In two weeks time, spring will be in the air and the New York Mets faithful will invade Port St. Lucie for some Amazin’ sights.
Spring Training marks the closeout of winter and begins the gearing up of a brand new baseball season through the league’s 30 clubs. The fan bases from the north migrate south to get their first glimpse of the team they hold dear to their hearts.When it comes to spring training, it’s the ultimate chalkboard. Each team gets to wipe the slate clean and start to brainstorm a plan to reach the World Series.
You’d have to look back a decade to remember as much anticipation before an MLB season when it regards the New York Mets. The storylines are vast and questions will need to be answered. The beauty of spring training is that it becomes the place where those questions begin to get answered.
The 2017 season will see the rise of young prospects and the possible end for some beloved stars. If the Metropolitans have shown you anything over the past two seasons, it’s that they will sure make it interesting.
In about two weeks the first pitcher or catcher will show up at the gates of Tradition Field. For the starting rotation, it will be a sight for sore eyes, as many as four pitchers will be rejoining the staff.
If you need a reason to get excited about the start of Spring Training (which we’re sure, you don’t), here are six reasons why:
Noah Syndergaard
The 2016-17 offseason should be known as the “Winter of Thor.”
Noah Syndergaard was a twitter sensation, from calling Bryce Harper a douche to his “Mets-heavy” best pitchers in the league list, Thor has certainly made a social impression.
If humor and Shakespearean Twitter responses were all he had, we’d love him. But Syndergaard is so much more for the New York Mets. In 2016, he was the last ace standing. He was the starter of the Wild Card Game. Against any other pitcher, the Mets move on, but Madison Bumgarner is no ordinary Playoff pitcher.
The 24-year old all-star has earned consideration as the team’s true No. 1 pitcher. If his 218 strikeouts that resulted in a 14-9 record for Syndergaard is any indication of the future, the Mets have an arm to rival that of Clayton Kershaw.
Why fans should be excited:
Syndergaard will be starting his third Major League season, he’s going to get better. If it’s possible to improve on 218 strikeouts, the Mets have a power arm to throw out there every five days that will terrify hitters. Surely, Syndergaard will compete for his first CY Young Award in 2017.
Superheroes Unite: Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom and Steven Matz
The boys are back in town! The Dark Knight, The deGrominator and Mega Matz will make their return to the starting rotation of the New York Mets. The trio has shown poise and brilliance on the mound since being called up to the big club.
In 2015, Matt Harvey finished the season with a 13-8 record with a 2.71 ERA. That is what a healthy Harvey can give you. When the Dark Knight “Rises,” expect that type of performance in 2017. He will be aided by a much better offense than the 2015 campaign, a team he led to a World Series berth.
If you were wondering who was the “cool, calm and collected” member of the Mets’ staff, look no further than the 2014 NL Rookie of the Year, Jacob deGrom. The deGrominator came back to Earth in 2016, before ending his season with a right elbow injury, he had a 7-8 record with a 3.04 ERA.
Steven Matz is the hometown hero of the starting rotation. Growing up in Stony Brook, New York, the Mets were able to draft Matz in the second round of the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft. The Mets faithful have yet to see a full season of Matz, but his 13-8 career record with a 3.16 ERA is nothing to scoff at. If the Mets can get a full season from Mega Matz, they will by all accounts have the best fourth starter in the league. Yes, this rotation is that good.
Why fans should be excited:
2017 will be the season where you are rewarded for believing in Sandy Alderson’s plan of bolstering the pitching staff when he took over in 2010. Although Omar Minaya drafted Harvey, deGrom and Matz, it was Alderson who saw them develop into the pitchers they are now. Night in and night out, you could see something special.
The Return of Zack Wheeler
The fifth starter position in the pitching rotation will be an open competition. Depending on how Sandy Alderson and Terry Collins want to handle Zack Wheeler will determine if he is that guy.
A former sixth pick of the 2009 MLB Draft, Zack Wheeler was acquired from the San Francisco Giants in 2011 for Carlos Beltran. Things looked bright for the Georgia product until a torn ulnar collateral ligament led to Tommy John surgery. An injury that kept him out of baseball for two full seasons.
