9 New York Mets to Be Excited About in 2012

Not many people are picking the New York Mets as a team who could surprise people in 2012, but there are plenty of players that fans should look forward to watching next season.

The Mets finished 77-85 last season. Eight games under .500 isn't something that will make the Flushing faithful excited for next season, but it was better than they were supposed to be.

If a handful (or two) of games go a different direction, the season isn't such a lost cause after all.

Here are nine New York Mets that you need to keep an eye on in 2012.

Terry Collins and Sandy Alderson

Terry Collins and Sandy Alderson are two of the most important figures in the Mets organization.

Fans should look forward to seeing what Alderson will do with this team before the trade deadline.

They should also be eager to see what Terry Collins can get out of a roster that is largely mediocre.

Alderson is doing his best to put the pieces back together after the Wilpons, with the help of Bernie Madoff, put the future of the team in doubt.

The GM got by in Oakland on a small budget, so he should be able to steer the organization in the right direction.

How could you not be a big fan of Terry Collins after reading his letter to Mets fans before last season? Collins is a great manager who gets the most out of his guys and should be able to put a positive spin on this season.

Johan Santana

New York Mets fans are used to the team signing big guys to big contracts, then watching them fall by the wayside.

What makes Johan Santana different from these previous signings (Bobby Bonilla, Luis Castillo, Roger Cedeno, Vince Coleman, Pedro Martinez, etc) is that he wasn't (and hopefully still isn't) past his prime when the Mets picked him up.

The two-time Cy Young winner had surgery on September 14, 2010 to repair a torn anterior capsule in his throwing shoulder and has not pitched in a game since.

However, he's on schedule for opening day and even threw a 72-pitch bullpen session on Monday.

Here is Justin Turner's take on Santana's most recent showing:

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“The ball looked like it was coming out of his hand good,” Turner said. “It had late movement. The biggest thing for me was how excited he looked on the mound after throwing every pitch and how he was bouncing around. Obviously he felt pretty good about it too. And from standing in the box, from my angle, it looked pretty good as well.” 

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If you aren't excited to see Santana return to unleash his devastating changeup in 2012, you should probably check your pulse.

David Wright

David Wright only played in 102 games last season, the lowest full-season total of his career. 

He was hampered by a bad back, but he hit pretty well when he returned from the disabled list.

Before Citi Field was built, Wright was one of the best-hitting third basemen in the league.

Now that the Great Wall of Flushing has been moved in 13 feet and lowered from 16 to eight feet, the five-time All-Star should be able to return to form.

Ruben Tejada

Ruben Tejada could have the most pressure on him of any player on the team in 2012.

He is faced with the monumental, undesirable task of replacing Jose Reyes.

He hit .284 in 96 games last season and plays a great shortstop.

He's already in Terry Collins' doghouse after reporting on time to camp and not early like his manager had wanted due to some visa issues in his native Panama.

Collins seems high on Tejada, and the Mets will need a solid year out of him offensively as well as defensively.

He's still only 22 years old and looks to be genuinely happy on a baseball diamond, which gives promise to the seasons following the departure of Jose Reyes.

Ike Davis

The 24-year-old lefty out of Arizona State rakes when he's healthy.

There's no doubt about it.

In his first season, he hit 19 home runs and racked up 71 RBI.

Last season was a lost cause for Davis, as he only played in 36 games after injuring his ankle while attempting to catch a pop-up.

How fitting was it that his ankle was stepped on by one of his own teammates? Typical Mets, shooting themselves in the foot.

Davis has some crazy power and should be able to have a great season hitting in a lineup with David Wright and Lucas Duda.

Jon Niese

Jon Niese, the New York Mets' seventh-round pick in the 2005 amateur draft, showed signs of being a top-of-the-rotation starter in 2011.

He had a 2.97 ERA in the month of May in 30.1 innings, including an outing against the Philadelphia Phillies in which he went 6.1 innings and allowed 0 ER.

Niese underwent a rhinoplasty this offseason at the urging of former teammate Carlos Beltran in hopes of alleviating some of his breathing problems, which should help him. 

He's a young lefty, a classification that is highly sought by pro teams.  Look for Niese to improve on his 11-11 record in 2012.

Daniel Murphy

Daniel Murphy had a stellar June and July in 2011 in which he batted .330 and .360 respectively.

He continued putting on a hitting clinic until August 7th, when he tore his MCL in a collision with Jose Constanza while playing second base in a game against the Atlanta Braves.

Murphy played a lot of first base last season before his injury, filling in for Ike Davis.

The 26-year-old out of Jacksonville doesn't quite have a natural spot in the field, but he'll be playing second base and should make quite the duo with Ruben Tejada.

Lucas Duda

Lucas Duda didn't see the field much through the first three months of the season, but when he began to play regularly, he was a force in the middle of the Mets' lineup.

He's a big guy at 6'4", 254 pounds but showed less than impressive power numbers.

He made up for that lack of power by hitting at least .300 over the final three months.

As per the recent Citi Field renovations, the franchise got rid of the dreaded Mo Zone as well as did away with the right-center field jettison.

Those adjustments, as well as a full season on the big league squad, should give the young lefty a chance to start fast and finish strong in 2012.