As pitchers and catchers report to Port St. Lucie, Mets have October baseball on their mind
The Amazins’ are looking to build upon their solid finish to 2019
After the fiasco that was the almost-sale and then pull-back with billionaire Stevie Cohen, pitchers and catchers reporting was needed now more than ever. Along with players beginning to report to spring training comes season-long predictions and expectations.
Expectations can change things for a professional sports franchise. Once laid out —whether publicly or privately — they force every member of the organization to check their personal agendas at the door, and become a team-first member of the larger assembly line.
The New York Mets enter the 2020 season with legitimate promise and, along with that promise, expectations. PECOTA’s MLB projections, which forecast the entire season, give the Mets the most wins in their division. But as everyone knows, projections mean nothing in February.
Across the board, from new manager Luis Rojas, to veterans like Michael Conforto, to younger superstars like Pete Alonso, the quotes have only been about expecting to be playing into October with this group of guys. Rojas was rather bullish about what he expected from his team on Tuesday in his press conference, saying:
“We expect to be a contender…We know how all the teams are prepared. We’re going to be in a tough division and we’re going to face some tough teams this year in our schedule and we know that. We feel that we’re built to win”
And now it is going to be on Rojas to make his transition from quality control coach to manager as seamless as possible. His previous relationships with many of the players on this roster — after time spent together in the Mets’ minor league system — will help out tremendously.
Here are three more keys for the 2020 season to keep an eye on during spring training:
- What does the starting rotation look like?
The Mets have as strong a top of the rotation as there is in the entire sport in back-to-back Cy Young award winner Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard. deGrom continued his dominance last season, even if once again his win/loss record didn’t show it. He had a 2.43 ERA and 255 strikeouts, but only went 11–8. Syndergaard has already spoken about rediscovering the effectiveness of his slider, and how that will go a long way in getting his dominance back.
Marcus Stroman will definitely be a starter — and a very solid third at that — but the last two spots are a battle between three pitchers. Former AL Cy Young award winner Rick Porcello was signed as a free agent, and unless he has an awful spring, will be the fourth starter. Which leaves Steven Matz and free agent signing Michael Wacha to battle it out for the fifth spot. Matz has been vocal about wanting to remain in the rotation, but he will have to prove it this spring. Both Wacha and Matz pitched out of the bullpen for a period of time last season, but working in Matz’ case is him being the only left-handed pitcher in consideration.
- How will the back-end of the bullpen shake out?
The Mets’ bullpen has the potential to be a real strength, but just how strong it’ll be depends on bounce-backs from three members. Edwin Diaz had a dud of an opening season in Flushing after being acquired from the Seattle Mariners last off-season. After working with Pedro Martinez this off-season to rediscover his wipeout slider, there is optimism surrounding Diaz’s resurgence.
Jeurys Familia lost 30 pounds this off-season in an attempt to rejuvenate his career, and new free agent signing Delin Betances is coming off of a season in which he only threw one inning. He dealt with shoulder issues all season, and after his first inning of the season on September 15th, tore his Achilles tendon celebrating. He will be ready for opening day. Diaz should have first crack at winning the closer job, but the unit of seven that includes Diaz, Familia, Betances, Seth Lugo, Justin Wilson, Robert Gsellman, and Brad Brach should give the Mets a locked down back-end, specific roles pending.
- Which version of Yoenis Cespedes will we see in 2020?
Double heel surgery and a fractured right ankle at his ranch is all the news Cespedes has created since the end of the 2018 season. After missing the entire 2019 season, he is now entering a contract year. The team and Cespedes’ agents completely restructured his 2020 contract to make it performance/incentive-based after Cespedes’ non-baseball off-season injury.
He will need to be playing and performing at the highest level to recoup his money. But a healthy Cespedes is the sort of x-factor that could change the entire layout of the lineup. He has been running the bases, but playing and cutting in the outfield is a big step in a DH-less National League. If he proves he can hit, a trade to a DH-needy AL team could end up being best for all parties, but we’re still ways away from that. For now, all we can do is hope Ces can get back to even 75–80% of his prime, which would still add a ton to this Mets lineup.
The Mets come into spring training with as high expectations as they’ve had since they were coming off their 2015 World Series appearance. With a young, new manager in Rojas and a team that, on paper, looks ready to contend, it will be interesting to see how this team’s makeup looks come the beginning of April.
