New York Mets: Predicting Each Offensive Stat Category Leader

2011 was an interesting statistical year for the New York Mets. Jose Reyes became the first Met ever to win the batting title, hitting .337. The team's home run leader for the year hit just 15 long balls because he left at the trade deadline.

However, 2012 is a brand new year for the Mets; Reyes is gone, and the Citi Field fences are much closer.

By all indications, it looks as though the Mets lineup should have a good year, assuming everyone can stay healthy. Multiple players should be able to compete for each statistical category.

Let's take a look at each category and see which Mets are favored to win.

Batting Average: 2B Daniel Murphy

Daniel Murphy was hitting .320 last season before getting injured in August. Unfortunately, that injury cost him the rest of his season, so he didn't get enough at-bats to qualify among the league leaders.

Murphy has a smooth line-drive swing that helps a lot of balls find the gaps. Along with his .320 average, Murphy also had 28 doubles before getting hurt. With closer walls, a few of those doubles might even turn into home runs now. 

Murphy's average should drop a little, and it would be unlikely to see him finish an entire season at .320 again, but I wouldn't rule anything out.

Projected final average: .305

Runner-up: David Wright

On-Base Percentage: 1B Ike Davis

Ike Davis is going to be batting cleanup for the Mets this year, and cleanup hitters tend to get walked a lot. That, combined with the fact that he should hit for a decent average, means Davis should be leading the team in OBP.

I considered having David Wright here, but with Davis behind him, Wright likely isn't going to get walked that much. Also, if Jason Bay continues to struggle (which I don't think he will), Davis will probably get walked even more.

Before getting hurt last season, Davis' OBP was a very respectable .383 and should improve given a full season of play. Once Davis shows how much power he has, teams might start pitching around him a little bit, allowing him to get on base more often.

Projected OBP: .385

Runner-up: David Wright

Runs Scored: 3B David Wright

I am a big believer that with some consistent protection behind him and with the closer walls at Citi Field taking some of the pressure off, David Wright will get back to being his old self and have a great statistical year.

In only 102 games last season, Wright scored 60 runs, and that was with minimal RBI guys behind him after Ike Davis got injured and Beltran was traded.

With a full season of games (knock on wood) and guys like Ike Davis and Lucas Duda behind him, Wright should cross the plate more than a few times for the Mets this season.

Projected runs scored: 97

Runner-up: Ike Davis

Hits: 2B Daniel Murphy

This category goes along with batting average. As I projected Daniel Murphy to lead the Mets in batting average, it would also make sense to have him leading the team in hits.

It's not always the case that one player leads in both categories, but I believe it will be this season.

The thing that Murphy has going for him in this category is that he doesn't hit many home runs. I know that might sound strange, but what it means is that pitchers won't pitch around him that much because he isn't a big long ball threat.

More at-bats plus great hitters behind him equals more pitches to hit, which will certainly translate to more hits for Murphy.

Projected hits: 180

Runner-up: David Wright

Home Runs: 1B Ike Davis

Ike Davis has big-time power and looked like he was going to show it last season before getting hurt. If not for a freak injury in the beginning of May, Davis probably would have reached his first 30-home run season.

Instead, this season should be his first.

The shorter fences in Citi Field will help Davis earn a few more cheapies, but he definitely didn't need them to hit home runs. If anyone recalls that walk-off home run Davis hit against the San Diego Padres, I'm pretty sure it hasn't landed yet. Davis absolutely crushed that ball and showed everyone the type of power he possesses.

Davis should fight with David Wright over the category all season, but I see Davis finishing the season on top.

Projected HRs: 32

Runner-up: David Wright

RBI: 1B Ike Davis

This is another category that Ike Davis and David Wright should fight over all year. I see Davis finishing the year on top, but if Wright ended up there, it wouldn't surprise me in the least.

There were three main reasons that I chose Davis over Wright to win this one.

First, Davis should hit a few more home runs than Wright, which will give him a few more RBI off of those home runs.

Second, although it was in limited at-bats, Davis hit .358 last year with runners on base and .325 with runners in scoring position.

Lastly, Davis has Wright in front of him to drive in. Wright will have plenty of RBI opportunities in the 3-hole, but I think Davis will have just a few more in the cleanup spot.

Projected RBI: 101

Runner-up: David Wright

Stolen Bases: CF Andres Torres

With the departure of Jose Reyes, the Mets will suffer a big loss on the basepaths. Andres Torres is not the same kind of runner that Reyes was, but all indications are that he will lead the team in stolen bases this season.

Last season, in just 112 games played and hitting just .221, Torres stole 19 bases at a 76 percent success rate. The Mets like to run, so look for those numbers go up this season.

Torres will be batting leadoff and looking to set the table for the RBI guys like David Wright, Ike Davis and Jason Bay, so expect him to grab a few extra bases when he get the chances. 

Projected stolen bases: 32

Runner-up: David Wright