Kuzul

It’s been four weeks since I looked at the numbers put up by the New York Mets in the early part of the 2013 season. A month is a long time in baseball, and player performance can fluctuate over time. Unfortunately for the Mets, many of the early season positives have evaporated. Additionally, some of the negative stats from the first few weeks of the season haven’t improved.

On the optimistic side, the season is still young, and there is plenty of time for the Mets to turn things around. If they hope to be competitive, they are going to have to address a number of issues.

Here’s a look at some of the good signs so far for the Mets and some of the less-than-inspiring ones through the first six weeks of the campaign. 

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‘Tis the season of giving, and Mets fans everywhere are hoping that they’ll be given some outfield reinforcements prior to the start of the 2013 season. As it stands now, the options are pretty thin.

Jason Bay’s contract was mercifully terminated at the end of the season. Bay spent the better part of three injury-plagued years underperforming and getting booed. It was so bad that the Mets let him go while still owing him $21 million. He will try to resurrect his career out west, as he recently signed a one-year deal with the Mariners.

For some unclear reason, the Mets traded their 2011 center fielder, Angel Pagan, to San Francisco in return for Andres Torres and ineffective reliever Ramon Ramirez. Torres was mediocre at best in 2012, hitting just .230. In an ironic twist, Torres will now be teammates with Pagan, as he signed a one-year contract to rejoin the Giants for 2013.

With those two players gone, the Mets will be expecting a lot more run production from their outfield. The problem is figuring out who, exactly, will be playing those positions.

Here’s a look at who the Mets currently have to choose from:

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Last weekend, I went to Citi Field and saw Johan Santana pitch a masterpiece. Santana dominated the San Diego Padres over nine innings. The Mets won 9-0 and Santana had his first shutout since 2010. The lefty struck out eight batters, walked none and threw 74 of his 96 total pitches for strikes. What made his performance that day even more impressive was the fact that Santana is still coming back from major shoulder surgery after missing all of the 2011 season.

Tuning in to the Mets’ game last night, it appeared early on that Santana did not have his best stuff. He walked four batters over the first five innings and ran up his pitch count. He did, however, keep a potent Cardinals lineup from reaching base on a hit.

From the sixth inning on, the warrior in Santana came out. His poise noticeably increased and his stuff looked better than it had in the earlier innings. When Terry Collins came out to the mound in the eighth with Santana’s pitch count mounting, it was obvious that Santana was not going anywhere.Then, Santana went on to finish what he started.

In a span of six days, Santana had pitched two complete-game shutouts, given up just four hits over 18 innings and threw 230 pitches. Not bad for a guy whose career was potentially over after being shut down with shoulder trouble in September of 2010.

For a franchise and a fanbase that have always been the butt of all late-night jokes (Letterman, Conan, Jon Stewart, etc.), it was a cathartic moment of celebration. It was a chance to finally check off an accomplishment that had eluded this team for its entire existence. After so much recent misery surrounding the Mets, it was a chance to just be proud.

The Mets have had 35 one-hitters. I clearly remember Tom Glavine coming close in 2004 against Colorado with the only hit coming from utility player Kit Pellow, who registered a career total of just 52 major league hits. Santana’s no-hitter has made those near misses less painful.

What makes the feat even better is the fact that it was Johan Santana. He has proven himself to be the consummate professional and total team player since he first arrived in Queens. To Santana, it’s all about the team. You never read about Santana getting arrested, using performance-enhancing drugs, carousing, complaining or anything like that. He just leads by example and fights whether he has his good stuff or not. His heart and attitude have driven him to success in addition to his arm. This couldn’t have happened to a better guy.

One other amazing twist in the story is the involvement of Mike Baxter in the no-hitter. The kid who grew up in Whitestone, literally down the street from Shea Stadium, makes the game-saving catch. As I wrote last time, these 2012 Mets are exceeding expectations with rookies, journeymen and long-time minor leaguers led by vets such as Johan Santana. Mike Baxter is the latest feelgood story in a string of similar stories so far this season for the Mets.

