In the spirit of the Thanksgiving holiday, I thought I would form a top 10 list of things Mets’ fans should be thankful for. Granted, it’s not really a lot fun being a Mets’ fan these days with a string of four straight losing seasons, a limited budget and an owner who is dividing the fanbase.
However, at this time of year it’s not healthy to be angry and bicker amongst each other. We should appreciate the things we have. So, without further ado, here are the top 10 things we (Mets’ fans) should be thankful for.
1. R.A. Dickey– Dickey is quickly becoming a Mets’ legend before our eyes. Dickey is a crowd favorite, a humanitarian, a competitor and, oh yeah, he’s the NL Cy Young winner! Hopefully he’ll stick around in Queens for a few more years.
2. David Wright– Although he has had his ups and downs, Wright has always been the stabilizing force in the Mets’ clubhouse and still the face of the franchise. Wright is what you want in a player-on and off the field. Hopefully, the Mets could sign him up long term as well.
3. Johan Santana finally throwing the first ever Mets’ no-hitter- No more will we have to worry about the no-hitter drought. On one magical June night, Santana delivered what all Mets’ fans have been waiting for since 1962! Here’s to hoping Santana can have a healthy and productive season in 2013, in what could be his final year in Queens.
4. Ike Davis turning the corner- For a while there last year, a lot of us had doubts in Davis’ game, as he looked completely lost at the plate. But credit Davis for fighting through a terrible slump to rebound with fantastic second half. For a team deprived of serious power, Davis has it in spades and 2013 just might be his breakout year.
5. The emergence of Matt Harvey– For a team in need of a shot in the arm last year, Harvey gave the Mets exactly what they needed: a power arm and hope for the future.
6. Dependable starting pitch depth- As the saying goes: you can never have enough pitching. Depending on what happens in the offseason with regards to trades, etc. the Mets will have five quality arms in Dickey, Santana, Harvey, Jonathon Niese, Dillon Gee and maybe even Mike Pelfrey if he is brought back. Plus, the Mets still have some arms (which we’ll get to later) in the minors that could help.
7. Ruben Tejada developing into a quality shortstop- After Jose Reyes departed last year, there was serious questions if Tejada could come in and fill the gigantic shoes left behind by Reyes. Well, with a .289/.333/.351 slash line and a steady glove, Tejada is making people forget about Reyes and could be a cornerstone for the club for years to come.
8. The fact that Jason Bay is gone- This is not an indictment on Bay the person, as he was a great teammate, hustler and all-around good guy. But, for the Mets to truly have a clean slate, Bay needed to go and I’m thankful that both parties parted ways the way they did.
9. Daniel Murphy getting better at second base– Maybe I’m biased in my love for Murphy, but I think Murphy can be an adequate second baseman. We know Murphy can hit and his offense-at times-can make up for some deficiencies in the field.
10. Zack Wheeler waiting in the wings- As previously mentioned, the Mets already have a solid staff and it could get even better once Wheeler is eventually promoted. Wheeler has shown great promise down on the farm and he could further invigorate the squad once he gets the call.
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9 out of 10 is not bad.Daniel Murphy at 2nd base is not something we should be thankful for and PLEASE can we untie our umbilical cord with Mike Pelfrey and let him take his licks somewhere else.
10 out of 10.
I like Murphy, his attitude, hustle, and enthusiasm for the game. At times, in the 2nd half, he looked like he was not only able to handle 2nd base, he showed athletic flashes of a golden glove. I recognize that GG means consistency, but based on his personality, my guess is that he is working hard this off season on his defense.
10 out of 10.
Great article.
Jason Bay has a good personality too! So what about all the errors he committed at 2nd base?I know it’s not his natural position and I never said he didn’t give 100 percent. But to learn a new position at the major league level is unfair to ask any more of him then what we have seen. Just ask Duda how he feels about playing left field.
Murphy only had 15 errors for the season and did not commit an error in his last 23 games.
The only NL second baseman with more errors than Murphy was Richie Weeks with 16.
That seems much worse than it is. Two AL second basemen had more errors and even if you want to limit it to NL 2B – it’s still a matter of innings played. 16 teams in the NL and only 7 NL 2B played more innings than Murphy. Theriot, Infante and Forsythe all would have matched or exceeded Murphy’s error totals if they played his innings and Utley would have been close.
