The Amazin' Mess

well…well…it’s that time again.  Today, I bought opening day tickets and why not…it’s the one day a year that everybody starts in first place.

However, the franchise keeps stockpiling different meanings for the title of this blog. 

This offseason has been quite eventful (but not very eventful on the field) for the Mets:

We clean out the front office only to find the Wilponzi’s (Thanks Steve Somers) needing to clean their own house. 

Then here come the three “Sandyball” amigos, and most likely at the best time with all the probably financial restrictions coming down the pike.

Terry Collins will be a band-aid manager until somebody with more cache (that wants the job) comes along.

The Phillies land Cliff Lee.  The Braves and Marlins have more young talent about to flourish on their teams.  The Nationals even made some moves.  If Strasburg was pitching, we’d be projected to be in last.  Which reminds me…Vegas is got the Mets at 78 wins.  Which probably is about right, so what do we hang our hats on this season?

SP – Mike Pelfrey – Not a #1 starter, has the velocity to throw more strikeouts, but just doesn’t.  Completely engulfed my hand at the Mets VIP Party.

R.A. Dickey - It was great watching him last year.  When the Mets brought him up, initially I laughed and thought it was a pointless move.  Until I saw him pitch. Then I was laughing how many times I’d see hitters just loft flyballs into the huge CitiField outfield and Angel Pagan would run them all down.  Not to mention, my wife ruined his no-hitter.

Jon Niese – I don’t like the way he spells his first name, but that WHIP is gotta come down before I’m a believer.

Chris Young – If only this was a basketball team.  If healthy, and thats a big if, he could have success at home.  Super flyball pitcher + super big outfield + good outfield range = low home ERA.

Chris Capuano - Complete crapshoot. Crapuanoshoot.

Dillon Gee – Saw him at the VIP Party, kinda small, but had a solid September ERA.  Didn’t ask for his autograph.  That should spell out what I expect of him to do in 2011.

Pat Misch – AAAA starter with a nice WIP but no velocity.  Could possibly have more wins than Johan this year.

Johan Santana – No longer has the best changeup, no longer is a strikeout pitcher, no longer is worth his monster contract, and is no longer is healthy.  You are clearly on the decline.  See you in July, if we are lucky.  You deserve to be last on this list.

All in all, I suspect this staff to have a sub 4 ERA, especially since they pitch half of the time in CitiField.  Lets bank on Big Pelf being more consistent and less balky, Niese keeping up the strikeouts and lowering the hits and hoping to get R.A. Dickey part deux with the Chris Young I experiment.

Filed under: Mets