Beltran and Wright will be following Reyes and Castillo in the line up. Beltran coming off of knee surgery had a slow beginning to Spring Training, but is starting to come around playing back to back games in center field. Don't expect Beltran to steal too many bases this year, but do expect his bat to be alive all season. I would like to see him, like Delgado lower his strike out numbers. Beltran has a lot of prove since stating that the Mets are the 'Team to beat' this season. Beltran gave himself a lot of motivation to live up to that statement, as Jimmy Rollins did for himself in 2007. Defensively Beltran will be solid in the outfield, winning himself another Gold Glove.
David Wright keeps improving every year, and his skills are limitless. He should hit clean up again this year, unless Delgado proves he's still the clean up hitter that he can be. Wright's defense has been improving over the years, winning him a Gold Glove in 2007, and with Scott Rolen out of the National League, he should win another one in 2008. Expect another 30-30 season from Wright along with another 100+ RBI season.
The corner outfield positions seem to be a concern for the Mets. I see no concern. Ryan Church has to prove himself this year and I believe he will. Say he doesn't prove himself, Endy Chavez is his back up with an eager Fernando Martinez waiting in the minors. Overlooked too much is Angel Pagan. Pagan has proved himself this spring to be a hard worker, and has a lot of baseball skill. He will fill in perfectly in Right Field until Alou returns. Obviously he doesn't have the power of Alou, but with the Mets line up base hits are just as good. Plus with Beltran's knees improving little by little, Pagan can cover a lot of territory saving Beltran a lot of energy. For Mets fans who feel that Pagan is not a good enough replacement and want them to make a trade, I would vote against it. Alou will be back in May, which is only one and a half months of the season. No need to give up any players for only one month of the season.
Behind the plate will be Brian Schneider and Ramon Castro. I prefer to see Castro take most of the catching responsibilities, since last year he was no stranger to the long ball when he played and makes the Mets offense even stronger. Schneider will most likely be the starter, but Castro and him will be platooning at catcher.
The bullpen does look stronger than it sounds. The strength of the Mets Bullpen will be Billy Wagner, Aaron Heilman, Duaner Sanchez, and Pedro Feliciano. I put a question mark on Joe Smith because of his collapse in 2007, and not having a good spring. I would like to see Steven Register make the team, proving in spring that he can be an effective pitcher. Scott Schoenweis will probably make the team to start the season with the Mets hoping he has a strong start so they can trade him away. It's hard for me to guess what relievers will make the roster because some guys like Stokes and Rincon who signed to minor league deals, have looked strong in the spring. What I can say is that if Manager Willie Randolph doesn't over use the bullpen, they should stay effective all season, unlike last year when they were over worked and had trouble saving games for the starting pitching.
I predict the Mets to win the National League East, followed by the Philadelphia Phillies, then the Atlanta Braves. I think the Mets will go on to win the National League, but that's as far as I can say. Like last year I feel the Mets are the best team in the National League, and only them can put up a fight against any American League team. That was proved last year, when the Mets were still the team to beat after they didn't make the playoffs. Not one team last year that was in the playoffs could have beaten the Boston Red Sox, or any American League team. Same goes for this year. The Mets are the only team that can put up a fight in the World Series. The Phillies proved last year that by them beating the Mets, it made the National League hopeless at winning the World Series.
Carlos Beltran's comments did add fuel to the fire with the Philadelphia Phillies, but it's good for the game of baseball. Everyone always talks about the rivalry between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, this is the National League version of that rivalry. I will admit that it won't ever have the popularity as a Red Sox/Yankees rivalry, but that doesn't mean it won't be as exciting.
Look for a lot of buzz around Shea Stadium, with it being the final year of the stadium. The Mets have put together a great team, and I'll say it again, the National League needs the Mets to be in the World Series to stand a chance against the tough American League. The Mets will be playing October baseball and Shea will be rockin!
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