NL East Question #2

2011 MLB Season Preview

Biggest questions in the NL East:

2. Can the Mets stay healthy in 2011 and contend?

The health question is one that the Mets have been struggling with for the past two seasons.

Injuries to Beltran, Reyes, and then first baseman Carlos Delgado ended the 2009 season. In 2010, the Mets probably thought it couldn’t get any worse, but Beltran struggled with injuries again, and in August, Johan Santana had to have season ending surgery.

Santana won’t be back until at least June. So the injury question has already been answered to some extent. Beltran is a huge question mark because even when he comes back, can he stay on the field.

With our without those two stars, I don’t think the Mets can contend because they just aren’t good enough. Their pitching staff is probably 4th best in the division and would be last if Strasberg were going to be in Washington’s lineup. They caught lightning in a bottle last year with R.A. Dickey and his knuckleball, but I think reality will set in for Dickey in 2011. The pitching staff will benefit from CitiField; however, it won’t be enough to help in the long run.

The Mets also have a number of questions in their bullpen. The biggest of those questions is the return of K Rod after a tumultuous 2010.

Offensively the Mets were simply offensive in 2010. They ranked in the bottom 10 in MLB in most of the major offensive categories. Even if Beltran is healthy, there is no reason to expect him to be the Beltran of 2007. David Wright, Jason Bay, and sophomore Ike Davis will have to be the run producers in this lineup, and I’m just not convinced they can do it in that ball park.

In a division with two of the best starting pitching rotations in baseball, the Mets 3, 4, and 5 starters just don’t stack up, and that is with Johan Santana. The offense will be better, but the pitching will see to yet another quite October in Queens.

Coming tomorrow, the biggest quesiton in the NL East, and it has to do with the Phillies starting pitching. Get ready for some historical perspective!

Only 21 Days until Opening Day!