Stephen Guilbert - Five Things I Look Forward to in 2012

In my 2011 wrap post, instead of harping on the past or musing about a 2014 dream team, I would like to remind you all some of the things we have to look forward to, even if the Mets will likely finish in last place in the NL East. There are five things I think have a strong chance of occurring in 2012. I am earnestly looking forward to all five and, even in writing this, I found myself immediately craving the stadium, the bright green grass and the sound of the ball hitting the catcher’s mitt.

Without further ado, in 2012:

1) Johan Santana and his smooth delivery from the left side will take the mound once again.

2) The Mets, even in the worst of scenarios, will still celebrate victory 50 times. That is still a lot of handshakes, chest bumps and “spotlights.”

3) The Mets will have their first 30-home run hitter since 2008. Only 23 players accomplished that feat in 2011 and with a healthy David Wright and full seasons from Ike Davis and Lucas Duda - all with much hitter-friendly dimensions - take your pick on which one will do it. My money is on our third baseman.

4) Young, exciting players will make their debuts. What better place to talk about prospects than Mack's Mets? I am not an advocate for letting any of our “big four” pitching prospects see playing time in Flushing in 2012, but I am not the guy making the decisions. If they do, it sure will be something to watch. And if they don’t, you can still expect debuts from Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Reese Havens, Jordany Valdespin, Zach Lutz and possibly Juan Lagares and Matt den Dekker. I am particularly excited to see what "Captain Kirk" and Havens can do in spring training. Both have the potential to secure starting spots on next year’s club and both bring a diverse skill set to the table.

5) The gates to Citi Field will open on Thursday, April 5^th, when the Mets host the Atlanta Braves. Baseball will be back in New York. When Santana or R.A. Dickey throws that opening pitch of the season, I suspect that we will all forget about the team’s troubled finances, a disheartening off-season and all the drama that has surrounded the New York Mets since the last time we watched a game. Baseball will be back and from the moment that first pitch is thrown up until the end of those first nine innings of baseball, the Mets will at least be tied for first place. Until the standings say otherwise, I will always have some naïve hope that the Mets have a shot in 2012.

I cannot express how much I am looking forward to watching Lucas Duda crush a 450-foot home run, or Ruben Tejada working a 10-pitch walk to bring up a resilient Justin Turner who - like clockwork - will slap a single the other way to move Tejada over to third and start a late-inning Met rally. I cannot wait to watch Davis veer closer and closer to the Mets dugout to catch an errant foul ball that few other first basemen in the game are athletic enough to even think about. I look forward to the game’s best hitters looking like little leaguers against Dickey’s knuckleball and I truly want to see what Frank Francisco can do with the closer role. And if not him, why not see if Manny Acosta has what it takes?

I eagerly anticipate Wright taking a ball the other way into the gap and actually seeing it go for a home run. I want to see Jon Niese win his 15^th game—something I believe he has a legitimate chance to do in 2012. More than anything, putting aside all of the bullshit Mets fans have had to put up with from management and past the heartbreak of 2007 and our franchise shortstop leaving us for something worse, baseball will be back. I don’t know about you, but for some reason that just makes it all better.