Don’t believe everything you hear: The New York Mets can compete for a division title this season.
The Best Offense in the National League
The Mets have a surprisingly potent offense, and it’s getting glossed over with all the negativity surrounding the team. I’ve been calling it the best lineup in the National League, and while it’s certainly premature to proclaim anything like that before the season has started, I think they can definitely make a case for it. I’m not even the only one that thinks the Mets bats aren’t getting a fair shake. Here’s Ted Berg with his take on the lineup.
There are other good lineups out there. The Reds scored a ton of runs last year and their lineup remains mostly intact. Joey Votto, Jay Bruce and Scott Rolen make up the meat of that lineup, and that’s pretty formidable.
The Cardinals have Albert Pujols. You could almost end the discussion right there, as “They have Pujols” is often the deciding factor in which offense is better. The Cardinals also have Matt Holliday, as well as Yadier Molina, David Freese, and Colby Rasmus. Still, I’m not sold on Ryan Theriot, Lance Berkman, or Skip Schumaker contributing that much to the lineup.
The Brewers have Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun.
Perhaps more immediately dangerous to the Mets is the Atlanta Braves. Dan Uggla, Chipper Jones if he’s healthy, Brian McCann behind the plate. An outfield of Heyward, Prado and McLouth. The Braves can definitely hit the ball this year.
Now let’s actually look at the Mets. Pagan has put up great numbers with the Mets and last year could play center as well as anyone. Jose Reyes is healthy and prepared for the season this year, and already looks to be the Jose we know and love. He actually had good numbers last year once he finally got up to speed after missing Spring Training. He needs to walk more, but he’s a dynamic force at the top of the lineup. Similar to the Braves with Chipper, Carlos Beltran needs to stay healthy and on the field. It’s easy to forget just how good he is when he’s not playing, but having him in there for 130-140+ games is going to be a great boon. You’d like David Wright to strike out less, but he’s still a talented frontline bat in the center of the lineup. Jason Bay had a down year that was punctuated by a concussion, but it’s not hard to think that he’ll return to smashing home runs and getting on base at a great rate. He doesn’t need to hit 40 to help this team either; if he can keep his OBP high and not make out, even if he only hits 25-30, that’ll be a great help.
Now the back end of the lineup is what will make or break my argument. I think the Mets have a deep lineup, and unlike past years with guys like Jeff Francoeur, or Gary Matthews Jr, or Brian Schneider, the Mets don’t have an obvious glaring hole. Ike Davis had an excellent rookie year, and the hope would be that he builds on it. He’s got a lot of power and was perhaps rushed a bit last year with the injury to Murphy. Now with a full season, starting the season in the majors and comfortable in his role, hopefully he can improve. Josh Thole has had limited time, but everything we’ve seen from him has been good. He’s a guy with good bat control that doesn’t strike out and has an above average OBP for a catcher. We’ve seen some signs that he’ll grow into some power as well. He’ll never be Mike Piazza, but it’s been a long time since we’ve had a catcher that actually did any hitting. The last guy in the lineup, right now, is Brad Emaus. It’s hard to project what he’ll add, as he hasn’t had any major league experience. He put up very good numbers in AAA last year, with a .397 OBP and 15 home runs. So he’s a patient guy, and hopefully he can utilize some of that patience to draw walks in the majors as well.
If the lineup holds up as it’s constructed now, it’s certainly in the running for a dangerous lineup. Will it be “the best?” Only time will tell, but I like the Mets chances in that regard.
