Believe It or Not, Mets Fans Have Plenty of Reason to Give Thanks

It’s that time of year when people are supposed to reflect on what blessings they have enjoyed throughout the previous year and towards that end all of us doom and gloom Mets fans do indeed have reasons to give thanks:

Matt Harvey – what can be said about the new ace other than, “Get well soon!”  He exceeded projections and at times made Mets fans remember fondly what it felt like when the magic was in the air of a Seaver or Gooden start.  The glimpse of the future was truly on display on June 18th when the hapless Mets mired in the worst record in the division swept the first place Atlanta Braves in a doubleheader behind the combined starts of Matt Harvey and Zack Wheeler.  Being handed the ball to represent the National League to start the All-Star Game capped off what was at times the lone light at the end of a very dark tunnel for Mets fans.  

David Wright – While you can argue both sides of the question as to whether or not they overpaid for a hitter whose stats have been in freefall since the opening of CitiField, the fact remains that David Wright is the first home-grown hitter who stands a good chance of beginning and ending his career in the orange and blue.  His enormous contract seemed to fly in the face of the oh-too-familiar “We have no money” refrain echoing around the ball club.  Here’s hoping you stay healthy (and sane) for the duration of the contract.

 

Wilmer Flores – A lot of people forget that Wilmer Flores was on fire, hitting 1 HR and 9 RBIs in his first 27 ABs in the big leagues, promoted when David Wright went down with an injury.  Unfortunately Flores then suffered a severe ankle sprain and wasn’t the same for the rest of the way trying to play through the pain. 

Bobby Parnell – Though he’d shown flashes in the past, for the first time Bobby Parnell was “The Man” designated to close games and he responded with a performance to rival or exceed anyone who’s ever come in to seal down victories for the Mets.  An injury cut short what could have been a season whose on-the-field-performance was on track to exceed even the legendary Mariano Rivera across town. 

Juan Lagares – While there were times he was clearly in over his head when it came to hitting the ball, he may have grabbed the nickname “The Human Highlight Reel” from his former AAA teammate Matt den Dekker.  A converted shortstop, Lagares’ easy grace tracking down fly balls and his Howitzer of an arm made him a highlight for the long suffering fans.  The fact that he led all centerfielders in defensive metrics but didn’t even sniff the Gold Glove confirms what we all suspected – that the award is more about being a competent hitter while fielding your position than it is purely about defensive wizardry.

Jenrry Mejia – Long forgotten after being abused by Jerry Manuel in a desperate attempt to save his job by jerking him back and forth between the bullpen and the rotation, Mejia was not even on most people’s radar.  Injuries derailed his once-promising career until the Mets rotation was hit with its own onslaught of health problems and his turn happened to fall on a day they needed a starter.  He was summoned from Sin City and responded with an electric fastball, great movement and poise that surpassed his young age.  He responded with five outstanding starts, finishing with a 2.30 ERA and a WHIP of just 1.171.  Shut down in August for surgery to have bone chips removed from his elbow, many are hoping he can be a part of the Opening Day pitching rotation in 2014. 

Daniel Murphy – While he may be second to Ike Davis in the “Man Most Likely To Be Traded”, Murphy finally seemed comfortable at 2^nd base, added speed to his game for the first time and continued his onslaught of slugging doubles.  The Mets probably haven’t had as effective a weapon at 2^nd base since Edgardo Alfonzo and the Rodney Dangerfield of the starting lineup deserves some appreciation before he dons another club’s uniform in 2014. 

Eric Young – A scrap heap pickup that ignited an otherwise moribund club, Eric Young brought a dimension of speed that was sorely lacking.  He’s not a perfect leadoff hitter and makes up for his defensive flaws by taking advantage of his quickness.  His rag arm in left field was passable at best, but he gave the fans something to root for at the end of the season when he passed Biogenesis-tainted Everth Cabrera and injured Jean Segura to win the NL stolen base title.  On a good club he’s a supersub.  On the Mets he’s a starter. 

Finally, let’s offer up some thanks for people who flashed brilliance at times and led to many Mets victories who are no longer a part of the club.  Marlon Byrd put together the season of his career for little more than minimum wage.  Latroy Hawkins showed that 40 was the new 30 and took over for Parnell as closer once Bobby was shut down with neck problems.  John Buck, a salary dump from Toronto in the big R.A. Dickey trade, did his best Mike Piazza impression for the first couple of months of his Mets career until exhaustion and the law of averages caught up with him. 

Here’s hoping both the Mets family and yours have a terrific holiday season and that Sandy Alderson exceeds his allotted minutes trying to improve the team at next month’s Winter Meetings.