Last week, New York Mets general manager Sandy Alderson proved that he is either really confident, really delusional, or really good at pretending he believes something that he actually doesn't when he said the 'Amazins' were capable of living up to their nickname by winning 90 games
New York GM Alderson crazy to think Mets can win 90 games
Alderson, who made a few solid offseason moves but will field a New York team that has a payroll of just around $87 million, reportedly said privately last week that he thought the Mets would win 90 games this season despite the fact that the team hasn't made the playoffs since 2006, hasn't had a winning season since 2008--when they still played at Shea Stadium--and finished 74-88 the last two seasons.
Here are five reasons (with the assists of GIFs) that Alderson is nuts to think this crop of Mets will win 90 games this year.
1) Ike Davis vs. Lucas Duda is a lose-lose and first base is a black hole:
The first base situation is anything but 'amazin' as the Mets tried their best to ship Ike Davis out of town, and while they still can conceivably work out a deal before Opening Day, it seems that the troubled first baseman, who has gone through injuries, bouts with Valley Fever and dreadful slumps may be on the Mets roster in 2014. Davis (as seen above) is strikeout prone, having fanned 101 times in 317 at-bats in 2013 and 411 times in 442 games.
Sure, the Mets can hope Davis will show flashes of greatness like he did in the second half of 2012 where he finished with 32 homers and 90 RBIs, however his horrific .227 batting average that year led to a .205 clip in 2013 and a stint in the minors for the first baseman.
Lucas Duda, the alternative, isn't much better as he's a defensive liability and hit just .223 last season. While he has shown pop, the homers are few and far between and not enough to sell this team as a true 90-game winner.
This first base duo won't exactly keep other teams up at night.
2) The organization basically gave up on Ruben Tejada, why should the fan base have any faith in him?
The Mets have bashed shortstop Ruben Tejada for his physical shape in the past and even after he spent the offseason trying to get into better shape, an organization source was reported as being "unimpressed" with his physique. Manager Terry Collins has also seemed frustrated with Tejada in the past.
Tejada hit just .202 in 2013 through 57 games last year and was event sent to the team's Triple-A affiliate in Las Vegas last year, losing his job to Omar Quintanilla until eventually being called back to Queens.
Like with Davis, the Mets were very public about their desire to address shortstop and upgrade at the position, but after free agent Jhonny Peralta signed a four-year $53 million deal with the St. Louis Cardinals and was too pricy for the Mets and New York has been lukewarm about of the Stephen Drew sweepstakes, it looks like Tejada will be the starting shortstop.
Unless Tejada, who also made eight errors in 55 games at short, drastically improves, the shortstop outlook for the Mets is bleak.
3) The Grandyman can't match his homer total from the Bronx
Acquiring Curtis Granderson was definitely the best move that the Mets made this offseason to help bolster their outfield, however his power production in spacious Citi Field won't match what he put up in the Bronx bandbox known as Yankee Stadium.
Granderson was limited to 61 games due to two freak injuries last year, so while the Mets won't have to worry about nagging ailments, it's doubtful he'll put up anywhere near the 115 homers he launched with the Yankees over the last four years. Granderson hit 41 homers in 2011 and 43 in 2012, but it's doubtful he'll launch that many at Citi Field.
While Granderson launched two homers in Tuesday's Spring Training game for the Mets, he'll likely be better served finding the gaps in Citi Field than trying to hit balls out of it. The projected Mets lineup also has him as the cleanup hitter, which isn't exactly a role he's best suited for. Odds are that Granderson will fill the role Marlon Byrd did last year.
4) Matt Harvey Day won't be celebrated again until 2015:
Matt Harvey turned into an ace in his sophomore season, mesmerizing crowds at Citi Field and giving the Mets fans something to believe in. So of course, he tore a ligament and needed Tommy John Surgery. Harvey went 9-5 for the Mets last year with a 2.27 ERA and 191 strikeouts before the August injury ended his season.
2013's hero won't be a part of the 2014 Mets, taking the team's best pitcher out of the equation from a year ago. The Mets still have some solid starters as Zach Wheeler will look to have a productive sophomore season, Dillon Gee and Jon Niese will look to channel their second-half selves from last year and the addition of the ageless wonder Bartolo Colon will give the starting rotation a nice veteran presence.
The Mets will hope that Colon will continue to drink from the fountain of youth after he went 18-6 with a 2.65 ERA last season with the Oakland Athletics. The Mets pitching is not the reason they won't win 90 games as Noah Syndergaard and Rafael Montero are waiting in the wings and might be with the big club by June, however the loss of Harvey is significant to the team's chances of living up to the lofty expectations of the general manager.
5) The team doesn't have a leadoff hitter:
While there are a couple of different schools of thought regarding leadoff hitters and some people believe the role is overblown, it appears as though the Mets won't have a table-setter this year.
Collins has been adamant that he wants Eric Young Jr. to fit the bill, but he's seen as a fourth outfielder by most MLB experts and he would take away the playing time from defensive guru Juan Lagares, who has trouble with the bat but deserves a chance to play. If Young is to become the leadoff hitter, he needs a better on-base percentage than the .310 OBP that he had in 2013.
The alternative to Eric Young would be new import Chris Young, who hit just .200 through 107 games with a .280 on-base percentage with the Athletics last season before injuries took their toll on him. Chris Young hasn't hit above .240 since 2010.
Had the financially-strapped Mets been able to hold onto Jose Reyes a few years ago, their shortstop and leadoff problems wouldn't be on this list.
The Mets will be relevant again and there will be a time when their young arms can lead them to the 90-win plateau, it just won't be in 2014 regardless of what Alderson claims he believes.
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