New York Mets: Predicting Each Pitching Stat Category Leader

The New York Mets starting rotation is getting a huge boost with the return of Johan Santana. The bullpen also underwent a big makeover with a few offseason additions.

Pitching was the weak point of the 2011 Mets, and the bullpen was the main area of concern. The Mets blew 24 saves last season, one of the worst marks in the league.

The starting rotation pitched decently, but was certainly nothing special. The Mets are hoping that changes this year, with Santana coming back healthy, and Niese and Gee having another year each of MLB experience under their belts.

If this was a few years ago, Johan Santana would pretty much be the favorite in every category, but with a few health concerns and an entire year off, we'll have to wait and see.

Wins: Johan Santana

The latest reports indicate that Johan will be ready to start Opening Day for the Mets. If this is the case, and he manages to stay healthy the entire year (knock on wood), then it would only make sense to have Santana be the favorite to lead the Mets in wins.

Once regarded as one of the best pitchers in baseball, injuries have had a negative effect on Santana's career over the past couple seasons. However, whenever he has been healthy, he has pitched brilliantly for the Mets and if they have a chance at the postseason this year, it will rest heavily on the left arm of this man.

Projected wins: 17

Runner up

R.A. Dickey

ERA: Johan Santana

Category number two for Johan Santana is ERA. In his three years with the Mets, Santana has posted sub 3 ERAs in two of them, with the other year being 3.13, not exactly something to scoff at.

As I said in the previous slide, whenever Santana is healthy, he finds a way to pitch at a very high level. Again, all indications are that he is currently healthy.

This category should be fought over all season by Santana and Dickey, and possibly even Niese, if he develops like I expect him to. My guess is that the winner will post an ERA in the low 3's and currently, I see Santana emerging victorious.

Projected ERA: 3.23

Runner up

R.A. Dickey

WHIP: Johan Santana

This slideshow is beginning to look like a Johan Santana collage. Santana takes home his third category with this slide, WHIP.

In his long career, Santana has never had a full season in which he's finished with a WHIP above 1.23. He doesn't walk many hitters and has always done a good job avoiding contact. Both of those add up to a successful WHIP year in and year out.

Because of his injury, it looks like Santana will have a little less velocity than he is normally accustomed to, so he might give up a few more hits this year, but he should still do a good job of not giving hitters free 90s with walks.

Projected WHIP: 1.21

Runner up

R.A. Dickey

Innings Pitched: R.A. Dickey

Johan Santana experiences his first loss of the slideshow, with R.A. Dickey getting the nod for innings pitched.

Dickey has a distinct advantage in this category, as he is a knuckleball pitcher and his pitch count varies significantly from other Mets pitchers. Even if you disregard that, Dickey is arguably the Mets best pitcher, so he will be given chances to get out of jams late in games that other Mets pitchers might not be afforded.

I doubt that Santana will be challenging Dickey for this category, seeing as how the Mets will probably be very cautious with him in the early goings of the season.

Projected Innings Pitched: 212

Runner up

Jon Niese

Strikeouts: Jonathan Niese

This is the year that I expect Niese to take that next big step towards becoming a top of the rotation starter.

He was having a good year last season before fading at the end and then getting hurt. You have to remember, last year was only Niese's second full season in the major leagues and late season fatigue is generally expected with young players. Maybe Niese is right though, and his big nose was the real problem, I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Regardless, Niese has the kind of stuff that misses bats. Armed with a knee-locking curveball and a cutter that does that job, Niese is poised to break out this season and really add to the Mets rotation. Niese could be the next Mets pitcher to strike out 200 batters. I don't see it happening this year, but the near future isn't out of the question. He has that kind of stuff.

Projected Strikeouts: 176

Runner up

Johan Santana

Holds: Bobby Parnell

I decided to go with holds as part of this slideshow, instead of saves, because Frank Francisco is the definite Mets closer and should record the most saves by a longshot.

So, with that being said, I believe that Bobby Parnell will lead the Mets in holds this season. As I said in a previous article that I wrote, people tend to forget that Parnell was pretty good as a setup man last season, and it was really only as a closer that he struggled.

Some guys just don't have that killer instinct that allows them to be a dominant closer and that appears to be the case with Parnell. He should be put right back into that eighth inning role and will probably share time there with Jon Rauch.

With a fastball that reaches triple-digits and a slider that can be a plus pitch at times, Parnell has the potential to be a top reliever in the league and hopefully this year is the year that comes to fruition.

Projected holds: 20

Runner up

Ramon Ramirez