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Analysis of the Mets in 2004 By: MLB Guru While the moves by General Manager Jim Duquette are probably far from over, he has already accomplished a lot. Unlike ex-GM Steve Phillips, Jim Duquette has made some signings that will have a big impact on the club in more ways then one. I will break down the team apart and give you an analysis of what to expect from the Mets in the 2004 season. Starters The Mets have always been known for pitching or at least Shea Stadium has been known to be a pitcher friendly park. This will be important for the Mets whose staff consists of Al Leiter, Tom Glavine, Steve Trachsel and Jae Weong Seo. While the Mets might not have a 5th starter this organization is trying to go through a rebuilding process while being competitive at the same time which may lead one to believe that the Mets will go with another rookie from their farm system and try to uncover this year's Seo. The Mets currently do not have any one who can throw over 95MPH or at least stay consistent in that area. By not having any flamethrowers that means that the starters will have to rely on control and consistency with their location. Less speed, more margin for error. Al Leiter known for his nasty cutter will have to lead this staff. Last year he got off to a bad start but it sure didn't end that way. In the second half, Leiter was back to the form Mets fans are used to seeing. Tom Glavine who has been criticized by many Met fans should be back into form this year. He endured his injuries this season but many fans fail to see that Glavine had many good starts and he's better than his record shows. Glavine known for giving up many grounders and being effective on the corners will have to get used to the Questec system. Glavine will need defense to back him up and that shouldn't be much of an issue this year. Trachsel who is probably the most consistent pitcher on the starting staff right now will just have to continue doing what he's been doing. With an improved team he should be better if he can continue with his consistency. Seo had his ups and downs but he showed what he can do this season. He is one of the keys to the future. He played more games than usual which might have had an effect on him but then again it is said that he picked up speed on his ball towards the end of the season which could mean that he will be ready for this season. As long as he improves and remains consistent he will be a key to the Mets' success. The addition of Rick Peterson 'Baseball's pitching guru' he might be able to help out Seo and some of the starters. I give them a 6/10 in this category. Relief The relief coming from the bullpen will be very important this year. With the addition of Looper and a comeback from Strickland this team should have a pretty decent bullpen. Weathers needs to improve on his warm ups. It seems that he didn't fare that well against the first batter this season and it caused many problems for him on the mound. If he can get through the first guy then I think he will be able to eat up innings effectively. Stanton while he is beyond his prime, of course many on the staff are, he will need to more effective going out to face right handed batters. Strickland isn't due back until May or June but he is young and can go get em. He will be very important and will need to start off the way he started off last season. John Franco will be John Franco. While in his 40s he showed last season that he can go out and pitch effectively. He will need to do the same this year. Grant Roberts has to show that he can stay healthy for a whole season if the Mets want to get anywhere. He's effective when he's on his game and he's pretty consistent in his style of pitching. Looper being the newest addition to the Mets' bullpen will have to close out games and big ones too. He can reach 97MPH but will also need to rely on his control. He will be an important key to the Mets' success this year. Other guys worth mentioning are Pedro Feliciano, Dan Wheeler, and Tyler Yates. They might see some time with the Mets this year and will be important keys to the Mets' future. Rick Peterson will sure have his hand full with many of these young throwers. They should benefit from his presence. I give them a 5.5/10 in this category. Overall their pitching staff is very decent and will probably do better than last year. Many fail to realize but this team brought up many young pitchers last year to see what they had and that created instability in the Mets' staff. That shouldn't be a problem this year. Everyone in the staff seems to know their role towards next season. Overall I give the Mets' staff a 6/10. Offense Their offense was only the second worst to the Dodgers and even at that they tied in some offensive categories with the Dodgers. The Mets added Kazuo Matsui this off-season as a Japanese import with outstanding speed and pop on his bat. He will be the table setter for the team and will need to get on-base for that to happen. His strikeouts will need to come down but he should be able to hold his own. While being new to the league he should do very well in the top of the order even in this pitcher's park. Jose Reyes had major success batting in the 2-hole and will have one full season to show that his 3 month success wasn't a fluke. He has incredible speed as well and batting in front of Piazza or Floyd will get him many pitches to hit. The Mets lacked Piazza's bat and Floyd wasn't present when Piazza came back from his injury as well. Both guys will be very and I stress very important to the Mets offense. They will probably be the 3-4 punch in the lineup and might chance on occasion but with them in the lineup the team will have insurance and