Paul Articulates – The writers’ poll

It is always fun to speculate about the upcoming baseball season.  Spring is always a time of great hope and optimism as fans unite around the thought that “this could be our year”!

Mack’s writers are fans first, of course, but they also have a certain pragmatism to how they look at the roster.  As promised in a comment earlier this year, I have polled eleven contributors to our site to get their view on the team’s chances this season.

As expected, there is some variance in the projections because we all have unique perspectives on what will work for the Mets against their competition and what will fail.

The poll consists of four questions regarding the team’s performance during the 2026 regular season.  Here they are, along with some justification for the choices:

Question 1) How many games will the Mets win in the 2026 regular season?

The predictions for wins in 2026 were in a fairly tight group.  Both the mean and the median from the poll were 90 wins.  This total typically wins a wild-card playoff berth so the general consensus of the Mack’s team is that this will be a rewarding season.

Question 2) Who will be the most valuable Met in 2026?

A majority (6 of 11) picked Juan Soto.  Soto came to the Mets last year on a record deal with extremely high expectations.  That is always a difficult measuring stick, as we saw when Lindor joined the Mets.  Soto in fact had a very strong year, astounding everyone with his 38 stolen bases.  He also hit 43 home runs, but since he had 41 in the prior year, everyone just took it in stride.  Soto owns the strike zone.  His great eye forces pitchers to either walk him or deliver a strike, and when they do he pounces.  With a solid lineup around him that will provide more runners on base, is not surprising that the writers picked him to be the Mets’ MVP in 2026.  

Others that received votes: Francisco Lindor, Bo Bichette, Freddy Peralta, Nolan McLean, and Francisco Alvarez.  

Question 3) Who will be the biggest surprise?

There was plenty of variance in this one, with no one garnering more than two votes.  The three players who tied for the top with two votes apiece were Senga, Tong, and Wenninger.

 Jack Wenninger has impressed many with his minor league appearances and had a very strong showing in the pre-spring Mets camp this year.  The prediction is that he will arrive in mid-season as an injury replacement for a starting pitcher and much like Nolan McLean did last year, Jack astounds the fans with his fastball and his Al Leiter-like toughness on the mound.

Kodai Senga also had a pair of votes as most likely to be the biggest surprise.  Why?  Because he was last year’s biggest disappointment following a hamstring injury.  He has shown the ability to dominate on the mound, but his frequent injuries have limited his innings and drove Carlos Mendoza to limit his innings dramatically.  If Senga comes out this year with the quality of pitches he is capable of and demonstrates more durability he could surprise everyone by turning in a Cy Young caliber season.

Jonah Tong has been heralded as a prospect on his way up through the minor leagues.  He showed some good stuff when he was called up to the majors on August 29th 2025.  He threw five innings with only one earned run and struck out six.  He had a similar outing in mid-September, leaving no doubt that he could pitch at this level.  Unfortunately he is remembered for that horrible start against Texas and Jacob deGrom where he just could not find the plate.  He left in the first inning with six runs across and only two outs, and suddenly the fans’ expectations hit rock bottom.  I don’t think that had much to do with his ability – it was a high pressure, high visibility outing for a 22 year old, and he withered under the bright lights.  He learned from that, and grew some mental toughness.  This could be the year that he shows everyone how tough he can be.

Others receiving votes: Devin Williams, Francisco Alvarez, Luis Robert Jr., Mark Vientos, and Tobias Myers.

Question 4) Who will be the biggest disappointment? 

The “winner” here was Sean Manaea.  After his superb finish in 2024 he was a fan favorite and also a management favorite as he was awarded a 3-year 75M extension.  That built expectations too high in 2025 and the post-injury Manaea was just not himself.  He struggled with command and eventually went to the bullpen.  The writers have picked him to fall even further this year, and with the depth of young pitching awaiting their chance, Manaea can fall into disuse very quickly if he does not return to form.  With $50M still owed, he has the economic qualifications to become the biggest disappointment of 2026.

Others receiving votes: Jorge Polanco, Christian Scott, Luis Robert Jr., and Carlos Mendoza.  

It is very interesting to see the enthusiasm building from the depths of losing last year’s core to the acquisition of Peralta to fill the biggest need.  The optimism is apparent in today’s poll but there are still two full months before the season begins, so with player moves, injuries, and maybe some spring training surprises the outlook could change before opening day.  We will follow up around that time to bring you a revised look at the writers’ choices.

What are your predictions for the upcoming 2026 season?  Let us know with your comments!