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.
INFIELD: 
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!
SS: Reben Tejada is no Jose Reyes, he may not even be a poor man’s Rafael Santana. He’s got a decent glove but don’t see him hitting over .250. He’s still young and I hope I’m wrong but not expecting too much. NOPE!
3B: David Wright, oh David where have ye been? The fences at Citi have been brought in pretty much just for him so hopefully he can get his consistency back, stay healthy and return to his all star form. Most importantly he’s gotta cut back on the strikeouts and errors. But he’s still the franchise and in a walk year so. HOPE!
Catcher: Josh Thole really needs to step it up behind the plate and at it this year and he’s looked good this spring. We don’t need him to be Mike Piazza but a .280 average would be nice and he’s also got to do a better job of handling the young staff, which I think he can. HOPE!
OUTFIELD:
LF: Jason Bay, may be the biggest free agency bust in Mets history. Can’t hit for power and seems to hit directly into a double play every time someone is on base. The pulled in fences may help his numbers and confidence but he needs to prove it first. NOPE!
CF: Andres Torres, He’s not a downgrade per say from Angel Pagan but that’s not saying much. An up and down player who’s had injury problems this spring ain’t gonna cut the turkey ™. NOPE!
RF: Lucas Duda, A nice young power bat with a ton of potential, showed signs last season that he’s the real deal. Could be a break out season for him. HOPE!
BENCH: They all pretty much suck except for Justin Turner. NOPE!
STARTING PICTHING:
1st: Johan Santana, coming off major shoulder surgery he’s the key to the rotation and potentially the whole season. I doubt he’ll ever be the dominant stud he once was but if he can keep his velocity respectable and stay healthy he’s one of the smartest pitchers in baseball and could be the second coming of Tom Glavine. HOPE!
2nd: R.A. Dickey, I love this guy and his filthy knuckleball which tends to screw up lineups for days after he pitches. He started off slow last year but then was fantastic. No reason why he can’t do it again. HOPE!
3rd: Jon Niese, He thankfully had a nose job so he finally looks the part of a starting pitcher instead of an Airedale Terrier. Great fastball and killer curveball, he’s shown some great signs but needs to keep it up for a full season. This should be his breakout year. HOPE!
4th: Mike Pelfrey, Oh big Pelf, where did you go wrong? Like a goofier version of John Maine, Pelfrey has shown amazing signs but gone on such long bad streaks it’s obvious he’s a mental case. Not expecting anything from him this year in hoping I’ll be pleasantly surprised. NOPE!
5th: Dillon Gee, really established himself as a capable and at times unhittable pitcher last year. He’s another guy who needs to stay healthy and strong throughout the season which I think he can do based purely on my wanting him to do so. HOPE!
RELFIEF PICTHING:
They’ve all had bad springs except for Bobby Parnell, who’s such a head case that he implodes every time he’s in a clutch spot. Their new closer Francisco may have some knee issues and has been dogshit but hopefully can turn it around once the season starts. Still this is the most problematic area of the team and a unit that has been a drag on the franchise ever since the Duaner Sanchez 2 AM chili dog incident of 2006. NOPE!
Overall: 102 wins and 60 losses! JK 
