2004 New York Mets Preview
The Bottom Line:
Nobody will be fooled by the Mets again: they’re terrible. They’ve tried everything, and now they’re nothing more than the Bizarro-Yankees. Over the last three years, they’ve brought in high-priced free agents only to watch them fall apart and underachieve. They fired one high-profile manager (Bobby Valentine) and brought in another (Art Howe). At least the last few years people thought they’d be good, but this year it looks like a fourth place finish would be good, but a last place finish is much more likely. In the dream world, this line up could go the World Series, but in truth they won’t even contend. They have four unproven players (Matsui, Reyes, Phillips, and Wigginton), two offensive underachievers (Cameron and Cedeno), and two injury-riddled fading stars (Piazza and Floyd). That’s pretty much the same situation they’ve been in for the past three years. On the bright side, Mo Vaughn retired.
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Line Up:
I don’t even know what to say about the Mets anymore (This
applies to the pitching too). They’ve got some veterans. They got some
rookies. They’ve got a propensity for bad luck.
- Jose Reyes, 2B: Everybody seems to think he’s
the real deal. He needs some plate discipline, but who doesn’t when they’re
20? He stole 39 bases in 111 games between the Mets and AAA Norfolk.
- Kazuo Matsui, SS: It’s impossible to make a
prediction about the latest Japanese super star, but I can assure you of
this: he’ll be elected the NL’s starting shortstop for the All-Star game
over a much more deserving Edgar Renteria.
- Mike Piazza, C/1B: The strength of the entire
line up depends on him. Look for him to switch to first after he becomes
the all-time leader in homers by a catcher. His offensive numbers should
improve when he makes the switch.
- Cliff Floyd, LF: He’s still a force when he’s
healthy. He cut his season short last year to have surgery early so he
could be ready to go for 2004.
- Jason Phillips, 1B/C: He’ll play whatever
Piazza isn’t playing. He’s shown great plate discipline for a young player,
and should see overall improvement after his first full season.
- Mike Cameron, CF: Cameron’s defense is so good,
it almost doesn’t matter if he hits. But he’ll do that too. His numbers
should see a slight improvement just from leaving Seattle.
- Karim Garcia/Shane Spencer, RF: A platoon
situation for two slightly above average players.
- Ty Wigginton, 3B: He had an unspectacular, but
decent enough rookie season. He should show slight improvement, but he
doesn’t look like a future All-Star.
Pitching:
- Tom Glavine, L: This is a make or break year
for Glavine. He’s in the middle of a big three-year contract and
desperately needs to rebound from a terrible 2003 for which he has no
excuses. He’s chasing a milestone (300 wins), but if he’s as bad as last
year, it will take him four more years to get there.
- Al Leiter, L: He’s old, but he’s smart, and he
still gets the job done.
- Steve Trachsel, R: He’s really not as good as
his 2003 numbers suggest.
- Jae Seo, R: Looked good in his first season.
He was lucky to have a 3.82 ERA considering his poor walk ratio.
- Scott Erickson, R: He’s trying to hang on. You
just never know.
Closer Braden Looper, R:
He lost his job with the Marlins last year. The Mets hope he can be good enough
to do the job because they don’t have another option if he fails.
| Remarkably Similar |
|
W |
L |
PCT |
IP |
ER |
K |
BB |
ERA |
WHIP |
|
| Tom Glavine (15) |
251 |
157 |
.615 |
3528 |
1344 |
2136 |
1206 |
3.43 |
1.30 |
| Warren Spahn (14*) |
246 |
157 |
.610 |
3521 |
1154 |
1783 |
1014 |
2.95 |
1.18 |
I know Glavine had a bad year with no excuses, but he will
be a Hall of Famer when it’s all said and done.
Fantasy Top 5:
- Mike Piazza
- Cliff Floyd
- Kazuo Matsui
- Jose Reyes
- Tom Glavine
Posted by at March 29, 2004 10:55 PM