Kuzul

Prospects are called prospects for a reason, nothing is certain. When you have blue-chip talents, however, there is less of a chance that the player will turn out like Lastings Milledge and they’re more likely to turn into David Wright or Jose Reyes.

Since taking over as general manager of the New York Mets, Sandy Alderson has transformed the Mets farm system from one that relies on Fernando Martinez-type raw talents to mature, into ready-to-contribute-now prospects like Travis d’Arnaud and Zack Wheeler.

This week was very uneven for top prospects, and here is the updated stock watch. The rankings are based on Michael Rosenbaum’s list compiled in spring training. 

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New York Mets fans have adopted patience during this period of rebuilding. Actually, there has been no choice but to be patient, considering the plan the organization has implemented. To be fair, it has begun to yield results. 

The Mets experienced modest success during spring training, as they finished with a 15-15 record; however, the true test will be how the system performs as a whole this season. That includes all levels of the minors because general manager Sandy Alderson has spoken about the growth of the farm system even at the lower levels.

There were some mixed results with their top prospects, with Travis d’Arnaud being the obvious bright spot, but other prospects such as Domingo Tapia having some command issues.

Here are the latest scouting reports on the team’s top prospects.

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You have to possess a certain level of patience if you are a fan of the New York Mets these days.

They haven’t had a winning season since 2008 and have actually taken a step back each of the past two years.

Better days are ahead, however, judging by their minor league system, which was recently ranked No. 14 overall in the major leagues.

General manager Sandy Alderson is not one to be persuaded by public opinion, as he has been slowly but surely improving the edges of the roster and, more importantly, the farm system.

Spring training begins on Monday with the mandatory report date for pitchers and catchers.

They still have a bit of work to do before games actually begin. Here are four of them. 

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From the inception of the franchise in 1962 until July of 2004, third base was a revolving door for the New York Mets.

That all changed on July 21 of that year when a Virginia native got the call up from Triple-A Norfolk.

The soft-spoken Wright took control of the hot corner and never looked back, becoming the face of the franchise along with fellow left-side infielder Jose Reyes.

Reyes has since moved on, but Wright has become the focal point of the team and the unquestioned leader, as he has steadily broken several individual franchise records.

While the Mets have had a number of terrific players don the blue and orange at various points in their history, none have been with the franchise from the time they were drafted until they stepped away from the game of baseball.

After signing his seven-year contract worth $122 million—making him the richest player in franchise history—Wright can become the first.

Possibly the best, as well.

Older-generation Mets fans will be hard-pressed to ever crown a player better than “The Franchise” Tom Seaver.

After all, Seaver was a part of the first World Series team in franchise history, a miraculous upset of the powerhouse Baltimore Orioles in 1969.

If the Mets had surrounded Seaver with a better offense—or even a mediocre one—he could’ve been one of the top five winningest pitchers of all-time.

Regardless, winning 311 games with eight top 10 Cy Young finishes is nothing to scoff at.

For argument’s sake, let’s say Seaver will go down as the best pitcher in team history and likely the most transcending player, which cements his spot at No. 1.

I say David Wright will retire as the second best, just above Mike Piazza and Darryl Strawberry.

Growing up in the 1990s, I witnessed the peak of Mike Piazza’s career. He went from being a little-known 62nd-round pick out of the University of Miami to being the greatest hitting catcher of all time.

Not to be forgotten, he was the heart and soul of the 1999 and 2000 teams, which remains the only time the Mets have made the postseason in consecutive years.

Piazza was a force in the middle of the lineup and the primary reason they were able to overcome an outfield that struck less fear into opposing pitchers than the common cold.

Seriously, Jay Payton led the force in 2000 with a 98 OPS+.

The fearsome catcher had some incredible offensive years but played his first seven seasons—six of which were top 14 MVP finishes—with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

When GM Steve Phillips acquired him in 1998, he was already an established star.

Piazza lived up to the hype as he posted five consecutive 30-plus home run seasons in which his slash line was .308/.378/.575.

That five-year run was not only historic for a catcher, but it is pretty similar to the careers of Ralph Kiner and Stan Musial.

Unfortunately, the toll of being a catcher eventually slowed down his production significantly as he did not surpass 22 home runs or an .860 OPS from that point on.

Piazza played his final two seasons in California—San Diego in 2006 and Oakland in 2007.

He finished his Mets’ career with 220 home runs and a .915 OPS.

From a pure power perspective, Piazza’s career makes Wright’s pale in comparison.

Where Wright has the advantage, however, is in the all-around game.

It is no secret Piazza was a mediocre catcher at best. He never won a Gold Glove and threw out 23 percent of attempted base stealers for his career.

Wright has won two Gold Gloves prior to his age-30 season and certainly could have been crowned with a third one in 2012.

Offensively, he is no slouch.

During his best four-year run from 2005-’08—in which had three top 10 finishes in the MVP voting—he compiled a slash line of .311/.394/.534.

It is worth mentioning these numbers were among the league-leaders in the post-steroid era, while Piazza played in a decade in which leadoff hitter Brady Anderson knocked 50 home runs in 1996.

