Matt Silva - A Not So Grand Start

I have been weighing the pros and cons of the Mets signing Curtis Granderson ever since he signed on the dotted line. My initial thought was that he was a great veteran who brought some much needed power to a largely anemic lineup. He is a good defensive outfielder who hasn’t committed an error since 2011. These are all positives, but on Opening Day, Mets fans saw the biggest flaw of Curtis Granderson. He strikes out. A lot.

Batting cleanup, Granderson struck out three times and in horrid fashion during his first RISP opportunity of the season in the first inning. He took a hack at all three pitches and looked out of sorts. On the next at-bat, Andrew Brown provided the power that was expected out of the new right fielder. He also ended the game with a strikeout, this time looking; right after David Wright homered. Granderson will certainly want to look past his Mets debut.

I knew the strikeouts would come. Even in his best years, 2011 and 2012, Granderson whiffed 169 and 195 times respectively. Numbers like that are certainly easier to swallow when he hits 40+ home runs, but those aren’t the totals Granderson will likely be posting in Citi Field. If he hits 25 or less home runs and bats .230, will he be considered a good sign for this ball club? Because if those are the numbers that he will post, we might as well have tried Lucas Duda. They would offer about the same amount of protection. You always have to worry about his power, but Granderson may not provide the support for Wright that we all imagined when he signed his $60 million dollar deal. 

It is only the first game, I get that. However, this team will only succeed if Curtis Granderson produces. The Mets amassed 1384 strikeouts last year, tied for third in the league with the Atlanta Braves and after striking out 18 times yesterday, they could be well on their way to shattering that number. Those strikeouts need to be accompanied by some home runs. That is, after all, how the Braves won the division last year. Granderson needs to find his power stroke if the Mets are even going to come close to 75-80 wins. 

K-urtis Granderson will either lead this team to some wins or the start of a different kind of Generation K, where the Mets hitters generate enough wind power to light the scoreboard.