Wheeler’s comeback prospect was cut short in 2016 as a setback during a rehab assignment ended any chance of a return to help the pitching starved Metropolitans. Zack will most likely begin the season in the bullpen. A two-year layoff will certainly require time and a limited work schedule to build up the strength for a full major league season.
Why fans should be excited:
Zack Wheeler could be a star in the bullpen, for a team that needs a star to come out of the bullpen. Wheeler currently will be pitching on a one-year, $800,000 contract, so 2017 will be a low risk, high reward situation for Alderson. It’s not hard to conceive, Wheeler could be the closer of the future.
Power Outfield
The squad catching most of the headlines this offseason has been the Mets’ outfield. Yoenis Cespedes, Jay Bruce, Curtis Granderson and Michael Conforto will all play musical outfield positions in Spring Training.
If Conforto is able to make some hay at first base, he would be able to platoon with Lucas Duda, to solidify what could be a deep lineup of power hitters. What makes this so significant is that this creates the essence of a Sandy Alderson production. Power arms in the pitching staff with long ball hitters in the lineup.
Jay Bruce may or may not be on the team when spring training breaks at the end of March. If he is, he has been notified that he will be the starting right fielder. If Bruce can replicate his entire 2016 season, where he finished top 10 in home runs and RBI, it will silence the critics.
Mets fans got a jolt early in the offseason with the re-signing of Yoenis Cespedes. Cespedes signed a 4-year contract worth $110 million in November. Cespedes has all the accolades to be the centerpiece to the Mets lineups, a former all-star, Gold Glove winner and last year’s Silver Slugger.
Why fans should be excited:
This fearsome foursome could produce 100-plus combined Home Runs this season. When all four are able to start, against American League teams, for instance, the third through sixth spots in the lineup will be among the most feared in baseball.
The Future: Dominic Smith and P.J. Conlon
Two players that were invited to spring training were first base prospects Dominic Smith and left-handed pitcher, P.J. Conlon — two unique talents, who started to come into their own during the 2016 minor league season.
P.J. Conlon was an enigma in A-ball, finishing the season with a 12-2 record in Columbia and St. Lucie while posting a 1.84 ERA. Conlon doesn’t possess devastating stuff like the big league rotation, but he is masterful with the change up. P.J.’s journey to the Mets is an interesting tale, as he grew up in Northern Ireland prior to attending San Diego State. The Mets took a flier on him in the thirteenth round of the 2015 draft.
Unlike Conlon, who burst on the scene in 2016, Dominic Smith was a well-known name when drafted by New York in the 2013 MLB Draft. In 2015, he was named the Florida State League Player of the Year, a season where he drove in 79 RBI. 2016 saw his power numbers excel, crushing 14 home runs while batting .302. Smith was recently named MLB.com’s third-best first baseman prospect, a welcomed sight for the Mets brass.
Why fans should be excited:
The Mets can be patient with the two overachievers. There is no rush to bring them up for the start of the season. If an injury or spot on the major league club should open up, Alderson can have faith that the two future stars will fill in nicely.
The Odd Couple: Jose Reyes and David Wright
It feels like yesterday when the Mets fan base first welcomed Third Baseman, David Wright and Shortstop Jose Reyes to the family. The Mets organization envisioned a long lasting relationship on the left-side of the infield, one to last more than a decade.
A lot has happened since two bright-eyed kids stole our imaginations. The early years were bright, with both players filling specific roles that made the team go. Wright the power hitting corner infielder, while Reyes was the speedy shortstop who terrorized pitchers when on the base path. The years they played together were some of the most joyous baseball Mets faithful were able to witness.
However, baseball is a business, and business usually brings things to a screeching halt. In 2012, Jose Reyes would leave the team who drafted him for a $106 million contract with the Miami Marlins. A year later, David Wright would be named the fourth New York Mets’ Captain.
The 2017 season will see the pair give it possibly one last go at it. Wright has suffered injury after injury, while Reyes has found a rejuvenation since joining his old club. It will be nostalgic to see the pair on the field at the same time during certain points of the season. It will be forever remembered if the pair could get that elusive championship … together.
Why fans should be excited:
The pair that made us feel Amazin’ during the mid-2000s are back together. Though certain skills have diminished, they will be asked to do less during the 2017 campaign. Both have the ability to give us a few lasting memories from the Mets answer to the Cour Four.