Drelo's Midseason Diagnosis for the Mets
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by user DRE-LO
The Mets have lived up to and at often times exceeded expectations coming into the season. They have the best record in a weak National League and have arguably the most complete lineup in baseball. Carlos Delgado and Carlos Beltran have provided the HR power. Paul Laduca gives the team an identity with his grit and hard-nosed nature. Endy Chavez has literally won a couple of games for the Mets with his clutch-hitting, base running and team-leading 8 outfield assists. And I still have a hard time believing Julio Franco's 48 years old. He's an unbelieveable athlete and his leadership in the clubhouse is one of the many valuable intangibles the Mets have. The core of this team for the present and the future is the Reyes/Wright connection. The whole country was introduced to the talent that is David Wright and it is a shame they could not Jose play. The biggest surprise is Jose Valentin who quickly made Mets go "Kaz who?
The Mets are the favorite to win the NL pennant and reach the World Series. They're a virtual division winner with a 12 game lead in the weakest division in baseball. But there are issues to be addressed and questions to be answered as they hit the stretch run.
1. Cliff Floyd- Cliff Floyd struggled to stay healthy and woefully struggled at the plate for most of the first half. .249, 7 HR and 26 RBI. Lastings Milledge will eventually become his successor in LF for sure, but the time is now for Floyd to turn it around. If he could get back to the way he hit last season, it will give the already scary Mets lineup a shot in the arm.
2. Health for the Stretch run- Willie Randolph's biggest concern for the second half will be to keep his team in one piece. Pedro's ailing as it is and Floyd and Delgado are prone to injuries with their age. Reyes is coming back from a hand injury himself. Glavine and Traschel arent getting any younger and are prone to second-half injuries. Willie must manage their pitch count wisely during their starts. Which brings me to number 3....
3. Another Starting Pitcher- The Mets must solidfy this staff with another starting pitcher for October. Who will they acquire and who will the Mets part with? Lastings Milledge should be off-limits and should not even come up during any trade discussions. Dontrelle Willis and Barry Zito would provide immediate impact. But it seems like the Mets are leaning towards Livan Hernandez of the Nationals to solidfy the back end of their rotation. Livan's relationship with El Duque should help smooth the transistion should a deal go through.
4. Bullpen Situation- Who will be the reliable, ideal setup man to Billy Wagner. Duaner Sanchez or Aaron Heilman? Can Henry Owens provide an extra shot in the arm? The Bullpen is not a huge problem for the Mets. But it will determine how far they go. Omar Minaya must take a good look at this bullpen over the coming weeks and see if it will be enough. Otherwise, it wouldn't hurt to pick up another solid relief man for insurance.
P.S {At some point, I will learn to log on}
Date
Thu 07/13/06, 6:52 pm EST
