The 2015 Major League Baseball season is less than a month away and there is a buzz around the New York Mets as the team has high expectations heading into the new campaign.
The Mets haven't made the playoffs since going to Game 7 of the NLCS in 2006 and haven't had a winning record since the final season of Shea Stadium's existence in 2008.
On the heels of a 2014 that saw New York finish 73-89 and tied for second place in the NL East, a young rotation and strong core has the "Amazin's" thinking about the postseason in 2015.
Here are three keys to the team's success in the upcoming campaign:
3) Strong Defense: Juan Lagares won a gold glove last season for his strong play in centerfield and he will be counted on once again to help the team overcome some defensive limitations.
Lucas Duda is coming off of a year that saw him blast 30 homers and drive in 100 RBI, but he is average at first base on the defensive side of things.
The Mets double play combination of Daniel Murphy and Wilmer Flores also leave a lot to be desired on the diamond and they'll have to be tight defensively in order for New York to come out of the gate strong. Murphy (-10) and Flores (-4) were both in the negatives in defensive runs saved in 2014.
Catcher Travis d'Arnaud improved on many facets of his game, but he continues to be a detriment in regard to throwing out base stealers and limiting passed balls.
For the Mets to bring a playoff game to Citi Field for the first time ever this October, they'll have to become stronger on defense.
2) Middle of the Lineup Production: The Mets didn't make too many moves this offseason, but the team brought in Michael Cuddyer to bat in the middle of the lineup along with third baseman and captain David Wright and outfielder Curtis Granderson.
Cuddyer hit .332 with the Colorado Rockies a season ago, but he hit an astounding .400 at home compared to a respectable .282 on the road. Transitioning from Coors Field to Citi Field could prove to be difficult for Cuddyer.
Wright is coming off of one of his least productive offensive seasons as he hit .269 with a career-low eight homers before sustaining a season-ending shoulder injury in September. The Mets need their captain to find his bat in 2015 if they're going to score runs consistently.
Granderson was very hot and cold in his first season as a member of the Mets, but his cold months out-weighed his hot months and he ended up hitting a ghastly .227, though he did hit 20 homers.
Duda, who had a productive season in 2014, will also factor into the middle of the lineup and will need to improve upon his .180 batting average against lefties from a year ago.
The Mets are hoping that moving in the walls and bringing in Kevin Long -- Granderson's old hitting coach with the New York Yankees -- will help him turn it around.
The Mets have a lot of key pieces, but if the team doesn't get production from the middle of its lineup, it may not matter.
1) Strong, Young Rotation Must Stay Healthy: The main reason to be excited for the Mets this season is their rotation of quality young arms that the team hopes will break its six-year streak of losing records -- which currently ties New York with the Houston Astros for annual futility since 2008.
Matt Harvey returns from Tommy John surgery and heads a rotation that also boasts Zack Wheeler and 2014 NL Rookie of the Year Jacob deGrom, who went 9-6 with a 2.69 ERA last season.
Bartolo Colon provides a veteran presence while Jon Niese is the lone lefty in the rotation. Young guns Noah Syndergaard and Stephen Matz are also waiting in the wings. The rotation is so stacked, in fact, that Dillon Gee will be relegated to a bullpen role starting the 2015 campaign.
The main concern, as always with pitchers, is long-term health due to Harvey and deGrom both already having Tommy John surgery in their careers.
Still, there is a strong reason for optimism in the land of the New York Mets this season as a young rotation with a lot of upside could carry the "Amazin's" back to postseason glory.
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