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In what seems like my weekly edition of “In the Year 2000″, we take a look back at the 2000 Mets after 55 games and compare them to this year’s team.
The 2000 Mets have a 1 game lead on this year’s team. We, TheyPiazza’s Mets were 31-24, seven games above .500. The current Mets are 30-25 or five games above .500. The 2000 Mets were 5.5 games behind the Braves in the division and .5 games ahead of the Dodgers, Reds, Rockies and Expos in the wild card. This year’s Mets are 3 games behind the Phillies in the division and tied in the wild card with St. Louis.Â
Lets take a look at the 2000 Mets lineup for game 55:
New York Mets BA OPS M Mora SS .261 .733 D Bell RF .304 .842 E Alfonzo 2B .352 1.057 M Piazza C .363 1.149 R Ventura 3B .243 .841 T Zeile 1B .299 .938 J Payton CF .220 .640 M Franco LF .196 .568 J McEwing LF .231 .747 A Leiter P .042 .157 L Harris PH .186 .462
I am not going to bore you with our lineup today, you have seen it enough. However, I am going to compare the players to what we have today as I believe they are very similar.
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At this point our team is lead offensively by Wright (.345) Beltran (.342). The 2000 Mets were lead by Piazza (.363) and Alfonzo (.352). Advantage 2000. Piazza and Alfonzo were studs that year, especially early.
2000 had issues in LF, CF, SS, and 3B was struggling. The current Mets have issues at 1B, LF, RF, SS. Advantage…… 2009. The 2000 team really had no reinforcements coming unless you count Mike Bordick. The 2009 version stands to get back Reyes and Delgado among others.
The 2000 starting staff consisted of Hampton, Leiter, Rush, Reed, and Jones. The main bullpen pieces were Benitez, Franco, Wendell, Cook, Mahomes. The 2009 Mets have Johan, Pelfrey, Maine, Livan and Redding. The main bullpen pieces are Krod, Parnell, Green, Feliciano and Stokes. Tough one here. The 2000 staff is known for their consistency. Every starter won over 10 games yet no one won more than 16. Their pen had a dominant closer (hard to say that about Benitez) and a former closer in Franco. This year’s pen had a similar look with Krod and Putz. Advantage 2000 Mets for SP and 2009 Mets for BP. Advantage Even.
Right now through 55 games I give the overall advantage to the 2000 team. However, if Omar can make a move or we do indeed get Reyes, Delgado, Putz, and Perez back the 2009 team should run away with it. Lets go 2009!
20 comments
rustyjr
6/8/2009-6:35am at 6:35 am (UTC -4)
Nice analysis – nut ubalso have to compare coaching staffs – edge 2000 and gm – edge 2009 IMO
rustyjr
6/8/2009-6:47am at 6:47 am (UTC -4)
* should say but you also
trs86
6/8/2009-7:56am at 7:56 am (UTC -4)
Nut ubalso to you to.
rustyjr
6/8/2009-8:11am at 8:11 am (UTC -4)
LOL
prismo
6/8/2009-6:42am at 6:42 am (UTC -4)
Good job TRS! I loved the 3-6 in the batting order on that 2000 team. Just seemed like those 4 guys always came through when we needed them to.
darknova306
6/8/2009-6:43am at 6:43 am (UTC -4)
Saying we should run away with it if we get those guys back seems silly to me, honestly. Delgado’s gonna be out for a looong time to come, Putz is out till August, Reyes is out till mid-July (though that’ll probably turn into late July or early August), and who knows about Ollie. Philly’s a tough team, and we’re about to go through a meat-grinder of a June schedule. By the time we get all these guys back and healthy, there’s a very real chance that we’ll be too far back to ‘run away with it’.
trs86
6/8/2009-7:56am at 7:56 am (UTC -4)
As compared to that team Dark, not the division.
darknova306
6/8/2009-6:46am at 6:46 am (UTC -4)
Ah, Joe McEwing, the Mark DeRosa of the 2000 Mets.
rustyjr
6/8/2009-6:48am at 6:48 am (UTC -4)
Shoeless joe – jack of all trafes master of none
ghostofshea
6/8/2009-7:11am at 7:11 am (UTC -4)
I sure wish we had piazza in his prime on our team now. Especially with shneider there. Ugh. I would even take mackey sasser right now. Lol. How long is this josh tholes kid away from the bigs? What is he lookin like right now?
prismo
6/8/2009-7:23am at 7:23 am (UTC -4)
Well Thole’s having a great season so far.