protection. First base will also be a spot where Piazza gets to see some time which will allow his bat to be in the lineup more often then not. Jason Phillips who had a stellar season playing 1B last season was very good with the bat. He showed a lot of contact and signs of power. His speed isn't the greatest but he will continue to build on last year's success. The addition of Cameron is probably just as important to the lineup offensively just as defensively. Cameron is known to strikeout a lot but many fail to see his outstanding gap-hitting and power. He has average speed and will probably do better in Shea than he did in Safeco. Wigginton who really struggled had to adjust to the pitchers. His strikeouts are too much and he will need to cut on them and show more patience and contact and power this year. Karim Garcia who will most likely have the starting role but might platoon as well adds to the depth in the lineup. He gives it more power from the leftside but the problem is he can’t hit lefties that well. I give them a 6.5/10 in this category. Defense This is probably the one thing they have done a great job at improving. Behind the plate we have Piazza, known more for his bad throwing then anything else he will be important in blocking balls and calling the games. In a typical Piazza season all you have to worry for is his throwing other than that he should be seeing time behind the plate as well as first base. He will get time at Spring Training to practice first base. Jason Phillips showed better defense at first base than behind the plate. He should signs of being lost here and there due to the fact he was playing out of position but with Spring Training he should be able to work on things at first and behind the plate that will help his overall game. At second the Mets could be seeing Reyes turning the double-play a lot. Although he made basic errors last year at SS he should be able to make the switch to second very easily. With his outstanding arm and good range he can probably be considered one of the top second basemen in the league but that is yet to be seen. Matsui will cover SS and scouting reports say his defense is comparable to Nomar Garciaparra's. Adjusting to grass shouldn't be a problem and with a great arm and great range he should be outstanding at SS. Wigginton showed he can play 3B but he isn't anything spectacular not to say he is terrible though. With an average glove at 3B and good range he should be able to improve from last year. Floyd will be in left and has above average defense with a decent arm. He knows how to hustle and with his good speed should be able to cover a lot of ground. Cameron will roam centerfield and will showcase this outstanding defense this year in Shea. Let's just say he's a Gold Glove winner. In Right Field the Mets might have a platoon job between Karim Garcia, Roger Cedeño, and Timo Perez. It is unknown but most likely Karim Garcia is the one who will be starting. His defense is average and brings a decent arm. He’s going to go after the ones he can get other than that he’s an upgrade from what the Mets had last season. I give them a 7/10 in this category. Bench As of right now they have a weak bench but somewhat improved from last year. Timo Perez who has a great bat in terms of contact and is good as a fourth outfielder. His defense and decent speed allow him to cover ground. His bat is good, against righties. He doesn't strikeout much but he doesn't walk much either. He'll be good coming off the bench and starting some games. Raul Gonzalez will be a backup outfielder and should see some playing time. But he doesn't offer a great deal with the bat either. Although his defense is average at most he can do good coming off the bench as a backup right handed batter. Joe McEwing who is known to be able to play all positions will be a great utility man for defensive purposes. His role will be coming off the bench to give starters a rest. His bat isn't that great and has diminished somewhat but he will be important giving everyone a rest here and there. Vance Wilson is going to be important. He will backup behind the plate but will start some games as well. He is better known for his defense. Great at almost every aspect of a catcher's game. His bat is decent and he has pop. He will be good coming off the bench and starting. Cedeño has had back to back failing seasons. He will need a comeback if anything else. His future is unsure but expect him to do a repeat of 2003 which wouldn't be the worst thing in the world especially if he’s coming off the bench or platooning. Obviously more holes need to be filled and this bench doesn't offer a whole deal but they can go out there and give everyone a rest now and then. I give them a 4.5/10 in this category offensively. I give them a 5/10 in this category defensively. As an overall team I give them a 6.5/10. This team has a chance in the NL EAST. They have to stay healthy and just go about their game and it won't be such a disappointing season in New York. There are many great things to see this year at Shea stadium. A very big improvement from last year I must say. Financially the team has been patient and looked at many of their resources. They have put together a team that should be winning many games this year. Maybe they’ll even be in the Wild Card race. They have offered short-term low costing contracts that won't have long term effects on the franchise. With the addition of Kazuo Matsui the Asian fan base should be very supportive. Reaching .500 shouldn't be too hard for this team if things go right but a 79-83 record seems like something they will most likely reach but I can see them getting more than that. Ya Gotta Believe! |
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