New York Mets: 9 Reasons to Believe in 2012

As a New York Met fan, it may be hard to look at the 2012 season in a positive light.

But it shouldn't be.

The Mets might not seem like a scary team, but there are plenty of reasons to believe in 2012. They have a great manager, a slew of young hitters and some key veterans returning.

Here are nine reasons for you to believe in the Mets this upcoming season.

Terry Collins Is a Great Fit

Manager Terry Collins demeanor works perfectly with the young members of this New York Mets team. He's intense and won't accept anything less than the best from his players.

Ruben Tejada knows this first-hand from when his manager was unhappy with the young shortstop for showing up on-time for spring training and not early. 

Guys such as Tejada, Daniel Murphy, Ike Davis and Lucas Duda will thrive under Collins, as he will make sure they are constantly working to get better everyday.

It's obvious that Collins is all-in for this season, as he was for last season. He led the team to a 77-85 record which was much better than most people thought they would do.

The National League East is one of the best divisions in baseball, so Collins has his work cut out for him. The Mets ended up with a 33-39 division record in 2011 but if they can improve on that, perhaps playing .500 ball in division games, they'll have a shot to at least stay relevant into the dog days. 

David Wright Will Return to Form

David Wright had a frustrating season in 2011 in the year following his bounce-back 2010 campaign. The face of the Mets franchise missed 60 games last season due to a stress fracture in his lower back which led to one of the lowest outputs of his career.

It's been sad to watch Wright become a victim of the huge dimensions of Citi Field. But now that the new adjustments have been made, the five-time All-Star should once again be the player fans have come to know.

He's a .300 career hitter and has been an extra-base hit machine since he burst onto the New York scene in 2004, so he'll be able to redeem himself in the upcoming year.

The Return of Johan Santana

How could you not be excited to watch Johan Santana take the mound for the first time since September 2, 2010? Putting a two-time Cy Young winner back into the rotation after not having him for a full season is the same as signing one.

He'll be 33 by the time the season starts but age won't be as much of a problem for him as it can be for other pitchers. He's always relied more on finesse than power which will work in his favor.

In the past, Santana had a high-80s, lower-90s fastball in his arsenal that was complimented by a devastating circle changeup. When he returns, he won't have the velocity he had in his younger years, but he will still have that change to make hitters look silly.

Santana is a smart enough pitcher to realize that he will continue to have success as long as he keeps enough of a velocity differential between his fastball and circle change to keep hitters off balance.

Lucas Duda’s First Full Season

The fact that 2012 is Lucas Duda's first full season should give Met fans a reason to tune in all by itself. The big lefty in the middle of the lineup for 150-plus games will give fans six months of watching Duda consistently improve his game.

He's a bit of an oddity. Standing 6'4" and weighing around 250 pounds, he's shown he can hit for average. His power numbers have been a little less than his size suggests, but the drawn in Citi Field fences will change that.

It's hard for a hitter to hit home runs in a park that could be likened to the Polo Grounds.

At 26 years old, he's around the age where most players are in the prime of their careers (27-32). Look for him to rake come April.

Daniel Murphy Will Pick Up Where He Left off

It was nothing short of heartbreaking to watch Daniel Murphy suffer a season-ending MCL injury after taking a hard slide from Atlanta Braves outfielder Jose Constanza at second base last year. Prior to the injury, he had been hitting .320 with only 42 strikeouts.

While he's a defensive liability, Murphy will be able to pick up right where he left off last August at the plate. He would have been among the league leaders last season if he had around 100 more at-bats and can even hit lefties (.299 against LHP).

Just like Duda, he's only 26 meaning he hasn't reached his ceiling yet. Fans should look forward to the young infield duo that now occupies Citi Field in Murphy and Ruben Tejada. 

Ike Davis Will Be Even Better Than He Was in 2010

Ike Davis is one of the New York Mets' best young talents and despite his recent Valley Fever diagnosis, he will come out of the gate hot in 2012.

As a rookie in 2010, Davis played in 147 games and had 19 home runs and 71 RBIs. He was on pace to far surpass those totals last season before David Wright stepped on his ankle on May 10, when the two collided while trying to catch a pop up.

He possesses really impressive power and also has a decent feel for the strike zone. The Mets will benefit from having a healthy Davis in the middle of the lineup and at first base.

We like Ike.

The Lineup Is Stronger Than You Think

The New York Mets finished last season 12th in runs scored and sixth in batting average and on-base percentage. Some of those numbers can be attributed to Jose Reyes' spectacular season but it goes deeper than that.

The Mets had stints in which Reyes, Ike Davis, David Wright and Daniel Murphy all missed significant amounts of time due to injury. Even without four of their best players, the team still posted quality hitting numbers.

Three of those four players will be starting for the Mets come Opening Day and you can't forget about the other guys. Projected leadoff hitter Andres Torres had a great season for the San Francisco Giants in 2010. Jason Bay can't go anywhere but up at this point. Lucas Duda showed signs of being a vital asset. Ruben Tejada and Josh Thole could turn out to be important auxiliary pieces for the team.

The lineup is actually pretty good, as well as young, and should be able to improve even more in 2012.

The Bullpen Has Been Bolstered

GM Sandy Alderson added Frank Francisco, Jon Rauch and Ramon Ramirez this offseason in hopes of bolstering a bullpen that blew 24 saves last season.

Alderson signed Francisco for two years, $12 million and Rauch for one year at $3.5 million. Ramirez was acquired in the Angel Pagan trade along with Andres Torres.

Francisco Rodriguez was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers last season for basically a bucket of balls. And to be honest, he wasn't all that good before he was sent away.

Francisco will most likely be the closer at the beginning of the season barring unforeseen circumstances.

Look for the bullpen to improve upon the paltry 64 percent save percentage they posted last season.

Another Playoff Spot in 2012

Something that gives Mets fans an even bigger reason to believe in 2012 is that the MLB has added another playoff spot to each league.

The new format calls for a one-game playoff between the fourth and fifth seeds in each league, meaning that the Mets would have an easier time at capturing that final spot for a postseason birth.

This new addition comes a year too late for the Atlanta Braves (too soon to make that joke?) and could have saved Terry Francona's job in Boston.

One more playoff team means that the Mets might only have to win 80-something games (high-80s at least) to have a shot at reaching the Fall classic.

There's hope for this season, don't forget it Mets fans.