Kuzul

If you are a typical New York Met fan, you began this baseball season cloaked in blue and orange and the unflagging optimism that every Met fan must sport in order to preserve even a semblance of sanity. 

What else do we have if not hope? 

While we donned our jerseys and caps and made the pilgrimage to Citi Field, lost in the fantasy that perhaps this year would be different than the last, part of us knew—just had to know—that we were heading down the same road again.

Why do we do this to ourselves?

In the waning moments of this year’s baseball season, 2012, it appears, is just more of the same for Met fans. Uh, correction. More of the same—only worse. 

2012 began with four consecutive victories, including an exciting three-game sweep of the Atlanta Braves, our longtime nemesis. The Mets were scoring runs, making plays and throwing strikes. They were playing with a zeal and vitality that nobody could have predicted.  

Quite a start for a team that baseball pundits placed on life support long before the season began.  

It was the best of times. 

Yet as the Mets stunned us with their inspired brand of play, even the most idealistic supporters of the Amazins‘ were already beginning the vigil—the plaintive wait for the collapse to begin. We braced ourselves for the inevitable demise, certain that the quick start the team and its faithful followers were enjoying was just a dalliance, a most wonderful but obvious fluke.  

But then David Wright caught fire and R.A Dickey proved he was close to unhittable. No-name rookies like Kirk Nieuwenhuis and Ruben Tejada provided a spark that the moribund club has not seen since the days of Backman and Dykstra.

So we celebrated a little more. 

But we’re Met fans, so despite the rapture, secretly we harbored this burgeoning anxiety. How could it last? It never does. 

Somehow it did. And a lot longer than any of us could have imagined. 

The Mets staged late-inning rallies and scored a plethora of two-out runs. This resiliency spilled over into the play of upstart newbies Jordany Valdespin and Mike Baxter. David Wright got hotter and R.A. Dickey just would not lose. Dillon Gee and Jonathon Niese looked like legitimate starters and somehow the bullpen, although far from perfect, was getting it done. 

And if that wasn’t reason enough to make you believe in miracles, the unthinkable happened:   

Johan Santana pitched the first no-hitter in Mets history. Met fans were intoxicated. Even delirious. This was a team of destiny for sure, right?

Cue the party music. 

Suddenly it was All-Star time, and somehow, some way, the New York Mets were relevant. They were exciting. They stood 46-40 and appeared poised to make a serious run in the wild-card race.

But alas, nothing lasts forever. 

With no real warning at all, it happened. The “it” all Met fans know all too well. The All-Star break came and went, taking with it the team with which fans had fallen so madly in love. Smiles were stilted. Hopes were dashed. The drudgery had returned. 

It was the worst of times. 

We watched in horror as our first-half darlings proceeded to drop five straight games after the Midsummer Classic, en route to going 2-13 before finally winning consecutive games at the end of July. Our depression escalated as the dearth of runs, especially at home, led to one listless loss after another. 

Do I even have to mention the name Jason Bay? 

A season-ending injury to Santana followed, and despite the electricity engendered by highly touted rookie Matt Harvey, talk of a Cy Young Award for R.A. Dickey and the more than respectable offensive numbers put up by Ike Davis, there wasn’t much to cheer about anymore. 

Now it’s mid-September, and Met fans are faced with accepting their team’s irrelevance as well as the daunting specter of our two best players from 2012 possibly leaving for greener pastures. 

Sigh. 

As we prepare to watch another postseason without our Mets, all we can do is invoke the words that have become more of a battle cry than a playful mantra. 

“Wait ‘till next year.” 

But perhaps management can help us a little. Don’t we deserve it? 

Can we sign David Wright and R.A. Dickey? Can we nurture our young arms—Harvey and Wheeler—and maybe deal for a corner outfielder or two? Oh yeah—a catcher who can hit for power and bona fide closer wouldn’t hurt either. 

I am hoping that complaining publicly will precipitate some change. It worked for those who clamored for a new ballpark. 

Yes, we have the stadium. A state of the art baseball venue. All of the amenities at Citi Field are wonderful, although perhaps a trifle superfluous. Don’t get me wrong; I like creature comforts as much as the next guy, but I am a baseball fan.   

