For as long as I can remember, baseball has been my favorite sport.
Yes, I was one of those little boys who really liked dinosaurs, but my parents will attest that above all I've always had a special place in my heart for everything baseball. And for as long as I can remember, that special place has been mostly occupied by the greatest team to ever set foot on a field, the New York... Mets. That's right, not the 27-time champion Yankees. I guess you could say I bleed blue and orange, as cheesy as that sounds.
I guess it goes without saying that if you just cringed at the mention of the words "baseball" or "Mets" because that's just not your thing, I won't feel bad if you don't continue reading.
Apology accepted.
Anyways, having said that, you can imagine that last fall was an exciting time for me, as the Mets made the World Series for the first time since 2000. I mean yeah, they betrayed me and all their other loyal fans with some truly disgraceful play and practically gave the Royals the title. And yeah, as of June 3, they're trailing the Nationals by two games in the NL East and have some problems to deal with that I'd prefer not to admit, but let's not lose our heads. If there's anything the Giants have taught us with their three recent championships, it's that being red-hot in the regular season doesn't matter at all compared to simply making the playoffs and charging full speed from there.
With this in mind, I'd like to present 16 factors that have the potential to make the difference for the Mets and help them win their first championship in 30 years. Could this just be a truckload of meaningless wishful thinking by a devoted fan who doesn't want his hopes and dreams for the season to turn into bitter disappointment as they always have? Perhaps. But as I always say, ya gotta believe. Here's the 16 reasons why the Mets will emerge victorious from the 2016 World Series.
1. Matt Harvey
This may seem like more of a reason to anticipate failure than success, given Harvey's extremely shaky start to the season, and you might be right. I can't predict the future, so I can't tell you if Harvey would shine or stumble in the playoffs this year. But I know for a fact he has the ability to do amazing things for the Amazins. He's the first legitimate ace the Mets' rotation has had in a long time, and we saw some stupendous pitching in the playoffs from him last year despite how Game 5 ended. Not only do I guarantee that come October he'll be over the mental issues that plagued him through April and May, but I can say with a fair amount of certainty that given his desire to excel, you'll wish you had never criticized him for his less-than-lukewarm start.
2. Noah Syndergaard & Steven Matz
Either of them could certainly merit their own place on this list based on their phenomenal starts to their careers, but I'm grouping them together for the sake of brevity. Yes, their statistics are very, very impressive so far, but the most important thing one could associate with these two phenoms is hope. Any baseball fan can only imagine how the careers of Syndergaard and Matz will pan out barring significant injuries, and as long as those careers don't bring them out of Queens, there's more than enough hope to go around during 2016 and beyond for Mets fans.
3. Yoenis Cespedes' Contract
Just like Harvey, Syndergaard, and Matz, you don't need me to tell you how good Cespedes can be when he's hot. And man, has he been hot in 2016 so far. One explanation for that seems to be the fact that the Mets only signed him to a 1-year contract. As much as he must want to help his team win, I'm sure part of his mind is focused on performing in order to get the highest offers this offseason from the Mets or from elsewhere. He's certainly shown the fruits of that focus so far, and there's little doubt in my mind that he can continue to put his skills to use when the time comes.
4. The New & Improved Middle Infield
Some players may not be living up to everyone's expectations so far this season, but Neil Walker and Asdrubal Cabrera are certainly not among those players. Walker may have replaced a traitor whose name shall not besmirch this article and who just so happens to be hitting out of his mind this year, but Walker's been one of the most consistently productive members of the Mets offense so far. This is an addition to the fact that, as everyone likes to point out, his superior defensive capabilities over He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Speaking of improved defense, Cabrera may not be the next Ozzie Smith, but I've been very impressed with his defense so far despite many writers' assessments of his "limited range". These two form a dynamic duo with the capability to prevent runs that may make the difference when the postseason comes around.
