New York Mets: Do they have enough talent to contend in the NL East?
By Ed Stein
Tim Boyle – Site Expert, Rising Apple
The New York Mets have plenty of talent to contend in the National League East this year. They were 11-8 against the Philadelphia Phillies and Washington Nationals last season with an inferior team. Now stocked with better talent, I expect them to do well against the Atlanta Braves, too.
Winning the National League East is a different story and I believe a lot of it will come down to health. I don’t think the Mets are the best team on paper, but I have the same feeling about the 2015 team.
The Braves are relying heavily on a few young kids and don’t have a great pitching staff. The Phillies have a lot of new faces and I have to question their chemistry. As for the Nationals, they’re a ball club that tends to always underachieve.
The Mets managed to upgrade at nearly every position from last year’s Opening Day lineup. Even without Yoenis Cespedes, I expect them to be much better with Robinson Cano, Jed Lowrie, and Wilson Ramos increasing the team’s overall ability to get on base.
Along with the usual cast of talented pitchers, the improved lineup should make for a nice run in 2019.
Next. Cano is ready to go. dark
Empire Writes Back will publish a weekly roundtable on Thursdays. The sports will vary from week to week. Look for more expert analysis in the weeks ahead.