Wright also was a more well-rounded player, as he averaged 22 stolen bases during that period and posted a 30-30 season in 2007.

The advantage Piazza has is in playing the most physically demanding position while being the lone offensive force on the team.

The 2006 Mets featured seven players who had an OPS+ above the league average.

Ultimately, Wright has a large portion of his career left. He already owns the franchise records for walks, hits, total bases, extra-base hits, doubles and runs scored and has a chance to eclipse Strawberry’s home run total of 252 as well.

While Piazza may go down as a first-ballot Hall of Famer due to his unmatched statistics at his position, Wright will finish with close to 3,000 hits and 400 home runs in an era where offense is secondary to pitching and defense.

For what it’s worth, Wright has also scored points with the fanbase for being such a candid figure and playing with youthful exuberance, while Piazza was a much more reserved and stoic personality.

The pantheon of blue and orange will forever hold Tom Terrific at the pinnacle, but the humble boy from Chesapeake, VA is right behind him. 

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This was an offseason where the New York Mets needed to upgrade at several positions.

It is January 1, however, and they have only managed to lose a 20-game winner in R.A. Dickey. Could their lack of infusion of talent actually benefit them in the future?

A case can be made that the Mets were best suited to not acquire one of the top-tiered free agents in order to provide the most roster flexibility entering 2014.

At the same time they will most likely be entering the upcoming season with one of the worst outfields and bullpens in the entire league unless an impact signing or trade can be made in the next month.

Here are the biggest winners and losers of the offseason thus far. 

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“When you have no expectations, you’ll never be disappointed.” Those were the words of Vince Vaughn during his role as Peter LaFleur in the movie Dodgeball.

So, if the New York Mets enter the 2013 season with the intention of being mediocre while waiting until their bevy of talented prospects are ready to contribute, then the season will be the fifth consecutive sub-.500 campaign to begin the Citi Field era.

If they use the 2012 Oakland Athletics as a blueprint, however, they can be a surprise contender in 2013.

There are a number of players that under-performed for the Mets last season, and they can significantly improve the team next year if they play up to their talent level.

Here are five players that will determine whether the Mets will battling with the Miami Marlins for last place next season or if they will be fighting with the Washington Nationals for first place in the NL East.  

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Whether or not the Marlins have been known as the Florida Marlins or Miami Marlins, they have been a source of frustration for the fans of the New York Mets.

While the Mets have only reached the pinnacle of baseball on two occasions since their inception in 1962, the Marlins have managed to win twice since 1997, even with disbanding their teams on multiple occasions.

They have managed to acquire players who consistently agitate the Mets and defeat them on the field. 

While the Philadelphia Phillies were originally the source of hatred for Mets’ fans, the Marlins may have overtaken that spot over the past couple seasons.

If there is any silver lining, the Mets have finished above them in the standings the past two seasons, but that hardly erases the negative memories in recent years.

Here are five reasons why Mets fans despise the Marlins.

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“Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Mets fans have been forced to remain patient over the past four seasons in which they have faded as the second half has begun.

They are looking to rebuild this franchise from the ground up, with the farm system being the main source of excitement this season.

We have already seen Matt Harvey display his excellence, but he is just the appetizer.

Their system has several high-upside prospects which the Mets are pinning much of their future on. Some will fall by the wayside, while others will fulfill their potential.

For a team that is devoid of spending money—the opposite of the Omar Minaya days—that is a lot of pressure on 18 to 22-year-olds.

Regardless, here are 10 prospects that the Mets are looking to build are in hopes of becoming competitive for a sustained period of time.

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Lost in the shuffle that was the past three seasons of mediocrity for the New York Mets was the fact that the Washington Nationals were causing more problems for them than the rival Philadelphia Phillies.

In fact, the Nationals are bringing to mind the painful memories that Mets fans endured during the 2007 and 2008 collapses.

In 2009, the Nationals finished the season with 103 losses and a distant 34 games out of first place. The Mets, until a disastrous second half, were a decent team.

The Nationals swept the Mets in the final series of the season, highlighted by a walk-off grand slam by the immortal Justin Maxwell (who?) off the ex-closer Francisco Rodriguez.

I remember watching that game, and sensing something brewing in Washington despite their dismal history.

Knowing that they had the top pick in the draft the next season meant they would be drafting Stephen Strasburg.

Additionally, knowing they would probably be equally as dreadful in 2010 meant the first pick of the 2011 draft as well, which sprouted into a Chipper-Rollins hybrid named Bryce Harper.

Since then, the Nationals have been thorns in the sides of the Mets.

In 2010, the teams split the 18-game season series despite the Mets finishing with 10 more victories.

Last season was the first time during the Nationals brief history that they won a season series from the Mets.

What used to be an easy two of three for the Mets has now become all nail-biters with hair-on-fire type urgency.

Thus far, the Nationals have already won five of the first seven meetings with two of them decided in extra innings.

In the past few years, the games have lacked any sort of significance to the standings, but now they are beginning to remind me of what was experienced four and five years ago.