I just want to see quality baseball played at my home park throughout the summer, and maybe even a game or two in the fall. Yes—a full season of baseball in Flushing. 

Sure I like Citi Field, and there is lots to love about the experience there.

But truth be told, I would trade a landscaped plaza, interactive museum, improved sight lines and a Shake Shack burger in a heartbeat for just one postseason appearance.   

For more visit my book blog on www.goodreads.com and www.franknappi.com.

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When Mets‘ third baseman David Wright first got promoted to the major leagues in 2004, he was a highly touted prospect and was expected to be a great player for years to come.

However, his hype was in a way offset by the veteran presences of Mike Piazza, Al Leiter, John Franco and Tom Glavine. They all helped groom him into the superstar player he is today as he learned the ropes of the game at its highest level.

Wright did not really emerge as a leader for the Mets until 2006 when the team that year won 97 games and ran away with the NL East division title. That year, he became part of the Mets’ core of him, Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran and Carlos Delgado. While Delgado was on the Mets through early in 2009, Beltran got traded to the Giants in 2011, while Reyes departed for the Marlins last offseason.

Despite being a young player, Wright was already looked up to by his peers for his consistent work ethic and his desire to win by any means necessary. He became even more of a leader in 2007, as a result of a season in which he hit .325 with 30 home runs, 107 RBI and 34 stolen bases. He followed this up with a .302 average, 33 home runs and 124 RBI a year later.

In the Mets’ forgettable 2009 season, Wright really became the leader of the team, despite having a very disappointing year. That year, Reyes, Beltran, Delgado, and plenty of other teammates all spent time on the disabled list as the season became a lost cause. Even Wright himself was forced onto the disabled list for the first time in his career after getting hit in the head by Matt Cain of the Giants.

In 2010, Wright bounced back and hit 29 home runs and drove in 103 RBI, despite a .283 average. Reyes and Beltran kept battling injuries, while Wright put the team on his back and did what he could to help the Mets win.

2011 was a different story, though, mainly because Wright ended up missing two months of the season with a stress fracture in his lower back. His .254 average was by far the worst of his career and the Mets certainly missed his leadership that season.

This year, though, Wright has been having a career season and has really taken control of being the sole clubhouse leader of the Mets. While his current average might be .330, he flirted with an average over .400 for the first two months of the year.

He has been an NL MVP candidate all season, but this may not end up happening now if the Mets continue to struggle as much as they have so far in the second half.

Speaking of struggling, the Mets have not been in the postseason since 2006 and have not had a winning season since 2008. Ever since Wright really took the reigns of being the Mets’ clubhouse leader, the team simply has not performed well, which basically has been every year since Citi Field opened.

While the Mets over the past few years have had various injuries to certain players, plus an underachieving bullpen that really hasn’t been solid since 2006, there are many areas that deserve some blame for the lack of success. And, of course, there was also the financial situation that owner Fred Wilpon had to deal with in relation to the Bernie Madoff Ponzi scheme, which has since been settled.

Furthermore, the front office was rather chaotic in 2009 and 2010, due to various moves made by former general manager Omar Minaya and the distraction that former Director of Player Personnel Tony Bernazard brought upon himself in 2009. As a result, there really hasn’t been much to enjoy for the Mets and their fans since 2008.

One thing that might be overlooked is the overall clubhouse leadership. While the Mets’ team chemistry has been rather good in this current season for one, there might be a lack of overall leadership simply because the team is so young. Wright is not even 30 years old right now, yet he’s one of the few veterans on the team and the one player who everyone really looks up to.

As the default clubhouse leader, Wright spends time comforting his teammates when needed and is always willing to offer advice to his younger peers. However, Wright does not particularly show that much visible emotion around his teammates when a certain degree of emotion could be necessary to motivate everyone.

The fact of the matter is that Wright is not exactly designed to be a genuine clubhouse leader and is better suited for being a complimentary presence in the clubhouse. In addition, the Mets have not been particularly successful since 2009 when Wright really became the clubhouse leader, so it’s definitely possible that having a change in clubhouse leadership could have a better effect on the team going forward.

