The Mets are at the half-way point. This have played 81 games, the perfect time for analysis.
So, tell me yours.
Pleased? Disappointed? Concerned? Confident?
Time to unload.
The Mets are at the half-way point. This have played 81 games, the perfect time for analysis.
So, tell me yours.
Pleased? Disappointed? Concerned? Confident?
Time to unload.
19 Comments
Hi John –
The word for how I feel about the Mets these days is ‘comfortable’.
seeming as they aren’t too far off from last year’s performance…i’m feeling alright…
they really pulled away from the pack after the allstar break right? if so i expect the same.
Gotta be pleased with the boys in first place with all the injuries and no Pedro. I’m a little concerned because they just don’t look like the world beaters from last year who put the hammer down on that early season road trip and never let go.
To quote my favorite sports writer, Oscar Madison, I’m worried they don’t have the “killer instinct” to win the World Series.
mets are doing ok. mets have been great in the MLB and have been drawing in tons of fans and support but if you compare the mets last year to this year youll see tht the playing style is sort of the same but the spirit tht was once there is kind of dying down a bit. when the starting roster is back to how it was without all these injuries maybe then the mets will have a ounce more spirit like they did last year and be able to win more games but they been doing really great this year and i love em to death.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwE6WEm7zMo
just a lil reminder of why the mets are so amazing.
From the day ST started, I had contended that this would be a second half team this year, as opposed to last years team which I felt was much more a first half team. I’m not quite as confident about that now, but the truth is this team’s first half was much better than I expected with the roster they entered the season with. I don’t think ANYONE would have predicted that John Maine would have 9 wins at the halfway point, let alone a sub 3.00 ERA. All people saw was Glavine’s rising ERA and declining peripherals. Its time for him to get his two more wins, get Pedro back into the mix (or not, just get some kind of closure on it), for David Wright to sit and watch the HR derby, and for this team to just generally get some of these monkeys off their back.
While I’m pleased to be in first place, it’s obvious we need the following upgrades to be able to finish there and compete in the playoffs:
1)The bullpen – I continue to say how much not having Duaner Sanchez has hurt the club. We need a more reliable option than Aaron Heilman. I hope Omar will try prying loose one or two of the following: Eric Gagne, Akinori Otsuka, Manuel Corpas, Brad Lidge, Anthony Reyes, david Weathers.
2) The bench – Sorry, but Julio Franco is NOT Rusty Staub. He should be cut loose and made a coach. Willy Taveras, Randy Winn, or Jeff Conine would be nice bench pieces.
3) The lower part of the lineup – I love Carlos Gomez and we definitely need his speed and glove late in the game and in the playoffs, along with Endy Chavez, but he’s not yet ready as a hitter. We can’t afford to give up another out besides the pitcher’s spot. Maybe this is where having Taveras or Winn would help. Even IF Alou comes back for the second half, who’s to say he won’t get hurt again?
4) The starting rotation – even IF Pedro returns and pitches like the Pedro of old, we should still deal a top prospect or two if necessary to get an elite arm such as Roy Oswalt, Aaron Harang, Erik Bedard or Dontrelle Willis. Frankly, right now having Tom Glavine pitching in the playoffs scares me (twice in a five games series and in the NLCS makes me think of getting Prozac and the idea of his pitching in the World Series against an American League team like Cleveland, LA, Boston or Detroit gives me nightmares).
I’m cautiously optimistic. We have to realize that the Mets are only in first place because of the poor play of both the Phillies and Braves during the month of June.
I still wonder why Valentin is playing as much as he is given that his range of motion is not as much as before his knee injury. I would love to see Ruben Gotay become the regular starter.
Bring up Milledge for the second half and let Ledee go back down to New Orleans.
Why is Delgado still batting 5th when he leaves men on base so many times? Why not bat him 6th or even 7th…if his ego can’t handle it—then he needs to put the team before the ego.
Sometimes the decisions by Randolph leave me scratching my head. He seems to look at things with rose colored glasses.
Franco is deadwood and should be cut or made a coach.
One vote for Gil. Exactly the way I would have put it, with maybe some name exceptions.
