2013 MLB Preview: New York Mets
By Aaron Somers
Little was expected of the New York Mets heading into the 2012 season. The team had just lost Jose Reyes the previous winter and there was little reason to believe they’d be in contention given the financial restraints the organization was seemingly still suffering from. The Mets surprised some last season, looking more respectable than we expected at times. David Wright and Ruben Tejada had solid seasons. R.A. Dickey pitched well enough to earn the NL Cy Young Award. But, in the end, the Mets still finished at 74-88, good enough for 4th in the NL East.
With the start of the 2013 Regular Season upon us, it seemed like the ideal time to check in with each of our team sites here at FanSided MLB and check out what our experts have to say on the upcoming season. From Rising Apple, let’s check in with Senior Editor Matt Musico and see what he had to say about the team’s best and worst case scenarios, as well as what’s most likely to happen.
Best Case Scenario
The bullpen is vastly improved from a year ago, and the outfield plays well enough to not be a weakness that allows the Mets to be this year’s version of the Baltimore Orioles, coming out of nowhere to capture one of the two NL Wild Card spots. Oh, and all key players remain healthy.
Worst Case Scenario
Key players suffer injuries that keep them off the field for prolonged periods of time, the bullpen mirrors last year’s horrific performance, and the lack of proven MLB outfielders on the roster will give Terry Collins headaches every time he tries to fill out a lineup card.
Most Likely to Happen
New York is already dealing with multiple players who are injured (Johan Santana, Shaun Marcum, Daniel Murphy, and David Wright). Thankfully, Wright and Murphy may both be ready for Opening Day. Pitching will be a strength of this team (with an improved bullpen), but with an eye toward 2014 and a good amount of one-year commitments, Sandy Alderson will sell to continue building the future, as the Amazins finish anywhere between 75-82 wins while dealing with stiff divisional competition.
Dickey is now gone and Wright has signed an extension that will keep him in New York for years to come, but the Mets still enter the 2013 season in largely the same place they entered 2012. Injury concerns are already prevalent, as Musico mentions above, but all hope is not lost in Queens. The NL East has improved, so it won’t be an easy task for the Mets to be competitive in the division but they shouldn’t be written off entirely either.
For all things Mets this season, be sure to give Matt and the rest of the Rising Apple crew a visit.