The Mets currently do not have a player in the organization who could overtake Wright as the new clubhouse leader. If Jason Bay was hitting well, this could be a different story, but he has struggled mightily ever since he put on a Mets uniform. Johan Santana has spent too much time on the disabled list over the past few years to qualify as well.

In order for the Mets to get a new leader in the clubhouse, they would have to sign a high profiled free agent in the offseason. With the Mets not trying particularly hard to raise their payroll, this is not likely to happen next offseason.

Whether it be a more established veteran or a more emotional teammate who can fire up the whole team at any given moment, the Mets’ clubhouse leadership could certainly use an upgrade. That could be what it may take to be able to get back into the postseason.

For now, Wright remains the Mets’ clubhouse leader and is doing a good job overall with the personality he has.

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The Mets are playing their way out of playoff contention just as fast as they found themselves within reach of the postseason.

New York is now 11.5 games behind Washington for first place in the National League East and are stuck in third behind Atlanta.

The Mets can make a play at the wild card, but they are still 7.5 games behind the Braves for a shot at the postseason.

For New York to make it to October, they will not only have to overcome their own shortcomings, but they will need some spectacular performances from key players. If a perfect storm of strong play and luck blows through Queens in the next month, the Mets could be in place to make a run at the playoffs.

Here are a few players who will need to be at the top of their game for the Mets to even come close at the playoffs.

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In the 2012 Home Run Derby, there was a big-time reaction for Home Run Derby captain Robinson Cano.  That reaction was filled with an array of boos from the Kansas City crowd.

Why the hostility for the second baseman? 

Well, he said he would pick a a member of the Kansas City Royals a couple of weeks prior to the event.  That guy would be All-Star Billy Butler.  The Royals DH was not chosen by Cano. 

This has happened before.  Last year, captain Prince Fielder received boos after failing to pick local hometown boy Justin Upton of the Arizona Diamondbacks. 

Now, commissioner Bud Selig said that the Baseball Writers Association of America will discuss a possible rule change to the anticipated event.  This rule will be for the captain to choose a player from where the Home Run Derby is being played.  In other words, a hometown boy.

Fans booing should not have such an impact on a decision like this.  Should Cano have not commented at all that he would choose a Royal?  Yes, but in the end, isn’t it his decision? 

Could the MLB have stepped in and held Cano to a higher standard to make sure he did pick Butler?  Yes, there is an argument for that as well. 

Players like Cano shouldn’t be booed like he was on Monday night, but he asked for it.  Does that mean the MLB should jump in and demand the captain to choose a local?  No, that isn’t very fair.

Fans buy the tickets, and they have the right to cheer and boo as they please.  Perhaps he would have gotten booed anyways for being a Yankee.  It comes with the territory, usually. 

So, with the festivities heading to Citi Field next year, would it be wrong for the Home Run Derby captain to not choose David Wright or a member of the New York Mets?  No, it should be their decision. 

These players are volunteering for the event.  They shouldn’t have to deal with many rules.  MLB guys are used to getting cheered and booed.  Quite frankly, they are athletes and fans show them positive and negative emotions.

While some don’t necessarily deserve the reaction they receive, that shouldn’t have any power on the future of the Home Run Derby.

Having a hometown player could be good for the sport and event, but is it coming along the wrong way?  This would be a decision of haste and reaction of Cano’s night. 

This story may not have been such a big deal if Cano hadn’t said anything in the first place.  Perhaps the clubhouses should tell their players to not make such promises if they can’t handle the negative reactions if they end up backing out of the deal. 

There will always be the risk of having a hometown player that won’t be considered worthy of the nod by many baseball experts and fans. 

The MLB shouldn’t make a decision like this based on one night. 

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The following slideshow touts Fantasyland’s All-Star team for the month of June.

To clarify, the 27-man listing only honors statistics from the 30-day window for June and does not necessarily reflect a player’s status from April, May or the preseason.

The competition among outfielders and the corner infield spots was particularly intense.

And yet, this should hardly mollify the embedded masses crying foul over alleged snubs involving Brandon Phillips, David Price, David Ortiz, Mark Trumbo, Colby Rasmus, Asdrubal Cabrera, Jason Kubel, Juan Pierre, Ben Revere, Josh Johnson, Wade Miley, Justin Verlander, Ryan Vogelsong, Scott Diamond, Clay Buchholz, Jonathan Broxton, Ernesto Frieri and Cubs pitcher Ryan Dempster (not enough strikeouts), among others.

