Your 2012 Mets

For all those self-abusive fools... the 2012 New York Mets...

Lineup:
1. Ruben Tejada, SS (R) He may not be the fastest shortstop, he may not have the most power and he is certainly not the greatest salsa dancer at the position. "Ruby T" is what he is. Most teams would be okay with a SS who could hit above .270 and had an OBP over .310 but the Mets have so many problems that I think "Ruby T" is destined to be drummed out of town by rabid Jose Reyes memories.


2. Daniel Murphy, 2B (L) "Murph" is simply "Murph". I happen to like him a lot. His bat has plenty of good points and if he continues to manage himself at 2B he could become one of the top hitting 2Bs in baseball. He does need to avoid being killed by runners when turning double plays. What about Reese Havens? Well... should Reese start to prove ready... expect Murphy to be traded. Detroit?


3. David Wright, 3B (R) "Mr. Right" is going to either be locked into the Mets for the long haul or he's leaving town before the trade deadline. He's still my favorite player (has been since I had to wave goodbye to the "Batman Named Robin") and I still think he's a top player. If he leaves town the way Reyes did (i.e. with the Mets getting almost nothing) I think that Met fans can quit on the team without guilt.


4. Ike Davis, 1B (L) "We Like Ike" Davis is probably the lone player that Met fans have confidence in. Wiser fans will temper that confidence knowing that his injury recovery will determine whether he ACTUALLY has a bright future. He could endure a clumsy 2012 if he recovers well in 2013. That will be his window before the Mets will need to move on. I'm betting that he's fine by the end of Spring Training but the Goddess of Luck hates Met fans.

5. Jason Bay, LF (R) "That Canadian in Left" sure does stink in Blue and Orange. Bay has done Jack Squat as a Met. We might as well re-term Jack Squat Jason Bay. So though he's done Jason Bay for us, there's a glimmer of hope that with shorter fences he could actually hit .250 with 20+ HRs. It's a modest goal, but also one that seemed a bit impossible in recent years. If "That Canadian in Left" can do that I'll stop claiming he's done Jason Bay for the Mets.

6. Lucas Duda, RF (L) I can't help but call him "Zippity Duda" which is a shame because he plays like Paul Bunyan. I actually think he should paint his bat blue and call it Babe. "Zippity" is a BIG dude with a BIG bat. Will the bat translate into power? (30+ HRs) That's tough to say. I think Duda's swing isn't a proto-typical power-hitter's swing, but I do think he can be PRODUCTIVE. HRs or doubles, I think he'll drive in runs.


7. Andres Torres, CF (S) Andres "The Average" is not Pagan. For better or worse. He doesn't have the same power or speed, but he's also a lot more sound a player, with a better HEALTH track. Sure, he's a leader and a fine fielder, but... WHEN IS CAPTAIN KIRK GOING TO BE READY? More importantly, WHEN IS DEN DEKKER? Torres is a place holder and I think he, the team and the fore mentioned minor leaguers all know it.


8. Josh Thole, C (L) Lets see... How about... "Holy Moly" Thole? I suppose that would make his nickname the biggest "Wow factor" of his character. He's really fine in the greater scheme of things. Like "Ruby T" do we REALLY NEED a catcher to be Carlos Santana? No. However, the Mets are not exactly blessed with CarGo in left, Jose Bautista in right and Robinson Cano at second. The Mets have no good option for catcher unless they can sign a free agent or wait 3-5 years. So... "Holy Moly" Thole it is.


"Key" Bench Bats:
OF - Scott Hairston (R) Scotty "Too Hotty" was fine in 2011 and I was pretty blah about bringing him back for 2012. Until I thought about the fact that the Mets let a younger cheaper version of Scott Hairston's bat go via poor roster management (Nick Evans). Scott can play all three OF positions and that's hyper keen and spiffy, but I don't want him to start more than 5% of games and frankly... with this current team... I'm SURE he will.

SS - Ronny Cedeno (R) As much as I was ready to rant and rave about signing Jack Wilson, I was okay with signing "NOT Roger" Cedeno. It's probably just hypocrisy, but I'll play the race card and claim that with Jack the team would be PAINFULLY white. Ronny's bat and tools put him on par with Tejada and at least force Tejada to produce. Giving Tejada a starting position for free might have been a bit much for the kid.