BA – .336
OPS – .887
34% runners caught stealing
And Thole’s 22 – if he keeps this up, I bet we see him in the bigs when the rosters expand (if Omir or Brian don’t get injured first).
prismo
6/8/2009-7:23am at 7:23 am (UTC -4)
Sorry, .346 batting average. Finger must have slipped!
ghostofshea
6/8/2009-8:13am at 8:13 am (UTC -4)
Thanks for the stats.
. I hope he n the other prospects become sumthin. I love homegrown players.
metsfan4decades
6/8/2009-7:34am at 7:34 am (UTC -4)
Nice analysis. Even if advantage 2000 at this point, hard to predict the outcome this year as the division is completely different then back in 2000. Then, the Braves were our competition, for the most part (as usual). This year it’s the Phils.
Right now we’re 3 back behind the Phils. Considering the state of the roster with all the injuries right now, that’s not too shaky at all. The Phils have just about their whole roster healthy with the exception of the loss of Myers – and we’re still keeping pace. If we can hold our own, keep on pace, we ought to be in very good shape when we get everyone back come mid Aug or so.
udontmesswthejohan
6/8/2009-8:21am at 8:21 am (UTC -4)
Nice analysis TRS.
I think the two teams, as you have shown, match up very similarly, although as Metsfan4decades says the makeup of the divison is very different today compared with 9 years ago.
The biggest difference IMO is Piazza, or more to the point the power bat. I am starting to get just a wee bit worried about the lack of pop in this lineup and I honestly don’t understand it. I mean Wright could fill that role, and has filled that role int he past, but 3 HR’s is not going to cut it. Yes, the average is there, and so are the RBI’s for the most part, and this is encouraging, but we all know how a big thumper can change the lineup. This is where the loss of Delgado really kills this team.
I know DW can turn this around, but let’s be honest here – I was watching a little of the Yankee game on Saturday and Willy freaking Aybar has 4 or 5 HR’s. Derosa has 9 – he would be leading this team in HR’s!!!
stickguy
6/8/2009-8:26am at 8:26 am (UTC -4)
Most important stat in that analysis? Tied for the WC.
The Mets have some issues, but frankly, none of the other team in the WC hunt are the ’27 Satans either.
Yes, I would love to catch, pass and stomp on Philly, but I don’t have too much pride to be happy with the WC!
FInally, can you imagine if the internet existed like it did today (with Blogs, etc.), how much complaining would probably have gone on about the 2000 team?
trs86
6/8/2009-8:30am at 8:30 am (UTC -4)
Exactly, I remember that year very well. High expectations and most everyone assumed we would blow it. We failed in comparison to the Braves and would be swept in the first round of the playoffs.
That team is so similar to this team its scary. Take out Piazza and Santana and it’s the same team.
stickguy
6/8/2009-8:53am at 8:53 am (UTC -4)
then I will sign up right now for another trip to the WS.
Just this time, I want to be celebrating at the end of game 5, not depressed sitting in the last row of the Mezz watching Yankee fans fo it!
dirtysanchez
6/8/2009-8:57am at 8:57 am (UTC -4)
what would be really awesome is the mets and philly in the NLCS!! Talk about prime time tv lol
CaseStreet
6/8/2009-11:33am at 11:33 am (UTC -4)
Oh 2000 WS, lots of memories.
Game 1 began w/ me passing out in the bathroom after one too many Red Devils. Good times