Death of a Star 2: End of Spring

   The time is finally coming for the day of judgement for those lovable schmucks: the New York Mets. Will they be in the race for the playoffs or the race to remain relevant? And what about shortstop, will anyone step up? Unlike shorter seasons of NFL or NBA, baseball is a little more cruel. It's an arduously long marathon, and when your team's dead, they're going to be dead for three more months. The bleeding doesn't seem to end quick enough.

   According to fangraphs.com, Jose Reyes ranks fifteenth overall in W.A.R. (wins above replacement), and only second in his position to Colorado's Troy Tulowitzki. The next player to have been on the Mets is Carlos Beltran (thirty-six), and he was traded away before the season closed down on this hapless team. Jason Bay is the highest active Met at number sixty-four, a player who over the last two years has had career lows in home runs (six and twelve). It doesn't look to good for the Mets.


   Reyes' replacement Ruben Tejada is not fairing much better because it seems he will start out the season with a day-to-day left groin strain. Met staff believe he can be a decent player, and it seems manager Terry Collins will not bat Tejada in the lead-off spot so that he won't be lost in Reyes' shadow. Tejada is not the only injured player though; it seems that the Mets are compiling a complete lineup of the injured. Unfortunately, this list includes the backup, Ronny Cedeno.

   It's going to be a year of teasing the fans. The chances of making the playoffs are still slim given the fact the postseason will expand, but according to MLB's network, it's quite possible they can be in third place.There seems to be some viable pieces around this club, unfortunately, a lot of them are young and inexperienced. Even with a decent lineup and maybe some good starting pitching, their biggest weakness just might be their own division. The NL East is stacked with talent from the perennial contenders The Phillies, to those that will remain in contention for a postseason spot (Marlins and Braves), and finally the Nationals whose improvements seem to make them tough to beat. Not only will they have to deal with others, but themselves, as it seems the medical staff needs the most improvements and right now, they aren't getting to the best of starts.

   It seems that this will be a year of appreciating the little things. I believe manager Terry Collins can coach the Mets to be competitive. Just about near the end of last season, the Mets were coming up with some impressive wins even as they were out of contention. One stretch that exemplified this was a series against the Cardinals which could have spoiled their season.


   Right now, all a fan can do is hope. Right now every team is undefeated. When the gun pops and the race begins, every fan is going to hope that their team can surprise a few, and continue to give off some fighting spirit. And as the season gets into its dog days, one can hope that their team is primed for the finish. And for the Mets... hopefully, a few miracles.