5 Bold Predictions for the Mets' 2015 Season

Spring training will be here in a matter of weeks, and 2015 could turn into a very big year for the New York Mets. Of course, what is seen on paper has to translate into on-field success, and hopefully, the Mets will be able to put together their first winning season since 2008 and make the playoffs for the first time since 2006.

Here are five bold predictions for the Mets this season.

Matt Harvey Will Return to Being One of Baseball's Elite All-Star Pitchers

Kathy Willens/Associated Press

The biggest addition by far for the Mets this season will be the return of ace Matt Harvey, who missed the entire 2014 season after recovering from Tommy John surgery in October 2013. 

Harvey gives the starting rotation a massive boost, and as long as he stays healthy, there's no reason he shouldn't finish 2015 in the top 10 in ERA among National League pitchers and go to his second All-Star Game.

In order for the Mets to take a big step forward this year, they will need Harvey to lead the way and set an example for the rest of the pitching staff. There will probably be some sort of innings limit due to Harvey's elbow, but if he's managed the right way and doesn't use up too many innings early on in the season, he should last the entire season.

So the bold predictions for Harvey include a top-10 NL ERA this season, another trip to the All-Star Game and he will even give Clayton Kershaw a run for his money for the NL Cy Young Award.

Noah Syndergaard Will Make His Major League Debut Before July

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There is a good chance that Noah Syndergaard is part of the Mets' Opening Day rotation with Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom, Zack Wheeler and one of Jon Niese, Dillon Gee or Bartolo Colon.

If Syndergaard pitches well, he could earn a spot in the Opening Day rotation. But because of all the starting pitching depth the Mets have, they might just leave him in the minor leagues for a month or two until a trade of some sort occurs or another pitcher happens to get injured.

Young pitching depth is great to have, and the Mets have quite a bit of depth on the mound. Syndergaard has a lot of potential and should be able to make his first major league start before the All-Star break. If he debuts early enough, he could certainly be in the running for NL Rookie of the Year. However, this year's NL rookie class will likely be deeper than it was last year when deGrom won the award.

Nonetheless, Syndergaard should be more than ready to be a big part of the Mets this season.

David Wright and Curtis Granderson Will Both Bounce Back at the Plate

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If the Mets lineup is going to do better than it did in 2014, the Mets will need to get a lot more run production from David Wright and Curtis Granderson.

Both hitters will have better seasons this year by each hitting over 20 home runs and driving in over 90 runs. Both hitters will raise their averages as well. Wright hitting in the .290-.310 range and Granderson hitting over .260 are reasonable expectations for each of them.

Wright battled a bad shoulder that eventually forced his season to end early. The Mets cannot afford another subpar season from him. His .269 average and eight home runs were both career lows, and in order for the Mets to really contend for the postseason, Wright will need to hit like he has in the past. He averages 25 home runs per year, and any number above 20 would be great to see from Wright at this point.

As for Granderson, he hit only .227 with 20 home runs and 66 RBI in 2014, so the Mets will need him to return to being the premier run-producer he was with the New York Yankees in 2011 and 2012. At least 25 home runs and 80-90 RBI would be great to see from Granderson this year, and he will need to be the feared slugger he once was in order for the Mets lineup to be better.

Travis d'Arnaud Will Break out and Hit over 20 Home Runs

Ben Margot/Associated Press

The Mets have a few young hitters in Travis d'Arnaud, Wilmer Flores and Juan Lagares who will need to put together breakout seasons in order for the team to contend and make the playoffs.

Of those three, though, d'Arnaud should arguably be the safest bet. He has quite a bit of power potential and improved a lot last season after the All-Star break.

Despite hitting .242 with 13 home runs and 41 RBI last year, d'Arnaud batted .265 with seven home runs and 22 RBI in the second half of the season. His second-half OPS of .787 was a lot better than his .646 first-half OPS.

This could be the year that d'Arnaud really breaks out. After hitting 13 home runs during his inconsistent rookie season, it should be very reasonable to expect over 20 home runs this year if he is more consistent at the plate.

Furthermore, if Lucas Duda continues to hit well, Curtis Granderson bounces back and Michael Cuddyer does well at the plate, this could mean that d'Arnaud may get more good pitches to hit depending on where he is in the lineup. Among those four, d'Arnaud is clearly the least proven hitter. This means that some pitchers may prefer to make a mistake against him than one of the veteran hitters.

His improved second half last season will lead to a much better second full season for d'Arnaud in which he raises his average at least 15-20 points and hits over 20 home runs.

A Mets lineup with four or five 20-plus home run hitters would be great to see.

The Mets Will Win the First Wild-Card Spot with 91 Wins

Kathy Kmonicek/Associated Press

Some may view the Mets winning 91 games this season to be rather optimistic or a little much, but if everyone stays healthy for the most part and plays as well as he should, 91 wins and a wild-card berth are very realistic goals.

As good as the Mets should be, the Washington Nationals will likely end up having a better record and win the division by a few games. The Mets should be able to contend for the NL East title all season, but the Nationals have a great core group of players of their own and one of the best rotations in all of baseball.

The Miami Marlins should be another playoff contender in the NL East, while the Atlanta Braves are retooling this year and the Philadelphia Phillies are in the midst of a rebuild. Elsewhere in the NL, the St. Louis Cardinals, Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds and Milwaukee Brewers could all contend in the NL Central. And even the Chicago Cubs, with all the moves they've made, could turn into a postseason contender.

Out west, the defending champion San Francisco Giants should once again battle it out with the Los Angeles Dodgers for the NL West title, and the San Diego Padres could be in the mix as well. The Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies, though, should not be expected to contend this season.

Nothing will be particularly easy for the Mets. To get back to the playoffs, they will have to earn their spot and hope for the best, generally speaking. The injury-prone players will need to be healthy, the veterans will need to set an example for the younger players and the younger players will need to take the next step in becoming better players.

All in all, Mets fans should be very excited for the upcoming season. Despite the presence of the Nationals in the NL East and the Mets' next big season possibly being a year away, they still should be able to do well enough to be one of the wild-card teams.

All statistics shown are courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.