The Rotation:
1. Johan Santana, SP (L) Will "The Lefty Formerly Known As" Johan pitch another game in Flushing? My gut says yes, but I can't argue with the people who say no. The better question might be, will Johan ever pitch like Johan again? That answer is much harder to be optimistic about. His fastball continues to lose pop, and a pitcher relying on touch and feel is only SO good. Perhaps Johan can re-invent himself as a young Jamie Moyer and that will be enough to win 10+ games.

2. Jon Niese, SP (L) I like "The Nose" a lot but this is the year he has to prove to me that he CAN make the step from good peripherals to good stats. He needs to show his ERA can be under 4.00 and that he can win 10+ games. I think those are realistic and acceptable goals for us to have for Niese. His role in the rotation (even that great future rotation) is secure because he's the lefty and when Johan moves on he's the ONLY lefty. I just want to see him shine more.

3. R.A. Dickey, SP (R) Mr. Dickey "Everyman" could be extended and named team captain depending on how he starts the season. Really, can the Mets afford to let a much more affordable player who is loved by the fans go? Regardless of his future with the Mets, I think Dickey has at least 4-5 more productive seasons in the tank. Like Wakefield he might even extend that by switching into the pen at times.


4. Mike Pelfrey, SP (R) Not every Met fan is happy about "Little Pelf" being offered arbitration. We are REALLY frustrated with the lack of progress and thought that his money could have been spent elsewhere. In the end, a pitcher who starts as regularly as Mike is likely worth that money and the Mets can use 2012 as a year to re-establish Mike's trade value. I anticipate Mike being moved before the deadline.


5. Dillon Gee, SP (R) I'm really sorry for this, but I think "Gee Whiz" will be awful in 2012. I think we saw the best that we're likely to see from him and now that the MLB has too, he's going to get shelled. HOPEFULLY I'm wrong. If I'm not, I think Schwinden and McHugh are probably better versions of Gee and neither is that far from the majors. Look for Gee to try out new pitches this Spring. He needs SOMETHING to keep his repertoire fresh and new for 2012.

6. Miguel Batista, SP (R) Is our #6 pitcher Schwinden? Hefner? McHugh? The answer is "I don't deserve a nickname" Batista. He is the safest name to replace an injured pitcher without issue. Rather than risk Schwinden, McHugh or Hefner not being ready, Miguel presents a NO RISK option that IF HE FAILS he can simple be dropped or demoted, no harm no foul. You might argue that he doesn't present the best chances of winning games but I'd argue that winning games is not the Wilpon priority.


The Bullpen:
CL - Frank Francisco, RP (R) "Frankie Franks" should be fine as closer. I would imagine somewhere between the success of Benitez and Blooper but all-in-all fine. The Mets are not in a mode right now where a closer is the most crucial position as they might not be on the better side of too many close games when the 9th inning rolls around. What I will say is that Francisco has to watch his back as there are 4 pitchers who have a shot of stealing his job.

SU - John Rauch , RP (R) "Giant" John Rauch is a much better pitcher than the pundits are giving him credit for. I benefited from his solid closer numbers in fantasy once upon a time and found him (from a statistical standing) pretty solid. Is he going to be the next Mariano Rivera? NO! Firstly, when I speak to Yankee fans they tell me Rivera is never retiring. Secondly, he's just not that skilled and crafty. Should "Frankie Franks" fizzle, Rauch should be a fine temp for the job.

SU - Ramon Ramirez, RP (R) "Ram Ram" is a guy a lot of people project into the Met closer role in the near future. He's younger and might be the most purely talented arm in bullpen. Talent and success are not always close friends so be sure to temper your enthusiasm until we see him pitching. It's very nice to know that he's a third closer candidate as the Mets could almost give the ball over after the 5th each game if all these arms pan out the way we hope.

MR - Bobby Parnell, RP (R) Bobby "Gasoline" is the guy that Alderson and the Mets would LOVE to be the closer of the future. He has the most power of any of our current relievers and that typically means something in the world of closers. Gasoline is a double edged sword, it can make things go... but it can also burn you. We've seen both results from Bobby over the years. I'm hoping he starts to go somewhere in 2012 and that he gets there before 2013.