[h=2]New York Mets: OVER 74.5 wins[/h] Let’s start by talking about two players the Mets will sorely miss, one obvious, one a little less so. First, there’s Matt Harvey, who was by any measure one of the 10 best pitchers in the majors last year — and who’s likely not going to throw a single pitch for the Mets this season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. And then there’s Marlon Byrd, who hit a splashy .285/.330/.518 in 117 games with New York before being traded to the Pirates.
Well, despite dealing with a mountain of crippling debt that likely won’t be paid off until Miley Cyrus’s 17th term in Congress, the Wilpons spent some actual money this offseason to fill those two voids, and to yank the Mets back to the brink of respectability. New starter Bartolo Colon turns 41 in May, but it’s tough to argue with the 2013 numbers he posted for Oakland, which included a 2.65 ERA that holds up well even by defense-independent standards. Newly signed outfielder Curtis Granderson hit just seven homers last year, and he’s never again going to top 40 homers like he did in 2011 and 2012,[SUP]1[/SUP] but he still projects as an above-average player if he can stay healthy for, say, 130 games. And new center fielder Chris Young is coming off a season in which he hit an even .200, but he’s still a solid defensive player who can draw walks and hit for power, making him a valuable piece if he can simply drag that average back above .240.
The biggest reason to get at least a little excited, though, is the Mets’ young starting pitching. Harvey’s lost for the year, but we’ll get to see a full season from fire-breathing right-hander Zack Wheeler, who owned one of the most effective fastballs in the National League last year and just needs to improve his breaking-ball command a bit to set up a potential breakout showing. Meanwhile, 21-year-old righty Noah Syndergaard has electric stuff of his own, closed the 2013 season with 11 dominant starts at Double-A, and could make his MLB debut by midseason. Huge credit goes to GM Sandy Alderson for turning a Carlos Beltran rental and a sell-high on R.A. Dickey into two pitchers who have as much potential as Wheeler and Syndergaard. The result could be one of the best young pitching trios in the game come 2015 … and enough juice this year to nudge the Mets higher in a division that includes two very strong opponents and two possible pushovers.
Don’t make any World Series plans just yet. But topping 75 wins? Very doable.
Well, despite dealing with a mountain of crippling debt that likely won’t be paid off until Miley Cyrus’s 17th term in Congress, the Wilpons spent some actual money this offseason to fill those two voids, and to yank the Mets back to the brink of respectability. New starter Bartolo Colon turns 41 in May, but it’s tough to argue with the 2013 numbers he posted for Oakland, which included a 2.65 ERA that holds up well even by defense-independent standards. Newly signed outfielder Curtis Granderson hit just seven homers last year, and he’s never again going to top 40 homers like he did in 2011 and 2012,[SUP]1[/SUP] but he still projects as an above-average player if he can stay healthy for, say, 130 games. And new center fielder Chris Young is coming off a season in which he hit an even .200, but he’s still a solid defensive player who can draw walks and hit for power, making him a valuable piece if he can simply drag that average back above .240.
The biggest reason to get at least a little excited, though, is the Mets’ young starting pitching. Harvey’s lost for the year, but we’ll get to see a full season from fire-breathing right-hander Zack Wheeler, who owned one of the most effective fastballs in the National League last year and just needs to improve his breaking-ball command a bit to set up a potential breakout showing. Meanwhile, 21-year-old righty Noah Syndergaard has electric stuff of his own, closed the 2013 season with 11 dominant starts at Double-A, and could make his MLB debut by midseason. Huge credit goes to GM Sandy Alderson for turning a Carlos Beltran rental and a sell-high on R.A. Dickey into two pitchers who have as much potential as Wheeler and Syndergaard. The result could be one of the best young pitching trios in the game come 2015 … and enough juice this year to nudge the Mets higher in a division that includes two very strong opponents and two possible pushovers.
Don’t make any World Series plans just yet. But topping 75 wins? Very doable.
I got over 73 on Bookmaker when it first came out. Defensively, their outfield might be one of the best in the league and that's worth something here IMO. They also have way more starting rotation depth this year than they did last year when they won 74. Should have no problem clearing it. Love this bet. 78-80 wins seems very doable.
