Three up, three down: The Mets in 2022
Jacob deGrom of the Mets at Citi Field on Sept. 30, 2021. Credit: Jim McIsaac
WHY THE METS MIGHT BE GOOD
1. The rotation: Four of the top five starting pitchers were All-Stars last year: Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer, Chris Bassitt and Taijuan Walker. There are question marks, such as deGrom’s health (including a right shoulder blade stress reaction that will keep him out for the start of the season). But when heal-thy, this group should be among the best in baseball.
2. The bounce-backs: Francisco Lindor, Jeff McNeil, Dominic Smith and James McCann seriously underperformed last year,
so by default, the
Mets’ lineup should be better this season.
3. The manager: Buck Showalter’s teams never won much of anything in his 20 seasons at the helm of the Yankees, Diamondbacks, Rangers and Orioles. But the three-time Manager of the Year has earned plaudits from inside and outside the organization.
WHY THEY MIGHT DISAPPOINT
1. The division: Atlanta won the World Series last year and has won the division title the past four years. The Phillies look as if they’ll mash. The Marlins have some of the best pitching around. It won’t be easy to navigate the East.
2. Age: Suddenly, the Mets seem kind of old. Six of the nine in their starting lineup are at least 30. It is even worse for the rotation: four of five are past 30 (and the last, Walk- er, will get there in August). Offseason additions Scherzer, Bassitt, Starling Marte, Mark Canha and Eduardo Escobar fall into this cat- egory. That might not be a good thing for a club that tends to suffer more than its share of injuries.
3. Expectations: Sports are like politics: Follow the money. The 2022 Mets are the most expensive team in club history, and the mandate is to win now. Falling short of greatness would seem disappointing.
Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.
