Saturday, March 10, 2012

A lookahead to the 2012 New York Mets

This year, The New York Mets have new players, a (new) ballpark, and some new noses on their squad. I'm hear to show you what to look for in this year's Metros.
Low Expectations: Don't expect to much out of the Mets this year, has they are going to figure out how to play on without their long-time shortstop, Jose Reyes, who left for the Miami Marlins just before the winter meetings. This means that Ruben Tejada or Ronny Cedeno will most likely be starting at Shortstop for the Mets Opening Day. The loss of Reyes gave the Marlins the spark that the Mets once had, and their great pitching staff does not make the Mets chances any better. I predict that the Mets will end up under .500 another year, and could even end up in the cellar of the NL East.
Big Citi Changes: GM Sandy Alderson finally finalized the move of making Citi field into a more "hitter-friendly" ballpark early in the offseason. They brought in the "great wall of Flushing" in Left Field in to 385 feet. They brought in the Mo's Zone in right center field from 415 feet to 395 feet. These changes in the ballpark will definitley help power hitters like David Wright and Jason Bay rise to their Million Dollar Contracts potential.
New Nose Niese: During last year, Now San Francisco Giant Carlos Beltran suggested to Jonathan Niese for him to get a new nose to help him breath easier on the mound while pitching. When Niese showed up to pitchers and Catchers camp in mid-February, his nose had a whole new look to it! The new nose for Niese should help his delivery to be more aero-dynamic while on the mound. Well in his first Spring Training outing, The Mets and Niese could breath much easier. He faced 7 batters in 2 innings and did not let any runs in, and struck out 2.
Additions to Watch: The Mets picked up a few new faces in The offseason to help their offensive punch. They traded center fielder Angel Pagan to the Giants for speedy center-fielder Andres Torres. Torres will most likey be our leadoff man, the spot the Reyes held last year. The Mets also got free agent Shortstop Ronny Cedeno who was on the Pirates last year. Cedeno holds the Major League record for most games played without comitting an error in the field. Him and Ruben Tejada will battle it out for the starting job at Shortstop.
Don't Forget Him!: I bet when Johan Santana warmed up on September 20,2010, he was not thinking about his left shoulder, which was tearing apart after each warm up pitch he threw. He took the mound for the Mets that day, not knowing what was to come. Johan did not pitch again for 18 months to Major League batters. Johan arrived to camp in February with his shoulder repaired, smiling, and ready to pitch. When he made his spring debut, Johan looked like his old self, pitching 2 innings, not even allowing a hit. Look for Johan to have at least a double digit win season this year, and maybe make a run for the Comeback player of the year award.
All in all, love this baseball season while you can, and GO METS!!!
R.I.P Gary "The Kid" Carter #8. Never Forget Jose Reyes.