Jan 02
Happy New Year everyone and to welcome in 2011! Today’s question will address your feelings on the upcoming Mets Season.
What is the one thing about the Mets that might make you optimistic about the 2011 season? Is there anything that might make you pessimistic as well?
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23 comments
metsfan4decades
1/2/2011-9:39am at 9:39 am (UTC -4)
Good question(s).
It’s a long season and as such, anything can happen. What looks good/bad in ST is not always an indicator on how the season will pan out.
That being said though, if come ST we’ve got some credible pitching (both starters and BP) and some depth as well, then I won’t be one of those writing the season off before it even starts.
Also…if players don’t start to go down like bowling pins come ST due to injuries and/or weird health issues (ala Reyes), that will be a big plus as well.
I’ll be curious to see how the mostly new coaching staff gets started coming out of the gate. Going to be interesting to see how the team reacts to the reported intensity of Terry vs. the laid back approach of the last two managers.
rustyjr
1/2/2011-10:21am at 10:21 am (UTC -4)
I definitely agree
Prismo
1/2/2011-10:28am at 10:28 am (UTC -4)
The one thing that makes me optimistic would be some of the young potential – mainly from Thole and Ike. It would be a huge boon for the lineup if they both panned out
What makes me pessimistic? The rotation filled with question marks (though it could be a solidly mediocre rotation, it could also be a poor one), Beltran’s eternally questionable health, will Bay recover, etc.
Mr North Jersey
1/2/2011-11:51am at 11:51 am (UTC -4)
Optimistic?
The changing of the guard so to speak.
Pessimistic?
That we are being lied to and there is another shoe to drop.
stickguy
1/2/2011-3:28pm at 3:28 pm (UTC -4)
I agree that you really have to wait until the team is set to really decide what it can or can’t do. But, what do you mean by “lied to”? About what and by who?
I assume that the other shoe dropping (since that has a negative connotation) would be guys like Beltran or Reyes being trading? Even if so, not sure how that means we were lied to (since I don’t think Sandy ever said they wouldn’t be!)
hazmet
1/2/2011-12:22pm at 12:22 pm (UTC -4)
Everything “5D” says
plus
Optimistic:
1. Niese and Gee continue to develop into legitimate 3 & 4/5 rotation guys.
2. Pelfrey will have matured enough to not neglect his arm angle like last year or won’t fall off the mound and instead will lick his way to 15+ wins again and be a legit #2.
3. By Beltran’s comments his knees feel better than at any time in the last 2 years and he and Reyes in walk years will play lights out for next years pay checks, somewhere…
Pessimistic:
1. No Bullpen & SP is as mediocre or worse less Johan.
2. Beltran’s knees are as shot as the past 2 years have indicated and he’ll have no value on the field or in the trade market.
3. The Sophmore core and AAAA fledlings coming up don’t pan out and merit the mid to poor ratings the Mets farm system has been tagged with.
kingman 26
1/2/2011-1:39pm at 1:39 pm (UTC -4)
Optimistic:
We have a new 3-headed braintrust which is going to build this team into hopefully something similar to what it was in the mid-late 1980s; but this will take a couple of years.
Pessimistic:
We have three starting pitchers, and largely the same group of apathetic players who slogged their way through two card-playing, slacking, injury-filled fourth place finishes. This will take at least a year to be corrected.
kingman 26
1/2/2011-1:59pm at 1:59 pm (UTC -4)
And to the pessimistic side, add that we have serious health questions about Johan, KRod, Reyes, Beltran, and Bay.
That’s a lot of dough and production coming back from injury/crappy years.
stickguy
1/2/2011-3:32pm at 3:32 pm (UTC -4)
Johan is done for the year if not longer, so just pretend he doesn’t exist. And Beltran you need to hold your breath every time he takes a step.
