reyes, Angel hits a Bomb.