Enjoy the show!

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The New York Mets are currently an afterthought in the National League East. It seems as if every other team in the NL East improved while the Mets seemingly got worse. It was a long, grueling and painful offseason for the Mets.

New York lost one of their best players this winter in Jose Reyes. Reyes fled Queens for the “glitz and glamour” of Miami. Reyes was undoubtedly the heart of the New York Mets franchise and his presence will be missed.

The Jose Reyes era had its ups and downs, but its stop was inevitable. The New York Mets were still neck-deep in their financial woes at the time of Reyes departure, and they simply couldn’t afford to retain him.

Let’s forget about that, though. Opening Day is almost here and every team is very optimistic right now. The New York Mets are no exception to that. There have been encouraging things coming out of “Metland” these past few weeks and fans have been given reason to be optimistic.

Johan Santana will be the New York Mets Opening Day starter this season. That will help the team talent-wise and from a psychological standpoint. New York lacked a true ace last season due to Santana’s rehab from elbow surgery. 

It does seem as if he has made a full recovery. We shouldn’t expect another Cy Young season for Santana, but he will definitely help this team. 

With that said, the New York Mets strength lies in their lineup. The Mets lineup is loaded with young talent this season. Ike Davis, Lucas Duda, Daniel Murphy, Ruben Tejada and Josh Thole will all look to produce for the Mets this season. 

Each of the aforementioned players possess great potential and can help bolster the Mets lineup for a long time. Those young players will be surrounded by veterans like David Wright, Jason Bay and Andres Torres.

Wright is the face of the franchise and is looking to put up huge numbers this season. Pesky injuries have weakened his statistics in recent seasons, but he is coming into 2012 with a clean bill of health. I really expect Wright to put up some monster numbers this season and take on the clubhouse leader role.

Jason Bay will be very interesting to watch this season. He has disappointed greatly ever since earning his monster contract with the Mets two years ago. Bay hasn’t managed to maintain hot streaks or get anything going these past two seasons. 

He has looked lost at the plate and he has also endured his share of pesky injuries through recent seasons. All of these things have culminated into a disaster for Bay. His career is hanging by a thread and he will need to perform this season if he wants to maintain a starter in this league.

Andres Torres was acquired by the New York Mets this offseason in the Angel Pagan trade. Torres and Ramon Ramirez made their way to Queens while Pagan packed his bags for the bay area. Not much is expected from Torres, as he is getting old quick and his numbers have been in a downwards spiral.

Torres is as hard a worker as anybody though. His hunger for success is unmatched and he has managed to keep himself in ideal shape. He hopes to prove himself as a viable leadoff hitter for New York this season. 

Torres will also be a huge part of the clubhouse. He was looked at as one of the team leaders back in San Francisco and he played a huge part in the Giants 2010 World Series run. 

The Mets lineup produced the 6th most runs in the National League last season. The team also managed to score more runs than the division champion, Philadelphia Phillies. All of that was done with half a year from David Wright, only one month of Ike Davis, a late arrival for Duda, and half a season for Jose Reyes.

Losing Reyes will hurt the Mets, but I strongly believe that his absence won’t hamstring the Mets lineup. The team continually scored runs last season regardless if Reyes was in the lineup or not. If Wright, Davis, and Duda can stay healthy then the Mets will score more runs than they did last season. Jason Bay is the X-factor for this team, as he can push the offense to a whole different level this season.

The Mets’ “achilles heel” last season was their pitching. The team struggled to get quality starts day in and day out, and the team also lost its share of games due to bullpen collapses. Mike Pelfrey stunk it up last season and one can only hope that he has the right mindset coming into 2012.

Jon Niese and Dillon Gee fizzled off near the end of the season, but they did enough to provide Mets fans with hope coming into 2012. R.A. Dickey was the Mets best pitcher last year and he should continue that trend this season. Santana and Dickey could provide the Mets with a more than serviceable one-two punch.

