The 2010 Mets: About What We Expected
Written by Jeff Brous Tuesday, 08 June 2010 09:47
With roughly one third of the season down and 100 games to go, the 2010 New York Mets are, to quote Dennis Green, “who we thought they were”. Currently, they are sitting in third place in what has quietly become the most competitive division in baseball. I want to say I’m disappointed, I want to call them underachievers, but the bottom line is that most Mets fans had lower expectations than Ron Artest’s publicist; anything less than disaster would be acceptable. With that being said, let’s take a look at the ups and downs that have made this season somewhat watchable.
The Good
The biggest surprise so far has been Mike Pelfrey’s stellar performance to start the year. He is 8-1 with a 2.40 ERA in his first 10 starts, not to mention a save to go along with that, and has been more lights out than Shawn Merriman when he was on PED’s. Throw in Johan’s usual brilliance (I know his strikeouts are down but can we get this guy some run support please!) and a great couple of starts by, none other than RA Dickey, and the Mets rotation has been quite the pleasant surprise.
As far as position players go, I retract my sarcastic comment about buying a Rod Barajas jersey and instead legitimately want to buy one now. His 11 long balls account for nearly 25% of the team’s home runs and puts him at a tie for 7th in the NL. I wonder if he is on steroids? Did I just say that out loud? Uh-oh…moving on.
Speaking of steroids, am I the only one who sees the parallel between Jose Reyes and Willy Mays-Hays in Major League II? Jose came back from, whatever it was he was out with, looking like he spent the summer at Globo-Gym. Then Jerry Manuel decided to move him to the 3-hole, where Jose, in turn, tried to hit for power, and naturally, struggled. It wasn’t until recently when he went back to his contact/speed game that he began to show signs of his old self. His 14 stolen bases are good for second in the NL and, hopefully, a sign of things to come.
The Bad
As much as it pains me to say anything negative about David Wright, he is striking out way too many times for a guy that isn’t hitting that many home runs. With that being said, for anyone else this would be a superb season, but for D-Wright? I set the bar a little bit higher. Along those same lines, Jason Bay is playing well but 3 home runs and 24 RBI is not the type of numbers you want from your cleanup hitter (Side note: RBI stands for runs batted in, there is no need to pluralize it. I hate when these so called ‘experts’ mess that up).
Some other quick thoughts: I wish Jeff Francoeur could hit as well as he threw the ball. I get more excited than Rosie O’Donnell around a Big Mac when I see a runner try to challenge his arm. When he is at the plate? Not so much. K-Rod has been ok, but nothing compared to what he looked like with the Angels. I get nervous when he only has a one run lead to work with.
The Ugly
Oliver Perez, John Maine, Carlos Beltran…
Looking Forward
Not much has changed since the start of the year. I still expect them to finish 3rd, I still expect them to miss the playoffs, and I hope, hope, hope that Omar Minaya gets fired.
(Things purposely not mentioned in fear that I might jinx something: Ike Davis, Ruben Tejada, and the Mets ridiculous home record)
