2014 was a good season for the New York Mets. That statement is obviously laced with opinion, but I'll present the evidence which backs up the claim and you can decide how true it is.
Wins/Losses
The Mets finished right below .500--at 79-83--and tied for 2nd in the National League East. Those numbers are improved from previous years. The winning percentage was the Mets' best since 2010, and while they were far behind the first-place Nationals this year, they hadn't finished in 2nd since 2008 (MLB.com).
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| photo: Adam Rubin on Twitter |
Even more promising, however, was the comparison between the team's home and away records. There was basically no discrepancy between those numbers--a signal that their home performance was better than it had been in years (Baseball Reference).
Hitting performance at home is still definitely an issue that the club needs to work out. In 2014 they batted .252 away and just .224 at home (ESPN.com). Those numbers are likely what prompted the decision to move in the Citi Field fences once again, this time focused on the right-center field gap. That area is one that before the move was extremely deep, but now will be shorter by around ten feet on average. Hopefully the move will help lefty hitters like Lucas Duda, who already had 30 home runs last year, and Curtis Granderson who hit 20. The move should overall benefit the Mets considering the plethora of pitching they currently have.
Up and Coming Stars
Jacob deGrom was very clearly the bright spot for the Mets in 2014. The 26 year-old won the National League Rookie of the Year Award after posting a 2.69 ERA with 140 strikeouts in 22 starts. deGrom recieved 26 of the 30 votes for the award, winning in a landslide (ESPN.com). He was originally called up to pitch out of the bullpen and only earned a spot in the rotation when Dillon Gee went down with an injury. Among his amazing feats was tying the MLB record for consecutive strikeouts to begin a game at eight.
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| Lagares robs an extra-base-hit in center. Photo: Metsblog.com |
Another young star for the Mets this season was Juan Lagares who put on a complete show in centerfield and won the Gold Glove Award at the position. His dWAR, a stat that measures an individual's defensive "wins above replacement," was second-best in the National League at 3.4 (Baseball Reference). Lagares is 25 years old and already being regarded as one of the best fielders in the game. Mets former Gold-Glover and current SNY broadcaster Keith Hernandez said, "Lagares, I think, is the best centerfielder I've seen in a long, long time."
Pitching Plethora and the Future
Pitching Plethora and the Future
It doesn't take much to recognize the stacked nature of next year's Mets rotation. With deGrom's surprise stardom and Matt Harvey's return from injury, the team will already have a very powerful first two. Other starters the Mets have include Zach Wheeler, Jon Niese, Dillon Gee and Bartolo Colon. In addition, high-profile prospect Noah Syndergaard is likely set to join the team this coming season and Rafael Montero is also available. Some argue that this stockpile could best be utilized by holding onto all or most of it, while others say some of those chips should be traded for a solid shortstop. Proponents of holding onto all these starters note the not-so-great recent health history of Mets pitchers, as well as the old baseball notion that "you can never have too much pitching."
I personally believe Sandy use the abundance of pitching to trade for a quality shortstop, something the club hasn't had since Jose Reyes left in 2011. The Mets have noted that they're assessing their options at shortstop but may stick with Wilmer Flores in 2015. Still already, rumors have been swirling about possible deals with the Rockies, Cubs, Mariners or even signing young Cuban prospect Yoan Moncada. Whatever happens, the Mets have a chance to be great in 2015.
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