In case an Opening Day win against the Washington Nationals was not enough to prove that the Mets will be a force to be reckoned with, then the Mets’ 2015 schedule should do the trick. The Mets’ division is not as tough as it was in the past, because the Atlanta Braves & Philadelphia Phillies are rebuilding, and the Miami Marlins are not going to be as good as projected (just look back to 2012). Therefore, the National League East comes down to just two teams: the Mets and the Nationals. Yes, the Nationals are predicted to be one of the best teams in all of baseball, but the Mets proved Monday they can still deal with their division rivals. The Mets have an amazing schedule, young/great pitching and a decent offense…all of which will help them in 2015.
The Schedule: When looking through the Mets’ 2015 schedule, it seems that the Mets will not have a hard time winning games until late July/early August. For most of the first half of the season, the Mets will constantly face teams such as the Braves and Phillies, who are not going to be too hard to beat. Also, the Mets will play the Yankees in a few weeks at Yankee Stadium. Why is this good? Not only are the Yankees a weak team this season, but the Mets have a history of doing well at the new Yankee Stadium; and with lefties such as Lucas Duda and Daniel Murphy, the short porch in right field will certainly play well for the Mets. The Mets will also play the Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee Brewers, and the Arizona Diamondbacks, who are not great teams. This should allow the Mets to have a great first half.
The second half of the season will be a bit more difficult, because the Mets will start off facing the St. Louis Cardinals, Nationals, Los Angeles Dodgers, and San Diego Padres…four of the most competitive teams in the National League. However, the Mets have the pitching to compete with all four of these teams, which will allow them to keep cruising and eventually reach the playoffs.
The Pitching: It has been said again and again: the Mets have one of the best young rotations in all of baseball. Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom, John Niese, and the imminent arrival of Noah Syndergaard & Steven Matz are the main highlights of their starting pitching, while the bullpen is full of youngsters too such as Jenrry Mejia, Rafael Montero, and Jeurys Familia. This rotation will give the Mets at least 10 wins per pitcher, and the bullpen will do a spectacular job holding and saving games throughout the division. This will help them will be able to compete with nearly every team in the big leagues.
The Offense: The Mets had a hard time at the plate the last few seasons, but 2015 should be a turn of events. This past off-season, the Mets added former batting champ, Michael Cuddyer, and a new pitching coach, Kevin Long. Long was the New York Yankees hitting coach for the past few seasons, and worked with Curtis Granderson during the best years of Granderson’s career. With these two added and Granderson & David Wright reestablishing themselves, the Mets will be a threat at the plate this season…and that will allow them to win many more games.
Many National League ball clubs are bound to be good this season, but not many of them can match what the Mets have. An easier-than-usual schedule, a great pitching staff, and a revamped offense will all contribute the Mets making the postseason, and it seems safe to say that they will be playing for at least a Wild Card spot in September.
I love the enthusiasm, but cool down Dan. The Mets will not be going 162-0 as your enthusiasm would seem to suggest.
There is a lot to agree with in there, but somehow thinking the NL East is going to roll over for the Mets is a long way from reality. I can see the Phillies being beaten senseless, but they will be the doormats for the rest of the division, so no net gain there. It is a mistake to laugh off the Braves. Sure they are rebuilding, but they are doing so with a pitching-first plan, and their rotation is pretty decent. I also have seen a lot of misery at the hands of the Braves, and while the tide is changing, expecting dominance carries the risk of genuine embarrassment…they know how to beat the Mets. The same is true for the Marlins. I expect roughly head to head results maybe with the Mets coming up a shade better. The Nats are a different beast. We have a long record of losing to pretty piss-poor teams too, and still cant seem to win at home. Mark my words…the pen will be as painful as ever to watch. I like the basic structure of things for the team, and can see 84-87 wins as possible. Its pretty likely that keeps them on the outside looking in.
Nice points Dan. Your take on the schedule provides an interesting case for the Mets having a great first half, but possibly a difficult second half. I like seeing how the Mets compete against the better teams, as that provides a better scope on where they are in their quest for a World Series. The Nationals are going to be battered in the early part of the season, so it is important to beat them early and often.
I think that the Marlins are going to be a .500 team this season. If they hang around for the first part of the season, the addition of Jose Fernandez will help the starting rotation in a big way, and could push them forward into a Wild Card race.
Having a great first half works well for the Mets in the fact that it should lead them to a pretty good record going into the all-star break. If they are at that point, the front office will realize they still need that one piece to make them legitimate contenders in the second half and will trade for that big piece whether it be Tulowitzki or Castro or whatever the need is at the time of the trade.
Tyler, you’re right on. A strong first half would keep the fans comin too.
Those three weeks after the all star game make me shudder. 19 very difficult games with the first six of them on the road. The Mets need a strong first half to have the momentum (or dare I say cushion) to handle that stretch of games. Good point that the strength of the starting pitching should avert any disaster of a losing streak then.
Matt as you say it’s only one game. Where was the juggernaut offense we saw in spring training? Those teams that are viewed as bottom feeders are the ones the Mets have always had trouble against. Atlanta may be rebuilding but the Mets historically have never fared well in Atlanta. They need to play better than .500 at home as well if they are to have any meaningful games in August and September. The Mets probably need to split their games with the Nat’s and Marlins.and go 12-6 against Philly and Atlanta. Let’s hope the team stays healthy enough to give the Nat’s a run for the division.
I predict the Mets will have a worse record against the Marlins, than versus the Nationals.
Is that because the Mets have a tendency to play down to their opponents level Patrick?