By Mike Trovato
The New York Mets are looking to put 2007 far behind them.
But at the beginning of Spring Training in 2008, the Mets have started seemingly right where they left off last season – barely afloat.
In their exhibition debut, the Mets took a 2-2 tie into the 8th inning, when the bullpen did what they did down the stretch last season: they gave up runs.
Except this time, rather than trailing to a professional club, the Mets found themselves behind 4-2 to the University of Michigan.
Following a 2-run home run by LF Derek VanBuskirk, on the verge of losing to a collegiate squad, New York rallied in the bottom of the ninth inning. Miguel Abreu’s 2 out, 2-run home run knotted up the contest at 4-4, which was the game’s final score.
While it was not a loss, Met fans could not help but worry whether or not this was foreshadowing another disappointment like the one they suffered just 5 months ago.
The concern continued to mount as the Mets were outscored 16-6 over their next 3 winless games, including a 7-0 shutout loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. Finishing out February 0-3-1, New York was doing nothing to reassure fans that they were capable of bouncing back. Then, as the pages of the calendar turned, so turned the Mets.
The 1st of March brought the first Mets victory of 2008. Heading into the bottom of the 9th in a 0-0 tie, the Mets loaded the bases for Brady Clark, who was hit by a pitch to plate the winning run. Since that first win, the Mets have not gone a day this month without recording a victory (through Sunday 3/9). Their only other loss came in a split squad game against the Florida Marlins on March 8th, a day when the other half of the team defeated the Baltimore Orioles, 4-1. While the 7-game winning streak is a great sign for Mets fans, what is just as comforting, if not more so, is the way in which the success seems to have returned to Willie Randolph’s club.
Yes, it is only March. No, the games don’t really “count” yet. Despite these typical cynical excuses and downplaying from critics and non-Mets fans, there is a great deal of significance that can be drawn from these exhibition games.
Right off the bat, the Mets are doing something they were not doing much of last September – they’re winning. This alone is a step in the right direction, and one reason for Mets fans to be more at ease after a shaky-at-best February. But not only are the Mets winning, they are winning the “close ones.” Of their 8 wins, 2 have been shutouts, and 4 of them have been decided by one run, believed by experts to be the identifying mark of a solid baseball team.
For a Mets pitching staff that crumbled at the end of last year, the close victories are a huge positive. Another positive was Johan Santana’s second start of the spring. After all the hype surrounding the newly acquired ace, Johan’s first outing this spring against the St. Louis Cardinals left Mets fans concerned. In his debut, he pitched 2 innings, recording only one strikeout while surrendering 1 walk and 3 earned runs. The runs all came on a first inning homer by 39 year-old Juan Gonzalez, who has not played a Major League game since 2004, save 1 at-bat in 2005. Santana’s second outing was much better, as he struck out 4 over 3 innings, giving up only 1 earned run in a 3-2 victory over the Dodgers.
Along with Santana’s progress have come other notable performances, some of which were expected, while others have come as a pleasant surprise.
John Maine, a 15-game winner last season, continues to solidify his role as one of the baseball’s rising stars. Maine threw 4 scoreless innings against the Houston Astros in a 3-0 Mets win on March 9th. Reliever
Pedro Feliciano is building off of his success from last season, and has yet to give up a run this spring. In 2007, he was one of the more consistent pitchers in the Mets unpredictable ‘pen, posting a 3.09 ERA and a near 2-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio through 64 innings of work.
Possibly the most unforeseen, however, has been the early success of young OF Angel Pagan.
Pagan came to New York from the Chicago Cubs, and has yet to play a full season’s worth of games in his 2-year stint with the Cubs. His .255 career batting average and .306 slugging percentage are nothing to write home about and likely would have landed him in the minors, or a spot at the end of the Mets bench, at best. But his performance thus far this spring has been stellar- 15-for-35 (.429) with 6 RBI and 2 stolen bases. Pagan is still slated below the likes of more established players like Ryan Church, Endy Chavez, and Marlon Anderson on the depth chart.
While a roster spot is not guaranteed for Pagan, his play this spring could potentially earn him the trust of manager Willie Randolph as a serviceable option off of the bench.
If starters Moises Alou and Carlos Beltran’s continue to struggle shaking the injury bug, Pagan’s chance to shine may come sooner than anyone had expected. For now though, he will have to wait his turn.