My boss Tim Marchman is making me write about the Mets, both because they have the best record in baseball and because people keep emailing about it. I don’t see any real point, however, in the routine “Oh wow, maybe the Mets are going to get far this season!” post, partly because I don’t believe in sweeping baseball proclamations in April, and partly because I don’t want to look stupid in three months. Instead, I’m going to share four things I like about the 2015 Mets.
Matt Harvey
Even though Matt Harvey is horrible at shilling, he’s an incredibly exciting young pitcher in an era of young, exciting pitchers. Harvey hasn’t gone longer than six innings in any of his three starts—likely precautionary, since he missed all of last season due to Tommy John surgery—but he’s still proficient at striking out dudes.
The rest of the young pitching
Pitching in general has carried this team to the top. Jacob deGrom, who’s only a year older than Harvey, has a 0.93 ERA through three starts. Even with Zach Wheeler out, the Mets have maintained a solid rotation. And with closer Jenrry Mejia suspended for 80 games, Jeurys Familia has stepped up as a ninth-inning guy, with seven out of seven save opportunities.
Juan Lagares’s defense
Center fielder Juan Lagares might have a piddling on-base percentage, but he can make catches like this one—from last night—often enough that it really doesn’t matter.
Bartolo Colon
Bartolo Colon is fat, old, and still really good at pitching. The 41-year-old joyful boulder at the top of the Mets’ rotation is the internet’s darling, but he’s legitimately good, too, with a 2.14 ERA and 0.81 WHIP. And of course, every time he has to bat, it’s must-see TV. Here’s a fourth video to illustrate my love. (Note that there can never be excessive video of Bartolo Colon.)
Okay, am I done? Marchman says I’m done.
Photo: AP
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