RA Dickey or Johan Santana- Who Is the True Mets Ace?

When Johan Santana was brought to New York in the winter of 2008, it was with much fanfare that he would be the savior that brought the Mets some respectability after the collapse of 2007.

During Santana’s tenure as a Met so far, they have not won anything, in fact they are actually a worse performing team than they were in 2007. 

I am not blaming any one player or coaching staff member, but the fact is he is not the "Ace" that he was lauded for being when he was on the Minnesota Twins.

Much is written about the lack of run support that Santana receives during his starts, which is fair, but one thing is for sure, every time he takes the mound, some sort of drama ensues, and to be honest, the pitching effort he puts forth is not worth the drama that surrounds him.

Santana has an ERA of 2.98, which is respectable and for most of the summer that number was lower, but with the season-long struggle that has been the Mets offense, he was the victim of many no-decisions.  

Fair or not, these things happen, but the “innocent victim” label that many fans have given Santana is not earned either, he is part of a team; they win as a team and lose as a team.

Last season, Santana’s ERA was 3.13, so even though he does not have as many wins as he should have, his pitching has not been dominant enough to warrant the "Ace" classification.

He is a Cy Young Award winner, but to be honest, in his case along with other trades and transactions, you do have to wonder why the Minnesota Twins were so willing to let him go in exchange for five relatively unproven prospects.

During his post game interviews he is not afraid of letting the press know that one or more of his teammates did not get the job done and that is why they lost. He does not show an accountability that comes with being an "Ace." 

He calls his own game, does not want his manager or teammates to talk to him on the mound, even if there is a strategically sound reason, this shows me that he is not a true team player.

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