Ten Reasons Why the Mets Will Contend in 2012

I have always been an April optimist only to be shot down by May 1st. Not this year. I have much more confidence in the Mets this year than in recent years. Here are ten reasons why the Mets will surprise the baseball world in 2012

1) Terry Collins---Collins proved last year that he handles two things well--young talent and adversity. The Mets were the most injured team in baseball yet they played well for the first three months of the season. If they had a healthy Johan last year and kept Beltran all year (in retrospect, it was a great trade for the Mets), who knows how circumstances would have changed.

2) A Healthy Johan---Pitching wins baseball (at least the 9,547 time you've heard that) You don't lose a player the caliber of Santana and expect those games to somehow be made up by someone else. He had a great spring training and there is no reason to think he won't have a great year.

3) A Somewhat Healthy Ike---Ike seems to be hitting the ball with the same authority as the past. He is the best all-around Met first baseman since John Olerud. His bat and glove will make a big difference this year.

4) Lucas Duda---Are you  kidding me? Have you seen this kid hit? He is a beast. He is the Mets best power hitter in years. The combo of him and Ike will become one of the best young one-two punches in baseball.

5) Ruben Tejada and Josh Thole---Again, two more young talented kids who have proven under the pressure of last year that they can put up some good numbers in the big leagues. Tejada will be the next exciting Met infielder. Thole has some defensive issues but he handles the pitching staff very well and has proven he can hit major league pitching.

6) Jon Rauch and Frank Francisco---I always thought that KRod got a bad rap with the Mets, but after the incident from two years ago, things were never the same. I think the Mets will have more consistency in relief this year. They made a good move in signing these guys as their key free agents (of course I will be kicking the TV set the first time one of them blows a game). They are proven major leaguers and if nothing else, they win the team with the tallest player award with the 6'10" Rauch

7) David Wright---Has there ever been a more maligned all-time Met great than David Wright? Sure he strikes out too much (can't tell you how many times I screamed at some of those K's), but he is by far the greatest Met third baseman of all-time. He has a long track record of clutch hitting and he will be protected this year by Duda and Ike. Contract discussions will be moot because he'll want to stay a Met after their early season resurgence.

8) Daniel Murphy/Justin Turner---Murphy is one of those guys who is a professional hitter. Does anyone remember how well he hit last year when he wasn't hurt? The man can flat out get a hit at any time. Sure, there are fielding issues, but he played a decent second base in spring training. He will surprise. Mets also have super sub Justin Turner who showed why he was the Mets best clutch hitter last year.

9) John Niese, R.A. Dickey and Dillon Gee---A key to the Mets season will be their second, third and fourth starters. Niese has always shown potential and the long term commitment from the Mets will hopefully make him feel secure. Dickey was the Mets best starter last year who had as a hard as luck as any starter in baseball. He throws that knuckle ball faster than most anyone who has thrown the pitch and that has to be a great advantage. No reason to think he won't be around and consistent for a long time (also the candidate most likely to pitch the Mets first no-hitter). Pessimists point out the second half of last year when they discuss Gee. What about the first half. The kid showed guts and more importantly--an ability to throw strikes consistently. He had a really good spring. There is no reason to think he won't have a big 2012 season.

10) Best Announcing Crew in Baseball (Gary, Ron and Keith)--I have been critical of announcers over the years, but I have nothing but great things to say about the three of them---funny, insightful, critical and knowledgeable. They are baseball's best announcing trio by far. Even in the dog days of August, they made games enjoyable. This year though they will have a lot more positive things to say then in the past.

Question Marks for the Mets are obviously--Bay is one of them. Hopefully, the fences will make a difference for him. Usually spring training is a barometer of nothing, but this spring training has me worried that he will carry it into the regular season. We get a good year out of him and that will be a great bonus. In the case of Torres, it it is hard to say a guy in his thirties has great potential, but he does. He is a good fielder with terrific speed but he has to cut down on his strikeouts and put together a 2010 type season. Pelf always has the capacity for being a terrific pitcher. You just have to hold your breath and hope for the best.

The Mets will surprise the baseball world and contend in 2012.You heard it here first.

Check out five all-time great opening day quotes at http://listman.blogspot.com/2012/04/top-five-opening-day-quotes-of-all-time.html