But I don’t really have any concerns about the other 3. They should all be at full speed at this point, and ready for ST.
kingman 26
1/2/2011-4:33pm at 4:33 pm (UTC -4)
Largely agree—but the huge question remains of whether “full speed” for Bay and Reyes is 2010 or 2008….
stickguy
1/2/2011-4:37pm at 4:37 pm (UTC -4)
your talking about production. full speed just means not injured or slowed by health issues.
kingman 26
1/2/2011-4:42pm at 4:42 pm (UTC -4)
Uh yes, I know that.
What I meant was does being healthy and not slowed by health issues now mean that they put up numbers like in 2008 or like in 2010?
Bay sucked before getting hurt. Reyes was not close to the same player when he played.
stickguy
1/2/2011-5:03pm at 5:03 pm (UTC -4)
bay I don’t know, but hopefully he won’t suck as bad.
Reyes was actually playing great for a while once he got over missing ST, until he pulled the oblique and was never given a chance to heal properly.
stickguy
1/2/2011-3:19pm at 3:19 pm (UTC -4)
Optimistic? A full season of Duda!
Pessimistic? Not having any Johan this year is going to hurt.
njstuckintx
1/2/2011-10:22pm at 10:22 pm (UTC -4)
My pessimistic view would be a whole season of Duda. That would mean the wheels have fallen off the proverbial bus. Something along the line of Bay’s head colliding with Beltran’s knee and Kaboom. (Anyone else remember the Kaboom game from Atari?)
stickguy
1/3/2011-12:05am at 12:05 am (UTC -4)
Or Mr. NJs “other shoe” is Beltran getting traded, in which case they need a new RF.
stickguy
1/2/2011-3:25pm at 3:25 pm (UTC -4)
seriously, on the optimistic side, IMO they way underperfomed last season, and (other than Johan) are healthier now than they were at this point last year. So, if they can just have a reasonable amount of health and get the big guys to have relatively normal production years, they will score plenty of runs and be competitive.
the new leadership team helps too. I expect a more focused and prepared team taking the field, and if they are legit mid-season Alderson will get some parts.
Oh, and a full year of Duda, who I predict (if he gets to play regularly, say in RF if Beltran gets traded or hurt) will be the ROY. Yes, I am serious. He will win ROY if he gets a FT job.
kingman 26
1/2/2011-4:35pm at 4:35 pm (UTC -4)
I know you are King of the Optimists, but they have been wracked by injuries and finished 4th 2 straight years.
They did not underperform; this is what this group is.
Out of shape, marathon rehab time, and 4th place.
I look forward to a full year with Niese, Ike, Thole, and maybe Murhpy, Mejia, and Duda to finally begin to change the culture of satisfied mediocrity and long in-season vacations.
GP GIANTS AND BEARS!!
njstuckintx
1/2/2011-10:28pm at 10:28 pm (UTC -4)
My optimistic view of the season: A wild card run (most likely falling short in early/mid September) that still involves Beltran getting flipped for some prospects.
My pessimistic view of the season: The rotation falls apart and when I go to my annual 3 game series in Houston, I’m stuck with a struggling Gee, a recently called up Misch and some other AAAA pitcher they’ve had to plug in there. (This pessimistic view includes Santana pushing it too hard to get back early and setting himself back until 2012). Big
on this last paragraph.
njstuckintx
1/2/2011-10:30pm at 10:30 pm (UTC -4)
I’m just going to comment here so I get a record 6 posts in a row. Aww yeah.
TRS86
1/3/2011-8:23am at 8:23 am (UTC -4)
How about this one.
The group of Reyes, Beltran and Wright decide that this is their last year to prove they can get the job done and go out and have career years and lead the team back into playoff competition near the trade deadline and Sandy pulls off a blockbuster trade that guides us into the WC vs the Giants.
kingman 26
1/3/2011-9:07am at 9:07 am (UTC -4)
Well, part of why I am totally cool with Alderson’s plan is that I firmly believe that should we be contending at the deadline, he WILL make a major move. Or two.
TRS86
1/3/2011-9:34am at 9:34 am (UTC -4)
Agreed and I would not be surprised if it was a Philly-Abreu type move with Beltran either.