The pitching rotation has potential this season. Santana will provide the team with a true ace figure and that will work wonders for the rest of the rotation.

The bullpen was disastrous for New York last year. Leads were routinely blown as well as saves. A good bullpen could have transformed the Mets season, but it just didn’t work out. Sandy Alderson and Co. really concentrated on patching up the bullpen this offseason.

Frank Francisco was brought in to be the Mets’ new closer, along with Jon Rauch, and Ramon Ramirez. Lefty, Tim Byrdak is recovering well from surgery and it looks as if he will be a great lefty specialist for the Mets this season. Flamethrower Bobby Parnell has been stellar this spring too. If Parnell can harness his talent and translate it into results then the Mets will have themselves their future closer.

This Mets team might not blow people away, but the truth is that this ball club has a good amount of talent. A great mix of youth and experience can spell success for the Mets this season. If the Mets can stay relatively healthy in 2012 then they will compete.

A lot has to go right for this team this season, but crazier things have happened. No one picked the Giants to win it all in 2010 and absolutely no one expect Arizona to win the NL West last season. the long MLB season is about to begin and this is the time that Mets fans should be optimistic about their team. “Ya gotta believe!”

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David Wright sounded optimistic after his first spring training game on Monday.

“I feel good,” he told reporters after his four innings of play. “I feel healthy. I got a chance to dive around a little bit, run the bases a little bit, see some pitches, get some at-bats. Now it’s just a matter of getting reps.”

That isn’t a small matter.

The Mets third baseman sat out most of the spring recovering from a torn abdominal muscle. Now he’s got just two weeks to get ready for Opening Day.

For a player of Wright’s caliber, that’s not too much to expect. But there are other factors that are likely to slow Wright’s progress.

Here are five reasons why Wright may not have the right stuff in April.

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Those of you who have read my articles know how I feel about the beginning of a new baseball season. It is, without a doubt, the best time of year.

Each spring, as the earth awakens from its death-like slumber, I, like many baseball fans, am rejuvenated, filled with a renewed sense of innocence, hope and enthusiasm as I await the return of our national pastime. I wont repeat the reasons why—for further edification, see my article, “Baseball: More than Just Our national Pastime” from March 20th.

What many don’t know is that I am also a staunch Mets fan—have been forever. So while I am certainly brimming with boundless alacrity over the start of yet another baseball season, my affinity for the blue and orange brings with it an unflagging sense of hopelessness and desperation, rendering me suspended in the merciless tentacles of ambivalence.

How am I really supposed to feel?

As I sit at my computer, staring at the two vacant orange seats from Shea Stadium that adorn an entire office filled with Met paraphernalia, the emptiness resonates.

I have accepted for years that my allegiance to the Metropolitans comes with a very steep price tag. Good lord. Three World Series appearances in my 45 years and only one championship? Ugh. Tough to swallow. I have known the perils of rooting for quite some time, yet somehow, I just keep coming back.

But why?

Some would suggest that it may be an exaggerated sense of loyalty—maybe. I might offer that my introduction to baseball came at Shea Stadium, where my father and I sat together and enjoyed the universal language of this treasured sport.

This reminiscence reminds me that the Mets are endowed with a sort of mysticism that for me has the power to transcend time, transporting this middle-aged baseball junkie back to a time when things were easier and just made more sense.

Others who are far less sentimental and border on cynical would contend that I am twisted somehow, enamored with the ritualistic suffering most closely associated with one who participates in acts of masochism or values the art of martyrdom. 

Perhaps it is a confluence of all three.

In any event, this year, the trepidation I feel seems far more palpable. Any true Met fan knows the reason for this.

The team has been decimated by the Bernie Madoff scandal, and it is only now beginning to recover from it. Jose Reyes’ defection to Miami didn’t help any. And some untimely injuries have only exacerbated the angst and burgeoning feelings of calamity. We even lost Gary Carter, who despite his tenure with the Montreal Expos, holds a special place in New York Mets folklore.

The locusts can’t be far behind. 

But the one glaring issue, one that remains largely unspoken thus far because I suspect nobody in Met land wants to admit it, is the imminent departure of the last two New York Met marquee players—David Wright and Johan Santana. 

