2012 MLB Season Preview: New York Mets

Call to the Pen’s 2012 MLB Season Preview continues with the New York Mets. The Mets are in disarray and fans can thank the owner, Fred Wilpon. He is being sued in an effort to reclaim money from the Bernie Madoff ponzi scheme. It is a shame that a franchise is linked to such a mess. It is one thing to be ridiculed because of your play, but another to chided because the owner made a massive financial mistake. Unfortunately, it has taken a toll on what general manager Sandy Alderson can do to make the Mets better on the field. He thought he had it rough in Oakland when he was the GM for the A’s. At least then he knew going in that he didn’t have a lot to spend. Payroll was not among the issues Alderson figured to be a concern when he took control after the 2010 season. Now the Mets are in cost control mode and the future looks bleak until the ownership issues subside.

2011 NEW YORK METS SEASON RECAP

The Mets hired Terry Collins to take over the team from Jerry Manuel after he and former GM Omar Minaya were given the boot following the 2010 season. Expectations were not very high going into the 2011 season as the Mets had just wrapped up a 79-83 season in 2010, their fourth straight season missing the playoffs. The Bernie Madoff lawsuit instantly affected the way Alderson could create the roster.

The season started off without Johan Santana and Jason Bay available to play. Santana was never able to get on the field in 2011 after complications due to rotator cuff surgery in 2010. Bay returned, but was as ineffective as ever.

The biggest bright spot for the Mets was the incredible season displayed by their now former shortstop Jose Reyes. Reyes became the first player in Mets history to win the batting title, hitting .337 for the season. In only 126 games, Reyes scored 101 runs, stroked 31 doubles, legged out 16 triples and stole 39 bases.

Like Reyes, many of the Mets had a hard time staying on the field in 2011. David Wright, their all-star third baseman played in only 102 games and Bay the underachieving high priced outfielder appeared in 123. Ike Davis, their first baseman, was off to a great start when he was lost for the remainder of the season after hurting his ankle. In 34 games, Davis had 7 homers and 24 RBI while hitting .302.

One player who was healthy for a change and performing well was Carlos Beltran. He was hitting .289 with a .904 OPS prior to being traded to the San Francisco Giants for prospect Zack Wheeler. Beltran was set to be a free-agent after the season; so the trade considering the Mets position in the standings and their financial misgivings was no surprise.

The injuries allowed the Mets to give some playing time to a few of the younger players and a couple of them provided some good production. Daniel Murphy hit .320 with 6 HR, 49 R, and 49 RBI good for a 3.2 WAR. Lucas Duda showed some pop with 10 home runs and 50 RBI in 348 plate appearances.

On the mound, the Mets felt the loss of Santana. Without a top flight starter the team had a hard time establishing any rhythm and there was no stopper for losing streaks. Rookie Dillon Gee led the team with 13 victories. The team was expecting good things from Mike Pelfrey, but he was disappointing with a 7-13 record and a 4.74 ERA.

The bullpen was led by Francisco Rodriguez, who recorded 23 saves for the Mets until he was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers on July 12th. The Mets used a few players in the closer role for the remainder of the season with Jason Isringhausen taking the final save chances and ultimately recording his 300th career save.

The Mets finished the season with a 77-85 record and fourth in the National League East, 25 games back of the Philadelphia Phillies.

2012 NEW YORK METS OUTLOOK

The Mets are set to have an opening day payroll in the mid-$90 million range. The Mets were as active as they could be under the financial duress. They received Torres and Ramirez for Pagan. The swap of Pagan for Torres was a financial choice as the players are somewhat similar in what they bring to the table, though it can be argued Pagan is a better hitter. In the end Torres will cost the Mets less than Pagan would have and right now that matters.

At the plate, the Mets are hopeful that Wright can put his injury plagued 2011 season behind him. With such a young squad surrounding him, the veteran third baseman is one of a few players with run producing abilities. It was announced yesterday that Wright is suffering from a muscle tear on the left side of his ribcage but professed he’ll be ready for opening day.

Speaking of the youngsters, there are three who are looking to build on their rookie campaigns in 2011; Duda, Tejada and Thole. Each player saw significant playing time and performed well. Duda has legit power, Tejada has long been touted as a top flight prospect and Thole was exactly what they hoped for behind the plate.

Torres is speedy but has a problem getting on base enough to utilize the speed. He has a career .318 OBP. He did steal 19 bases in 2011, but will have to concentrate on setting the table for Wright, Davis and Bay and Duda.

Murphy will man second base and is still learning the position. The Mets really like what he can do at the plate and are willing to let him learn on the job. He started 19 games at second in 2011.

Davis would like to pick up exactly where he left off before hurting his ankle last season. There is no reason to expect that he won’t. He is 100% healthy and will be the cleanup hitter for the Mets.

Bay has been a major disappointment since coming over to the Mets. There is no reason to expect that he will play a large role in any success the Mets have in 2012.

The excitement for the Mets surrounds the return of Santana to the mound. Santana has thrown just under 5 innings in Spring Training as of the publication of this preview and has not allowed an earned run. He is feeling good and hopeful for a successful 2012 campaign. The question is will he hold up and how many innings can the Mets really expect from Santana?

As for the rest of the rotation, the Mets need a bounce back season from Pelfrey. If he can regain some of the ability he displayed in 2010, he’ll settle back into the number two position in the rotation. Dickey pitched better than his record, but we’re talking about a knuckle-ball pitcher so anything can happen. He has produced back-to-back seasons with a WAR of at least 2.5 which is just a bit above average. Niese pitched much better than his 4.40 ERA lets on as his FIP was 3.36. On the flip side, Gee recorded the most wins, while posting the worst ratios of the staff.

In the bullpen, the Mets have a multitude of players who have recorded saves during their career. Francisco is coming off an up and down season with the Toronto Blue Jays, but he possesses the ability to strikeout batters at a high clip (career 9.92 K/9). Ramirez had a nice season for the Giants in 2011 as a set-up guy. Rauch took over the closing duties from Francisco at one point in Toronto last season, but is better suited in a set-up role. Parnell and Acosta will round out the bullpen which hopes to be more consistent than last season.

The Mets play in one of the toughest, if not the toughest, division in the National League. If the team is able to avoid major injuries they may be a bit more competitive in 2012, but the entire division can say the same thing. While the Mets have a chance of getting back to .500, too much has to go right for that to happen. I would suspect a 72-90 record is closer to the end result and wouldn’t be shocked if they finish in last place in the NL East.

Find your team’s 2012 season preview or when it will be published here.

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You can follow Chris Carelli on Twitter at @Chris_Carelli.