Fear and Loathing in PSL: Spring Training '12 Pt. 3

Despite all the negative publicity surrounding this team lately, the Wilpons off-field issues, injuries, and persistent doubts about this team perpetuated by members our our fair and balanced NY press, there are reasons to be excited if you are a Mets fan. This season we will get a chance to see the true direction of the New York Mets as an organization.

I can tell you from being in PSL that the players generating the most buzz are the young guys. Lucas Duda happens to be one of those players. He wows everyone with his BP drills everyday. Duda is indeed the "Quiet Giant." He goes about his business without much boastful behavior or wasted time. The guy means business on a baseball field, much the same way we spoke of Daniel Murphy in the beginning. In fact, each time I saw Duda in PSL he was never too far from Murph, and in a lot of ways it makes perfect sense. Their dedication to improvement is seemingly unmatched by anyone else. It is no doubt refreshing to see.

Another guy who will have the collective attention of Mets' fans is Ruben Tejada. Tejada is definitely an easy-going guy. It looked like he was having a ton of fun in PSL. He was always seen joking around with other players. He reminds of Rey Ordonez in a lot of ways, minus the dazzling plays at SS. I know that may not evoke a ton of warm and fuzzy feelings for fans, but lets not forget that Ordonez was a key component on the '99 and '00 Mets teams. There is no reason to think that Tejada won't be able to play a good SS. And in all honesty, he can't be much worse than Reyes was at SS.

(And yes, I did take it there. Reyes was overrated defensively at SS. I'll admit, he had great range. But, the rest of his game at the position was lacking. Anyway, I'll save that for another post. Or, maybe not. Who really cares at this juncture though, right?)

There is one guy in particular I am excited to see play with the big boys this year, someone who really has gone without much fanfare this spring, either because he isn't a new name, or because there are no expectations if him. That guy is Jenrry Mejia. When I was in PSL there was little buzz surrounding him. It seemed to me that everyone had forgotten just how electric this kid can be, even morseo than Harvey or Familia. Yes, he is coming back from TJ surgery. But, there is no reason to think that he won't come back at some point this year with that same nasty cutter. I, for one, cannot wait to see him back in action.

I know I can't convince everyone to have faith in the Mets, but there are truly reasons to be excited to watch this team play. Maybe in some ways I am partial on this topic because I enjoy watching the young guys get the chance to play. However, I legitimately believe that this team has the young pieces to put together one hell of a team. I think over the course of the next season or two we are going to see some guys really make a name for themselves. I haven't been this eager to see the prospects play since Reyes and Wright came up to the bigs. So, have faith my friends, no matter how hard it may be sometimes. Good days are not too far away.