2022 New York Mets Season Preview
In 2021, under manager Luis Rojas the New York Mets finished in third place in the National League East with a 77-85 record. Mets owner Steve Cohen, ready to spend, focused on upgrading every face of the New York Mets. Manager Buck Showalter was brought in to change the culture of the New York Mets and has already begun doing so. Infielder Eduardo Escobar was signed as a free-agent as well as outfielders Starling Marte and Mark Canha. Escobar will add speed to the lineup after 10 triples in 2019. Starling Marte can wreck havoc when on the bases as showcased by 47 stolen bases last year. Outfielder Mark Canha adds a bit of pop and protection for star players Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor.
After a down year in 2021, all eyes are on Francisco Lindor. Depending on how much stock you put into spring training, Lindor is primed for a turn around season. Through only 29 plate appearances, Lindor is hitting .400/.448/1.408 with four homeruns and two doubles. It is a great sign for Mets fans after 2021 culminated with a soulless .230/.322/.734 despite 20 homeruns.
The biggest signing of the offseason was that of future Hall of Famer starting pitcher Max Scherzer. Surprisingly, Scherzer agreed to a three year, $130 million contract with an average annual value of $43.33 million. Scherzer is a beast and walked away with 3.3 WAR and 236 strikeouts over 179 1/3 innings pitched. There is no doubt this single singing could change the trajectory of Steve Cohen’s time as owner of the New York Mets.
Projected Lineup
OF – Brandon Nimmo
OF – Starling Marte
DH – Robinson Cano
SS – Francisco Lindor
1B – Pete Alonso
3B – Eduardo Escobar
2B – Jeff McNeil
OF – Mark Canha
C – James McCann
Projected Rotation
SP – Max Scherzer
SP – Chris Bassitt
SP – Carlos Carrasco
SP – Taijuan Walker
SP – Jacob deGrom
Three Bold Predictions
Jacob deGrom Pitches Less Than 100 Innings
The injury bug has already hit the New York Mets and Jacob deGrom. In the last 24 hours, deGrom has been diagnosed with right shoulder soreness and will undergo an MRI.
|￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣| We are not ok |____＿ ＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿| (•◡•) / / —— | | |_ |_ https://t.co/pifIpxORDh — Mets'd Up Podcast (@MetsdUp) April 1, 2022
Last season, deGrom did not pitch after July 7th due to forearm tightness. Although his talent is off the charts, the injury bug seems to hit deGrom at the most inopportune times. Therefore, one bold prediction for the Mets is they will not have the services of deGrom for much of the year.
Francisco Lindor Wins National League Most Valuable Player
Francisco Lindor is enter his second season under the bright New York lights giving him added familiarity with the pressures of playing in a major market. He is entering his age-28 season coming off a subpar 2021 baseball season. All of these add up for the resurgence of uber-talented shortstop Francisco Lindor. Lindor will get off to a fast start as pitchers ‘forget’ about him due to last year and added protection in the New York Mets’ lineup.
We are predicting a .300 batting average with over 30 homeruns and 20 stolen bases. Lindor is motivated and primed to prove himself under the biggest lights in Major League Baseball.
The Mets Make The Playoffs
The Mets will make the playoffs despite not having Jacob deGrom for much of the season. Max Scherzer, Francisco Lindor, Pete Alonso and the leadership of manager Buck Showalter will be the reason behind the Mets making the playoffs. The National League East teams will beat and batter each other throughout the season in what could be the most competitive division in baseball.
Check out our San Francisco Giants preview.
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