Cautious optomism. I can’t believe that we are in first despite playing terrible baseball for most of June. I am optomistic that some guys will have a great second half. Reyes, Wright, Beltran and Delgado will probably have better production in the second half…I hope. The caution comes primarily with our bullpen and the fact that we need another starter to go along with Maine….could be Pedro..but, we have no idea what to expect from Pedro.
I am very pleased at how they’ve been holding up these 2 years. The slumps have me a little worried. But compared to the horrid years. This is all GRAVY!
Lets Go Mets Go.
100 WINS STILL POSSIBLE
AS METS REACH HALFWAY POINT
Having closed out the first half of their season after last nights game (Mets lost to the Rocks last night, 6-2—see below), I think the Mets will have a far better second half, primarily because of the shot of perseverence administered to themselves and [inadvertently] by MLB schedulers. I do believe that the ‘June Swoon’, which nearly ejected them out of first place in the NL East (and which they somehow seemed to have miraculously survived with the help of the Braves and Phils), was a blessing in disguise. Yeah, their poor offense and a bullpen that was lacking was mostly to blame, but it sure didn’t help for MLB to schedule the Mets to play NINETEEN straight games against playoff teams from 2006 between June 5-28. In fact, the Mets are the first team in MLB history scheduled to play ALL MLB playoff teams from the previous year. (San Diego was the only one of the bunch not included in the Mets’ June schedule; they play the Mets later this summer).
PS: So after staying on top even after an atrocious June, I think that the Mets will open their cupboard and find a case of whoop-ass that has yet to be open. Because of this and despite the MLB schedule makers’ ‘infinite wisdom’ (and/or disdain toward the Mets), I believe that the Mets will reach 100 wins. And even with Perez and Sosa on the DL, I believe the offense will explode and vault them to a double-digit lead in the NL East before July is done. A big thanks goes out to the MLB schedule makers, as you will have unintentionally induced championship perseverence into the psyche of this year’s New York Mets. Final record: 100-61.
trade milledge and fransico pena for buerhle, dye and aardsma.
Fortunately there is no team in the division that will give the Mets problems. Phillie – no pitching, Atlanta – best days are behind them. That being said, Mets still need some help. Need a starting pitcher. Someone that can eat innings and keep them in the ball game. Cannot wait for Pedro. Need an outfielder, someone with a little pop in their bat. Gomez does not belong in the ML yet. Need a solid bat off the bench. Release Franco and get a guy that can at least get a hit 25% of the time. If not, the playoff run will be one and done.
Yes, cautiously optimistic just about sums it up – in so many ways:
– Will Alou get and stay healthy? – Will Pedro return? Will he be successful? – Can Dave Williams be the long man to give the rest of the BP some rest? – Will Carlos D find his swing? – Will OP and Johnny Maine continue their first half dominance? – Will Tommy G get and stay on track? – Will Endy/Milledge be healthy enough to contribute? – Will Valentin stay healthy? – Will Schoeneweis only pitch on the road?
So many question marks but if the answer to more than half of these questions is YES, this team can run away with the division. So you have to feel pretty good, but cautiously optimistic is the best way to put it.
The most amazing stat I’ve read is that they’ve yet to win 5 in a row this year.
To put that in perspective, they’re playing consistently good ball (with the June swoon a notable exception).
The idea that they haven’t really gotten hot and had a long winning streak suggests that they could enjoy an even better second half.
As for roster adjustments, I’d look to add either a big bat or a front-end starter, as well as replace Franco with a cheap veteran alternative like Jeff Conine.
well at the beginning of this season I felt like the Mets were a 89 win team. So they’ve performed about the way I’ve expected, aliet with a strong start and sharp correction in June.
My concerns are the same as they were at the start. Age and injury prone-ness, lack of clutch hitting by the middle of the order carrying over from last year, and a comfort that comes to a team the year after an ‘easy’ year like 2006.
The think that has dissapointed me this year is how the offense seems to go into hibernation. They get 2-4 runs early and then go to sleep, letting bad pitcher after bad pitcher get through six innings instead of pounding them and the early relief into the ground like last year. Thats really the only thing I didnt see coming.
Don’t have to say anything. You guys said it all. I like Brett’s Oscar quote the best.