The New York Mets are in first place. Yeah, that's right, the New York Mets are in first place and it's August! This is the first time the Mets have led their division since 2008 and Mets fans are beginning to jump back on the bandwagon. Longtime fans are breaking out their sun-faded ball caps, younger fans are wearing their new jerseys, and why not? This Mets team isn't just getting local attention from New Yorkers, it's getting national attention. Even if you're not a Mets fan, you can't help but find yourself quietly rooting for them. While some Mets fans have already came out of hiding, some are still reluctant to jump on board just yet. Here's three reasons why those fans should start believing!
1. These aren't your 2007-2008 Mets.
The 2007 Mets were a promising ball club. The team had just come off a thrilling National League Championship Series against the St. Louis Cardinals. The Mets lost that series, but had high expectations for the 2007 season. They held a seven-game division lead with just 17 games left to play. The Mets lost 12 of those final 17 games and missed the playoffs. It is still one of the worst collapses in MLB history. The 2008 Mets weren't any different, as they lost the final game of the regular season to miss the playoffs. The difference between those teams and this year's team is the expectations. The 2007-2008 Mets were World-Series-hyped since the first day of spring training. The expectations for the 2015 Mets was to fight for third in their division.
2. Young "phenoms."
The 1969 Mets and the 1986 Mets had one thing in common: Young star power. Tom Seaver, arguably one of the best pitchers of all time, was a young phenom on the "Miracle Mets" that won the franchise's first World Series in 1969. Then, in 1986, another flame-throwing phenom made his debut for an eventual World Series champion. Dwight Gooden, just 19, helped the Mets capture their second World Series title in franchise history. Times have changed since the last time the Mets won a championship. With an emphasis put on minor league development and prospects, more and more players are getting called up to the big leagues with this "phenom" logo attached to their name. But the Mets have a bunch of really good phenoms this year that are living up to that logo. Matt Harvey, Noah Syndergaard, Steven Matz, and Zack Wheeler have made the Mets rotation unbeatable. All four throw fastballs in the upper-90s and can hit a home run at the plate at any time.
3. Mid-Season Moves
Previous Mets teams have done nothing at the trade deadline to improve their teams chances to win. If they did make a move, it was for a reliever who they didn't really need in the first place. Fans felt like the team didn't believe in improving their rank in the standings. This year fans were caught by surprise. A week before the trade deadline, the Mets acquired two veteran bats to help with their struggling offense. Third basemen, Juan Uribe, has been around winning teams basically his whole career and has provided power and energy since he broke into the big leagues. Along with Uribe, the Mets got the versatile Kelly Johnson, as well. Both Johnson and Uribe are solid role players that can only help the Mets lineup. Many fans thought that would be all for the Mets, and like history has shown, they would be content with two veteran pick ups. But the Mets General Manager, Sandy Alderson, surprised everyone when he landed marquee Outfielder Yoenis Cespedes from the Detroit Tigers, just minutes before the trade deadline. These three players have helped increase the teams run production by 2 full runs.
The Mets have gone from last place to first place in just one year. Their four-game lead over the Nationals (as of 8/13/15) may not be huge, but for these three reasons, the Mets should be able to maintain and possibly expand their division lead. So Mets fans, break out those sun-faded ball caps and Matt Harvey jerseys because the Mets are cruising to the playoffs!
