Musician Ace Frehley’s words ring true to the Mets, as they are officially back in the “New York Groove.”  After many years of Yankee dominance, it is safe to say that New York is now a Mets town following the Amazin’s run to the Fall Classic in 2015. Though they lost the world series to the Kansas City Royals in a painstaking fashion that saw the Royals celebrate on Citi Field turf, 2015 gave Mets fans a new hope. Others thought all hope was lost following the years of utter despair from 2007-2014 which saw one of the worst collapses in sports history, a Ponzi Scheme, a horrific bullpen, domestic violence, Murphy leading the team with 12 homeruns in 2009, Jason Bay, and of course the infamous moment when Luis Castillo dropped the pop fly that would’ve ended a June matchup with the Yankees. With all of that in the past the Mets and their fans have a lot to look forward to.  

New Acquisitions and Losses

The Mets lost one of their starting pitchers, Jon Niese, this past off-season to a trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates for second baseman Neil Walker. The Mets went after Walker in order to fill a spot left by Daniel Murphy, who the Mets chose not to resign and was eventually signed by the division rival, the Washington Nationals.

To compliment Walker, the Mets also signed shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera who spent 2015 with the Tampa Bay Rays. Additionally, the Mets resigned left-handed relief pitcher Jerry Blevins, who suffered a season-ending injury in April of last year when he was hit by a line drive on his throwing arm. In efforts of replacing him, they signed lefty Antonio Bastardo. The Mets also resigned starting pitcher Bartolo Colon and outfielder Yoenis Cespedes who they gained at the trade deadline last year.  The two key players contributed a huge amount to the Mets’ playoff run down the stretch. Another new acquisition was outfielder Alejandro De Aza who played 90 games in 2015, split between the Orioles, Red Sox, and Giants.

Projected Offense

Surely many Mets fans thought this would be another dead offensive season like those preceding 2015, but the resigning of Yoenis Cespedes gave them a newfound hope. Topping off the Mets lineup will be center fielder Curtis Granderson, who led the team in games played, runs scored, hits, stolen bases, walks, on base percentage and total bases in 2015, guaranteeing high hopes for the upcoming season.

↳Behind him will be the newly acquired second baseman, Neil Walker, with the Captain and third baseman, David Wright, following close behind him. Coming off of back injuries which will only let him play 38 games in 2015, Wright looks to play at least 120 games this year. Wright, now 33, if healthy, poses a huge threat to rivals of the Mets.

Next comes first baseman, Lucas Duda, who had a breakout year in 2015 which saw him become the eleventh player in Mets history to hit three home runs in a single game and the second to do so at home after Kirk Nieuwenhuis had done it earlier that year. Duda also hit his first career grand slam and 27 home runs. All in all, the Mets are definitely gearing up for the upcoming season.

Superstition

2016 is an even year so San Francisco Giants fans will definitely be tooting their horns as the Giants have won the world series in every even year since 2010. Interestingly enough, in 1985 the Kansas City Royals won the world series. The Mets won the World Series the following year in 1986. The Royals won the World Series in 2015. Will the Mets win the World Series in 2016?

“The Mets will do better this year than last year mostly because they will have a full year from Noah Syndergaard and Yoenis Cespedes and hopefully a healthy David Wright and Travis d’Arnaud. 2016 will be a good year” sophomore Mike Grisanti said.

The Bottom Line

The NL East is definitely a more challenging division this year than last year, as many are picking the Marlins to be a front runner this year. It is safe to say the the Braves and Phillies will not be competitive, so right now it looks like it will be a 3 team race. Although the Marlins and the Nationals are both bringing in new managers who are ready to revitalize their respective teams, the  odds are looking good for the Mets.

The bottom line is that if the pitching staff can stay healthy, the back end of the bullpen can keep games close towards the end, and the offense produces to support the pitchers the Mets will see a first place finish for the second consecutive year, a feat they have never done.