Is the cup half empty or is it half full?
That simple question is supposed to provide some insight into one’s personality. How you describe the cup will tell if you are an optimist (half full) or pessimist (half empty). Well, we can forget the cup. Just ask your favorite Mets fan – or even yourself – is the 2010 team any good?
A really good team always has a lot of things go right. This Mets team has seen its share of good breaks. But it has also had more than its share of misfortune, too. Let’s break down what has gone good and bad after the 58-game mark, over 1/3 of the way through the season.
Good
Rod Barajas has 11 HR and it is not completely ridiculous to talk about him gaining an All-Star berth.
Ike Davis has come up and held his own, providing some power from his first base position.
David Wright has rediscovered his power stroke and leads the team with a 137 OPS+.
Angel Pagan shook off a poor April and looks like a starting-caliber outfielder.
Henry Blanco has been just as good as advertised defensively and come up with big hits, too.
Mike Pelfrey is 8-1 and may start the All-Star game.
Johan Santana has a 2.76 ERA and a 1.149 WHIP.
R.A. Dickey has come up from the minors, made four strong starts and is 3-0.
Francisco Rodriguez has rebounded from a horrible second half of 2009 to be a solid closer.
Hisanori Takahashi has been excellent in relief and serviceable as a starting pitcher.
Bad
Luis Castillo battled foot problems and has a .241 AVG and a .277 SLG.
Jose Reyes has shown glimpses of his 2005-2008 self, but has a .300 OBP.
Jason Bay, brought in for his HR bat, has hit just 3 homers.
A recent hot surge of 21 hits in 46 ABs has brought Jeff Francoeur’s season line up to .268/.326/.419.
Three hitters from the Opening Day roster played so bad that they were released.
Carlos Beltran has yet to play a game and probably will not return before mid-July.
John Maine was ineffective and lied again about being hurt.
Oliver Perez was ineffective and blocked the club’s attempts to send him to the minors.
Fernando Nieve foiled Jerry Manuel’s plot to pitch his arm off, although he does have a 6.23 ERA.
Ryota Igarashi got hurt when he started to establish himself and has been poor ever since.
So, there is plenty of ammunition on either side of the equation. There are no shortages of reasons to be either optimistic or pessimistic about this team’s chances. You can also point out that they have been unbeatable at home and extremely beatable on the road. You can complain about the manager’s in-game decisions or focus on how he has given everyone a chance and has a better roster now than on Opening Day.
Finally, you can look at Omar Minaya and be glad he did not overpay John Lackey, Jason Marquis, Joel Pineiro or Randy Wolf. Or you can look at his in-season track record and wonder if he has the capability to add the right missing piece in July or August to propel the team towards the playoffs.
So, tell me – Are the 2010 Mets any good?
I guess I am an optimist since I looked at the bad column and thought the Mets are in the East and Wild Card race despite everything on the list. I think the one that hurts the most (and might be the difference in winning when he comes back) is Beltran. There has been a lot of times when he’s enjoyed playing on the road more than at home so I wonder how much different the team would be with him right now.
I tend to be optimistic too. The pitching, though flawed, has held up for the most part. We just got to do it on the road!
Thanks fellas! I think after last year’s debacle, that optimism is the right response. As long as Pelfrey pitches like he has, this team has a shot at the Wild Card. And I don’t think many people predicted a playoff performance for the 2010 Mets.