The September matchups between the Mets and Phillies in ’07 and ’08 felt like they took years off my life.

Watching leads get blown by Billy Wagner, Luis Ayala, Aaron Heilman and Co, then have J.C. Romero or Chad Durbin strand inherited runners from Jamie Moyer was literally the most frustrating thing to watch.

The Mets clubs of those years differed from 2012 in that they actually possessed several offensive weapons while this team is basically David Wright and Scott Hairston—against lefties.

In 2007, the Mets won six of the first 10 meetings of the year, before losing the final eight in gut-wrenching fashion—all in the second half.

The low point had to be on September 16 when the Mets used Guillermo Mota, Willie Collazo, Joe Smith and Jorge Sosa to navigate through a five-run sixth inning which cost the Mets the game.

Since that point, the Mets have actually held their own against the five-time defending NL East champs and the games are not nearly as intense as they were.

The Mets swept the Phillies IN Philadelphia earlier this season! Could anyone have imagined that during the woeful collapse?

In any event, the Mets are now in the midst of what appears to be another collapse. This one is much earlier in the year, but the Atlanta series, and now Washington, is causing Mets fans—like myself—to be reminded of the all-too-familiar feeling of hopelessness.

Is the film being re-scripted with Bryce Harper, Sean Burnett and Gio Gonzalez playing the roles of Shane Victorino, J.C. Romero and Jamie Moyer, respectively?

How ever you slice it, this has not been a fun five-game losing streak for Mets fans to watch, and the Nationals have caused ulcers this season for us.

They will face them 11 more times this season, so they either must figure it out now or be faced with another offseason in the abyss.

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The National League is not exactly loaded with powerhouse teams in 2012.

For the most part, the teams with the best pitching have the weakest offenses. Or, the teams with the best offenses have the worst pitching. Then there are teams like the Miami Marlins that just cannot fire on all cylinders.

With the season-ending injury that occurred to Brandon Beachy of the Atlanta Braves, the New York Mets may have a much easier path to the postseason.

This early in the season, it is easier to eliminate which teams will not make a late-season run than to predict which teams might pull off the St. Louis Cardinals type of September magic of last season.

Four teams—the San Diego Padres, Colorado Rockies, Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros—are all more than 10 games below .500 and basically unmitigated disasters.

That leaves nine teams fighting for two wild-card spots. Those nine teams are all within five-and-a-half games of each other, which is a very narrow margin at this point in the season.

Just for perspective, the Cardinals were 9.5 games behind the Atlanta Braves and San Francisco Giants as late as August 29th of last season.

Now, more than ever, teams are likely to view themselves as “in the hunt” until the final month of the season.

In terms of the teams that are in that category, there are the Pittsburgh Pirates, who have the makings of a solid core for the future—but everyone said that last season as well when they were within one game of the NL Central lead at the All-Star break.

They are still a year away from playoff contention, in my opinion.

The Philadelphia Phillies have clearly proven that they should never be counted out, but this appears to be the year that injuries and underachieving will end their five consecutive NL East titles and playoff appearances.

The Milwaukee Brewers are lingering—at 32-37—but have received very little outside of Ryan Braun and Aramis Ramirez in terms of production. It would take a huge second-half resurgence if they are to make any noise.

As we have seen in 2010, the San Francisco Giants have proven that they can win with a mediocre offense. They rank 23rd in the MLB in runs scored, but negate that with their pitching, which is fifth in ERA.

The remaining teams—Atlanta, Miami, St. Louis, Arizona and New York—all possess their own weaknesses and deficiencies, but have an equal chance to win one of the wild-card berths.

It appears to me that St. Louis is not the same team without Tony LaRussa and Albert Pujols, but Mike Matheny has managed them to keep them at .500 to this point. They will struggle in the second half once Lance Lynn and Kyle Lohse regress to their career norms, and they will find it difficult to replace the loss of Jaime Garcia. 

If the current division leaders—Washington Nationals, Cincinnati Reds and Los Angeles Dodgers—win their respective divisions, that leaves the Giants, Mets, Braves and Miami Marlins as the most likely winners of the wild-card spots.

The Braves have long been a thorn in the side of the Mets. In recent years, the matchup has been much more balanced. This season, the Mets have the edge in the season series, four games to two.

Atlanta had a formidable pitching staff last season, as they basically were eight deep in quality arms and had three lights-out relievers.

This season, with the performances of Eric O’ Flaherty and Johnny Venters not up to last year’s standards, the bullpen is not as revered as it was.

The rotation just suffered a significant setback with Beachy—co-leader in ERA with R.A. Dickey—now undergoing Tommy John surgery.

Atlanta will be hard-pressed to fill in for that type of production. Jair Jurrjens did win his start after returning from the minors, but had struggled mightily to find any sort of command.

The duo of Tommy Hanson and Tim Hudson remains solid, but the absence of Beachy will prove to be a difference down the stretch.

The Mets—aided by a significantly easier second-half schedule and the promotion of Jenrry Mejia in the bullpen—will benefit greatly from Atlanta’s setback, and the Mets will control their own destiny entering September. 

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