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Two Jason's Driving New York Mets

By: Sergio Pineda

A Tale of Two Jasons…

Less than a week ago, the vultures were circling over the New York Mets.  GM Sandy Alderson was going on radio interviews making it clear he was looking for dance partners to start the rebuilding process and begin dumping payroll.  Not so fast Sandy. 

Fresh off a 5thstraight win this New York Mets team is alive once again, revitalized by the two Jasons – Bay and Isringhausen.  The two biggest weaknesses of the NY Mets in early April were both a punching Judy lineup and an inconsistent bullpen.  With the addition of Jason Bay, the Mets’ lineup is as formidable as there is in the NL.  Not surprisingly, they are undefeated since his return and ever since bringing up Jason Isringhausen and assigning him to the 8thinning the Mets look reminiscent of the 2006-pre-collapse 2007 teams that dominated much of the NL East back in those days. 

Sure there are still weaknesses, the starting pitching is very much a question mark, Big Pelf’ is still a headcase, capable of both utter dominance and complete failure – in the same inning.  Chris Young has been pretty much a godsend but the DL remains his biggest obstacle and it’s a long season still, nonetheless when he’s out there, 9 times out of 10 he’s a quality starter.  Fan favorite Dickey is not as dominant as he was last year, hitters appear more patient in their approach to the knuckler. 

It’s not clear if Dickey can make adjustments but he will surely still battle and you can do a lot worse than having someone like RA on the mound.  Capuano has had his moments, his last outing was solid but you cannot kid yourself, his fastball tops out at 86-88 – it’s truly questionable how long he can stay in the rotation, either due to injury or competence.  Jon Niese has been up and down, his ceiling and upside biggest than anyone on the starting staff, he’s been victimized by a couple of bad innings but can also shut big offenses down as he showed he could do last year.  No, these guys aren’t the Phillies 2011 starting staff but they can give anyone a good run for their money in a short series. 

The offense is finally clicking; Reyes and Beltran playing for new contracts are consistent and steady.  David Wright finally looks relaxed by letting the rest of the lineup carry the load.  True, he still strikes out way too much on outside pitches but when he’s hot, he’s as tough out as there is in the game. 

Jason Bay looks like he’s out to redeem himself from a dreadful 2010 campaign, showing a quick bat and fearless aggression at the plate, there is no doubt he has inspired confidence throughout the rest of the lineup. 

Ike Davis looks like an All-Star in the making, not enough can be said about this young kid, he’s the best gift Omar Minaya gave to this franchise.

While this Johan Santana-less team is not going to quickly rise through the division and is not ready to challenge the Phillies for the NL East crown, after this hot five game winning streak, it is safe to suggest that Sandy Alderson should stay put and dance alone…at least for a little while longer.

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