When New York baseball is talked about, the first thing that always came to mind was the New York Yankees and their 27 championships; it's the most championships in any sport, so it is extremely impressive. The core four that consisted of Jeter, Posada and Rivera anchored the Yankees for 17 straight years, (1995-2011) and the pitching of Andy Pettitte helped them as well. However, in recent years, there seems to be a resurgence of the New York Mets.
From 2009-2013, the Mets struggled tremendously, winning an average of 75 games per year. They struggled with injuries, and didn't have a stellar rotation or powerhouse lineup. In 2014, things began to look a little better by winning 79 games, but 2015 was the year the Mets waited for, as they had a breakout season winning 90 games, and winning their division. It was the pitching that stood out for the Mets; they have four potential aces in their rotation: Harvey, DeGrom, Syndergaard and later on Long Island bound Steven Matz. Their starting rotation compiled a 3.24 ERA, which is remarkable; it keeps you in every game.
The Mets won the National League championship against the Chicago Cubs, and went on to play the Royals in the world series. Led by red hot Daniel Murphy and late acquisition Yoenis Céspedes, the Mets were rolling on all cylinders, but they fell short to the Royals in only five games. It's early in the 2016 season, but business is booming for the Mets pitching staff. Despite Harvey, the rotation of deGrom, Matz, Colon and Syndergaard has a 2.56 average ERA, and a combined 21-9 record. The Mets are currently a few games back behind the Nationals, but when their bats get going like we know they can, it wouldn't be surprising if they were back in the World Series this year.
On the other hand, we have the New York Yankees, who seem to be going in the opposite direction of the Mets. From 2009-2012, they won an average of 98 games per year, and since then it has fallen to 85 games per year. They had an abundance of Hall of Famers on their team, but you can't be around the game forever.
The Yankees are at .500 winning percentage, currently, and are only 6.5 games out, but they don't have the dominate starting pitching like the Mets. They do have the best 7-8-9 bullpen in the MLB -- consisting of Betances, Miller and Chapman -- but their starting pitching has an average of almost four, and their hitting isn't powerful enough to keep in every game. Injury prone Mark Teixeira looks like he may miss yet another season, and the only player hitting extraordinary at this point is Carlos Beltran, who has a team high of 16 home runs. This is the Yankees we're talking about, so there is always the possibility that their veterans can put a run together and sneak into the playoffs.
This is baseball, so anything is possible, but based off the statistics and the rosters it would be easier to say that the Mets have a better chance to make a run in the postseason then the Yankees. Pitching wins games, and the Mets have a substantial amount of it. As long as they can stay healthy and their hitting gets up to par, it would be surprising if you don't see the Mets in this upcoming postseason.
What do the Yankees need to get into the playoffs? Can they sneak in with they team they have? Are the Mets officially the better New York team?