Was Murphy a good defensive 2B last year? No, he was not. But he stayed healthy all year and showed improvement as the year went on. At the beginning of the year, half the fan base was convinced he would never make it through an entire season without getting hurt. He did that. People worried that if he did manage to stay healthy for a full season that he would be far and away the worst second basemen around. And he wasn’t. I don’t see any way someone can honestly look at Murphy’s defensive work at 2B last year and not be happy with either his effort or his output.
I look forward to continued improvement from Murphy in the field in 2013.
But his fielding percentage was the worst in the league last year for any second baseman who played in over half his club’s games. His range factor per 9 innings played was better only than Weeks’ and Theriot’s, and his total zone fielding runs were only better than Weeks, Forsythe, Altuve and Theriot.
I was happy with Murphy’s effort…and I’m fine with keeping him at second, the offense outweighs the negative defense…and I expect he’ll improve, but he’s poor out there. That shift to put him in the outfield grass is an attempt to minimize it. His work ethic and his exceeding the terribly low expectations (just don’t get hurt) of many, shouldn’t get his poor results whitewashed in my view.
I was content with Murph’s defense last year. Yes he made some bonehead plays but he also had some nice flashy plays as well. I think the best indication of how he did was that i did not hear a peep about Murphy’s defense at all during season(maybe the bullpen problems dwarfed that).
I still think defense is overrated and now sure how Brenden Ryan is still in the major leagues.
Murphy is clearly the worst fielding 2B in the NL regardless of how many errors he makes. Most advanced stats support that conclusion. He needs an .800 minimum OPS to retain his job.
Brian, I didn’t have the stat, but just went on memory. Thanks.
Pete, I agree it is really something challenging to ask a player to learn a new position, but I was impressed, especially in August-September by Murphy’s fielding. I went from “I think he can handle this position” right up to “wow, he is more than holding his own!” and was sheepish about posting that he was fielding like a golden glover. I feel like Mets fans do not appreciate him defensively and that a load of teams would love to grab him. 40 doubles, sold defense, .290 in an all around team guy? Wow.
And all that equaled 4th place….I’m so thankful. Hopefully reasons 11 thru 20 are on the way and yet to be aquired.
#1,2,3 and 6 are definitely worth being grateful for. Bay departing and aquiring some immediate payroll flexibility, maybe. The rest is a stretch. Davis salvaged a season, not turned a corner. Harvey just got his feet wet which I would not call an emergence. Tejada was average and not the caliber of making people forget Reyes. Grateful to hope someone can be an adequate second baseman? Those only keep us grasping at mediocrity and as a long time fan I want better. As for Wheeler, fingers are crossed, but weren’t Familia, Mejia and McHugh all supposed to be ready by Spring 2013? Dan, I’m an optimist also but a realist.
Tejada tailed off at the end, but he was above .300 for most of the season and did make me forget Reyes.
He a very similar player to Andrus, with a tad less power, and people seem to covet him.
I think people forget that Ike had Valley Fever during spring training.A severe case of this illness takes anywhere from 6 months to a year to fully recover.Bed rest is recommended and limiting the amount of exercise helps the healing process.I lived in Arizona for 7 years and have had friends stricken with this sickness.It saps your energy and requires all your strength just to get out of bed.So for Ike to accomplish what he did is quite remarkable and a tribute to him gutting it out.
In response to Greggofboken I couldn’t agree with you more. Absolutely 100% on mark. Fielding errors are one thing, what about mental errors that don’t show up on the scoreboard. He’s a work in progress. In all fairness Murphy is better suited for the American League as a DH while occasionally playing first or second base.
I love Dickey, but the Mets are not winning anything next year or the year after and Dickey is 38 by opening day. Jeff Passan wrote yesterday that the Royals are offering top outfield prospect Wil Myers for a frontline starting pitcher. I’d offer Dickey for that in a heartbeat, or to the Angels for Trumbo or Bourjous. Dickey’s value will never be higher. The Mets to strike. He is of limited value to the team after that.
While the Mets may trade Dickey at some point in time, his value will not diminish with age.So I don’t see your point as for him being 38 next season. After all throwing a knuckle ball isn’t age related and he won 20 games at age 37.So are you going to complain when no one shows up to watch the Mets play at Citifield? Other than Johan(who is more vulnerable to injuries as he ages and continues to strengthen his shoulder from surgery)who is there to go see? When attendance falls below 20,000 per game what do you think the Wilpons will do? Sell? I don’t think we will be that fortunate. As for Trumbo where do you play him? He’s a natural first baseman with over 150 strikeouts this year. I know he had 32 home runs but only 19 doubles in almost 600 at-bats and his OBP was barely above 300. Let’s wait and see what Sandy pulls out of his magic hat.