Twitter was abuzz during and after the game. Of course, Santana himself tweeted to thank his teammates and the fans. 

@johansantana  Tonight we made history @mets, i want to thank all my teammates and all the fans for the support…Believe it!! You guys are the best!!!

Enjoy this one, Mets fans.

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Even though I am a lifelong Mets fan, I owe the 2012 team an apology. Like most Mets fans, I have become accustomed to losing and to regular bad decisions from the clubs’ upper management.

Sadly, the fallout from the Wilpons’ involvement in the Bernie Madoff saga was just another in a long line of problems that have plagued the franchise and its fanbase. Since the Game 7 loss to the Cardinals in the 2006 NLCS, it’s been nothing but misery for the fans including two consecutive late-season collapses that cost the team playoff appearances in 2007 and 2008.

As it became clear this past offseason that the Mets were not going to offer Jose Reyes the lucrative deal he deserved, all signs were pointing to more pain for Mets fans. When a team cuts ties with a home-grown fan favorite coming off a batting title in order to dump payroll, it’s not a sign that the club is looking to challenge.

In fact, despite competing for the hearts and dollars of baseball fans in a city that’s also home to the Yankees, the Wilpons slashed the Mets’ team payroll by more than $50 million.

So as the season began, it looked as if last place was the team’s destiny. Most sports reporters and baseball analysts projected the Mets to be one of the worst teams in the majors.

With almost two months of the season completed, the Mets are five games over .500 and are playing some exciting baseball. As if the Bad News Bears were playing at the major league level, this collection of cast-offs, career minor leaguers and unproven rookies have reinvigorated a fed up fanbase.

When the lineup for today’s game versus San Diego was announced, my first thought was that if Johan Santana didn’t pitch a shutout, the team would lose. The lineup resembled the B-team’s B-team.

Andres Torres CF

Justin Turner 2B

David Wright 3B

Scott Hairston LF

Lucas Duda RF

Vinny Rottino 1B

Ronny Cedeno SS

Mike Nickeas C

Johan Santana P

I am happy to say that I was totally wrong. A Scott Hairston three-run-homer and Vinny Rottino’s first major league home run gave the Mets an early 4-0 lead. Santana was in total control and dominated the Padres throughout the game. 

When manager Terry Collins lifted Hairston for pinch-hitter Ike Davis in the bottom of the eighth with a man on second, I wondered why he was pinch hitting for a guy who had hit a three-run bomb? Collins must know more than I do as the slumping Davis drove in the runner with a double. Three batters later, .179 career hitter Mike Nickeas hit a grand slam with two outs, and it was 9-0 Mets.

Santana threw just 96 pitches for his first complete game shutout since before his shoulder surgery in 2010.

While I still don’t think the 2012 Mets are going to make it to the playoffs, I owe them an apology for writing them off so easily. When you first look at the Mets’ current line-up you wouldn’t be wrong to wonder who the hell are these guys? When Ike Davis and Lucas Duda are team “veterans,” you know you’re dealing with a lot of unknowns.

This collection of cast-offs, career minor leaguers and rookies is playing with heart and intensity. It’s been a perfect combination of two factors. First, with no expectations or undue pressure, the team has been able to gel and relax. Secondly, given the opportunity to play at the highest level, these young hungry players are going out to prove themselves and taking advantage of the chance they are being given.

Meanwhile veterans such as David Wright, Johan Santana and R.A. Dickey are leading by example. Each is having a great season so far and appears to be positive influences on the newer players.

No matter where the 2012 New York Mets finish in the standings, this team with no expectations has made me a believer. Of course, ultimately, all fans want their team to win championships. Sometimes, however, just supporting a team that plays hard and gives its all every game is enough. This current crop of Mets is doing just that.

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