Let’s face it; in all likelihood, come July, the Mets will be reeling, and if most baseball prognosticators are correct, they will also be mired in last place in the NL East. 

Invariably, discussions about rebuilding for the future (will it ever really get here?) will ensue, and Mr. Wright and Mr. Santana will no longer be playing for The New York Mets. Their tenure with the team will be reduced to nothing more than a glorified audition—a day-to-day showcase of their skills and potential worth to a team that is looking to fortify its roster.

Let the auctioning begin. 

While this appears logical, I suppose, from a business perspective, it will be difficult to watch, especially in the case of Wright. Nothing warms the heart of a baseball purist more than watching a player work his way through the system, only to become a fixture with the parent club, the proverbial face of the franchise. The recent offensive struggles notwithstanding, that was to be David Wright—the player that Met fans had longed for since the days of Darryl Strawberry and Dwight Gooden. 

It will be a dark day in Flushing when Wright departs; the team that continues to languish in the shadows of the baseball empire just across town will be faceless once again.

The only hope is that from the complete dismantling of this team come prospects for the future, like Zack Wheeler who was obtained in the Carlos Beltran deal.

I’m looking at those orange seats from Shea again. I cannot help but smile. I guess I’m as hopeless as the team for whom I root.

Honestly, it doesn’t take much to make me happy. I don’t need league domination or 27 championships, although I would certainly not complain if either should occur. No, I’m much easier to please.

I just want to begin the season with some hope, just a glimmer, and not the feeling embodied in the “Family Guy” clip of little Stewie on opening day—forlorn and awash with despair as the play-by-play commentator announces after the very first pitch that the season is over. 

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With less than a month until New York Mets pitcher and catchers report to spring training in Port St. Lucie, Florida, many predictions about this 2012 squad have already been published. 

Whether these estimations have the Mets written off in a deep National League East, or as a sleeper candidate to finish above .500, you never know until game 162 is in the books.

It’s easy to be optimistic about this team as a life-long fan, but lets see what Mets “experts” have to say about this team as the 2012 preseason is only weeks away.

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Since Citi Field opened in 2009, the Mets‘ home ballpark has been the hardest to hit a home run in. Citi Field has only allowed 1.43 home runs per game, the lowest of any stadium.

With a 415-foot power alley in right center and a wall 16 feet high in some places, it’s easy to see why this was such a pitcher-friendly park.

Citi Field will have new, smaller dimensions, however, for the 2012 season. Most notably, the wall in right center field will be moving in 17 feet. In addition, most of the outfield will have eight-foot walls, which will also help make this park a more hitter-friendly one.

Let’s take a look at how this may affect the fantasy values of a couple of Mets heading into the upcoming season.

David Wright

All of the Mets sluggers should benefit from Citi Field’s alterations, but especially David Wright. Wright hit a home run every 20.4 at-bats prior to 2009, compared to every 28.5 at-bats since.

He is the only Met to surpass 20 home runs since their new park opened.  He has a lot of power to the opposite field, and will be glad that right-center will be getting a face-lift.

Look for a boost in production from Jason Bay, Ike Davis, Lucas Duda and especially David Wright, who could have his first 30 home run season since 2008.

Johan Santana

While the new dimensions won’t make it easier for any of the Mets’ pitchers, it will be especially tough on Johan Santana. Of the starters, Santana has the worst GB/FB ratio.

Mike Pelfrey, Jonathon Niese, R.A. Dickey and Dillon Gee all induce about the same amount of ground balls as fly balls.

Santana, on the other hand, has generated only 0.61 ground balls per fly ball in his career. This ratio was even worse the last two years, at 0.56 and 0.61 in 2009 and 2010, respectively.

You can expect that some of the fly balls that would have fell harmlessly in the huge outfield will now be leaving the yard for a home run.

Even if it weren’t for the dimension changes, I would have passed on Santana in upcoming fantasy drafts. His velocity has been in steady decline and his strikeout rate has followed suit.

Add in his recent shoulder surgery and the new Citi Field dimensions, and you’re looking at a very high-risk player. Let someone else pay for the name.

For more fantasy baseball insight and to join the Beat the Kings fantasy league challenge, visit us at http://www.fantasysportskings.com/.

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