5. David Wright's Last Hurrah
No, Wright isn't making a grand pre-retirement tour like Rivera, Jeter, or Ortiz, and he hasn't even announced any plans of retiring soon, much less at the end of this year. But after news of a herniated disk in the 33-year old's neck on top of his continuing battle with spinal stenosis, it seems inevitable that sooner rather than later our beloved captain will have to come to terms with his body's limitations. His constant injuries may strike some as a reason to worry about his ability to perform when it counts, which is understandable. However, from my point of view, not only can Wilmer Flores cover his position effectively while he's temporarily out, but the realization that the end is oh so near for him would serve as tremendous motivation for the longtime face of the franchise once he's back in the lineup. He's shown flashes of his old brilliant self in 2016, and there's reason to believe that that light may burst through once again-- if only for a very limited time.
6. Jeurys Familia
Yes, he's had his fair share of concerns and dicey moments. Sure, you can't trust him to shut the door in a crucial situation 100% of the time, as we saw in the World Series last year. But when push comes to shove, the Mets are holding on to one of the straight-up nastiest closers in baseball. He's got the stuff, and all he has to do is keep his mind in the right place and he has the potential to come in the 9th inning of Game 7 of the World Series if he's given the chance and do what needs to be done to hand the Mets the title.
7. Options for Catcher
One of the most exciting recent developments for the Mets has been the emergence of Rene Rivera as a legitimate defensive catcher and excellent option for replacing Travis d'Arnaud, who is currently experiencing another extended stretch on the disabled list. When d'Arnaud is healthy, he's one of the better hitting catchers in the league. He may not be the next Mike Piazza, but the pop he adds to the lineup can certainly make the difference in certain situations the Mets may encounter. In other situations, where d'Arnaud might unfortunately get injured once again or where a strong arm behind the plate may be necessary, Kevin Plawecki and Rivera provide excellent depth that may give them an edge over teams with less reliable catchers.
8. Options for First Base
The mark of a championship-caliber team is the ability to cope with unexpected setbacks, and the Mets' solutions for the injuries of d'Arnaud and Lucas Duda have shown this crucial ability. The acquisition of James Loney provides greater experience to a fairly young clubhouse, and the Mets can expect to comfortably deal with Duda's absence by platooning Loney with Eric Campbell. Just like d'Arnaud though, if Duda resists the disabled list during the playoffs the Mets will have another dangerous hitter with which to torment opposing pitchers. Sure he's streaky, but he'll be looking to redeem himself after a crucial World Series Game 5 error (the most frustrating play of the World Series for me but hey water under the bridge).
9. Options for Outfield
It almost seems unfortunate that one of the Mets outfielders hasn't gotten injured so far this season, since you don't want them saving their injuries for the playoffs. But if the combination of Cespedes, Granderson, Conforto, Lagares, and De Aza stays healthy...holy cow. Holy cow. The Mets always get attention for having six starting pitchers who are at least solid, if not excellent, but the presence of Lagares and De Aza on the bench to support the strong bats of the other three is incredibly reassuring too. And man are those some strong bats, even if Conforto has struggled occasionally in 2016. Not only am I confident in the other four, but I'm sure that Conforto can work out his kinks just like Harvey hopefully has and come through when it counts.
10. Juan Lagares
Of the five Mets outfielders, I gave Cespedes and Lagares their own spots on this list, but for very different reasons. Anyone who saw Cespedes' impersonation of Lionel Messi to help Alcides Escobar get an inside-the-park home run in Game 1 of the World Series understands why Cespedes isn't quite in the same defensive caliber as Lagares. It almost seems as if every time Lagares is given a chance to roam centerfield, another SportsCenter Top 10 play is born. The Mets' appearances on Not Top 10 lists may be entertaining for Royals fans, but Lagares gives the Mets the opportunity to avoid that cruel fate.
