With Opening day approaching, the smell of hot dogs and the sound of wooden bats are inevitable. In the tri-state area, baseball fans are eager to wash the bad taste of 2007 out of their mouths. The New York Mets will be looking to erase the pain of the 2007 collapse with a trip to the post-season. Spring could not come sooner for the disappointed Mets fan.
Mets manager Willie Randolph could be managing for his job this season after such a historic collapse last year. Often criticized for his lack of fire, Randolph will look to avoid the complacency of 2007. After Randolph's over confidence in September, the Mets skipper will look to take each game more seriously this season. In order to keep Mets fans happy, Randolph will have to emulate their 2006 performance.
A big question mark for the Mets this season will be regarding their health. After dealing most of their major league ready prospects in the off-season, the Mets will be looking for a strong performance from their older veterans. Coming into spring training there was questions marks wither Moises Alou and Carlos Delgado could stay healthy. Unfortunately for Mets fans they found out early that they would not. Alou is already slated to miss the month of April with little optimism for the month of May. Alou hopes to recover quickly for his hernia surgery. He is much more optimistic then the rest of the Mets staff. Delgado is experiencing problems with a hip impingement. This problem is forced by bone on bone rubbing. It looks like this might hamper him throughout the season. Look for GM Omar Minaya to make a move for a right handed bat that could help out in both Left Field and First base.
In order for the Mets to compete with the rest of the National League East, they will need to strongly rely on their pitching staff. Minaya helped strengthen the starting rotation while adding Minnesota Ace Johan Santana. With the resurgence of Pedro Martinez and the addition of Santana, the Mets look to have one of the strongest staffs in the National League. The only part of the rotation that is in doubt is the #5 slot. The leader for this position is Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez. The dark horse for this spot is the young Mike Pelfrey. The Mets will most likely use more then five pitchers this year so both of these pitchers will likely see a number of starts from both of them. Along with Martinez coming back, Mets will also rely on Duaner Sanchez to provide 8th inning support. A trouble spot in 2007, the Mets hope that Sanchez can help create a reliable bridge to closer Billy Wagner.
Randolph and the Mets have no doubt who will be lining up at the left side of their infield. The future lies in David Wright and Jose Reyes. With Wright playing solid ball in 2007, the Mets will hope that Reyes can do the same. After having a poor September, Randolph will need much better production from his young shortstop. Look for Reyes to return to the .300 mark. Two big question marks are newly acquired Ryan Church and Brian Schneider. The former Nationals were swapped for prized prospect Lastings Milledge. Minaya made this move to try and sure about their defensive flaws of 2007. Now with a catcher with extensive NL east experience, look for Schneider to boost the development of Oliver Perez and John Maine. Church will be a good addition in right field. Look for him to be platooned if the Mets pick up a right handed out fielder.
After the disaster of 2007, Omar Minaya has decided to go in a different direction. After witnessing Boston win a World Series with pitching and balanced offense, Minaya has tried to mold his team to follow the same mold. Looking at the 2008 line-up, you would expect the Mets to reach the postseason. With a one two punch of Johan and Pedro, the Mets look tough to beat in a 5 or 7 game series. In order to win a championship, the Mets will have to depend on their superb pitching.
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