Spring is in the air and I’ve got a touch of baseball fever, common symptoms being mixed metaphors. As a long suffering Mets fan I think I’ve finally gotten over the loss of Jose Reyes in the off-season, at least until I see him in that art project masquerading as a Miami Marlins uniform. The idea that a big market team like the Mets couldn’t retain their star homegrown guy was beyond depressing and the cherry on what was a miserable 2011 season. But when you think about the expectations going into last year and how they played the first half before losing half the team via trade and calamitous injury they weren’t that bad. They also have a nice group of core young players which gives me a tincture of hope for the new season. Do I realize that hope will most likely be dashed by June? Yes but there’s not too much to watch on TV these days so I’ll take my distractions where I can get them. Here’s how I see it.
1B: Ike Davis returns from his mystery ankle injury and I’m hoping for big things from him, he has the potential to hit 30 home runs, hit over .300 and plays a flawless first base. HOPE!
2B: Daniel Murphy is just an awesome hitter, I love guys like that. Not a ton of power but smart, .300 plus average and a bunch of doubles the perfect number 2 guy. On the downside he can’t stay healthy at 2B and he will be a defensive liability… still. HOPE!