11. Zack Wheeler
I hate to say it, but sooner or later Bartolo Colon, Mr. Big Sexy himself, will be on his way out of the starting rotation, but it'll be to make way for another exciting prospect. There may be questions about how long it'll take for Wheeler to find his place in the big leagues, but if he find his footing as quickly as Matz... I mean, I can't even picture how incredible that will be. Every single game the Mets will trot out a young stud who has a very high chance of giving the Mets offense the chance to produce enough runs to get the job done. And Wheeler will almost certainly be a part of this beautiful equation.
12. Sandy Alderson
Believe it or not, Alderson may be the most important single person on this list when it comes to the Mets' chances for success in the playoffs. Besides Daniel Murphy, the Mets owe their run to the World Series to no one more than Cespedes, and Mets fans have Alderson to thank for doing everything in his power as general manager to help the Mets contend last year. Never mind the incredible team he's already helped construct: Alderson's potential efforts as the trade deadline approaches may catapult the Mets into the World Series just as they did last year. He may be forced to pinch pennies by ownership, but a stellar GM like Alderson can find ways to get the players the team needs without breaking the bank.
13. Home Run Differential
One of the most worrisome aspects of the Mets' hard-throwing rotation last year was the fear that their reliance on high-velocity fastballs would help opposing teams hit many home runs. However, it seems that for the time being Mets pitchers have matured enough to prevent this fear from coming true. The Mets' impressive home-run differential in the beginning of the season shows their pitchers' ability to prevent home runs, as well as the unexpected amount of pop seen in the bats of Mets hitters so far. Home runs are not the best way to manufacture runs, which may prompt some to wish for more reliable run production from the Mets, but I would advise these critics to take a deep breath and take a look at the big picture. What if the home runs keep coming? Even if they don't, the phenomenal starting rotation and solid bullpen can be expected to keep games tight even if the Mets offense occasionally slips up.
14. The Bullpen
Not only can Familia close out the 9th inning as well as anyone in baseball, but the Mets have bolstered their bullpen recently to contend with teams with deadly bullpens like the Royals last year. Addison Reed has pitched excellently in 2016 so far, and the emergence of reliable pitchers such as Jerry Blevins and Jim Henderson makes up for the occasional blunders of less reliable pitchers such as Hansel Robles. Not only that, but the Mets will be able to use starters such as Colon and the effective Logan Verrett in the bullpen as Wheeler leaves the disabled list.
15. The Bench
I've highlighted the Mets' depth in the outfield, at first base, and at catcher, but they have a few other secret weapons that could be handy as pinch hitters or defensive substitutions. Dilson Herrera has proved himself to be a respectable contact hitter on occasion, and Matt Reynolds gives the Mets extra infield depth on their 40-man roster. And yes, Ty Kelly hasn't exactly shown himself to be the next Hank Aaron in his introduction to the big leagues, but I remember being impatient with Flores for quite some time until he really felt at home in the Mets lineup, and now he's a Mets hero. Who knows if the same could happen to Herrera, Reynolds, Kelly, or any other talented young player in the organization?
16. Ya Gotta Believe!
At this point you're probably thinking the following: "Okay Dave, you do have a couple legitimate points. The Mets starting rotation is pretty great, and they do have a couple more good outfielders than necessary. But the rest of it is just you saying things that all teams are expected to have, like a bullpen and a bench and a GM that does his job. Why do these characteristics set the Mets apart from any other team? Do you really think the Mets stand a chance against the Cubs or the Nationals come October?" Well, in a word, yes. Yes I do. No Mets fan in June of 2015 could have predicted the acquisition and incredible heroics of Cespedes, or the emergence of Syndergaard and Matz as amazing as they have been, or He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's Ruthian stretch in the postseason last year. Last year was a brilliant storm of happy mistakes and baseball magic that ran out of fuel just before the end of the racetrack. With this cast of characters, the expectations for this year's ballclub is just about as high as it's ever been, and longtime Mets fans like myself have no choice but to enjoy the buzz and give in to its charm. Everything may not go our way this year- in fact, there's a good chance it won't. But there's plenty of reasons, even more than 16, to throw caution to the wind and put all your hopes on a team that's got so, so much going for it: the 2016 New York Mets.
