The Good, The Bad and The Precedent

As the 2010 season melts in the 2010 post-season with the Mets missing - again - the time has certainly come to reflect upon the 2010 season; a season of failed promise, questionable injuries, and youthful enthusiasm, leading - after six months and 162 gmaes - to nothing. Some would say 2010 personified what the Mets are: A lot of hoopla for little substance, a mediocre team with a managerial and hierarchical mess. In a word, a laughingstock.

But along with the Bizarre and Ugly came a fair share of Promise and Future. The 2010 Mets are dead, but the Mets are far from that demise. Here's a recap of the good, the bad and the precedent as the leaves turn red, the grass white, and the windshields frosty:

THE GOOD:

The good for the Mets in 2010 was, to a large extent, divided into two categories: Bounceback and Youth.

Bounceback

After an injury-riddled 2009, the Mets brought many questions into the 2010 season: Could Jose Reyes remain healthy and effective for a whole season? Was Johan Santana, after another surgery, still the phenomenal pitcher that came over from the Twins? Could David Wright, after a weak power year and a terrifying beaning in 2009, return in '10 as the force that he'd been in the 2000s? All those questions were answered affirmatively, bringing joy for the present and expectation for the future.

Youth

What's worse than a losing baseball team? A losing baseball team composed of has-beens.* Youthful energy on a ballclub - even a rather bad one - provides excitement to the fans, and a sense of optimism for a brighter future, too. Ike Davis and his fine play at first base, Josh Thole and his neat work behind the plate, both look to have bright futures with the Mets for the betterment of the team and their careers. Ruben Tejada, Jon Niese and Chris Carter, similarly, all played nicely in trial runs, and look to have shots at cracking the 2010 roster (particularly Niese). Thought hardly youthful (he turns 36 this month) R.A. Dickey and his utterly effective knuckleball also provide hope for Met fans, and as such belongs in this category.

*The prime example of a "losing baseball team composed of has-beens" is the 2002 Mets. That 75-win squad that got Bobby Valentine fired had on its roster has-beens Roberto Alomar, Rey Ordonez, Roger Cedeno, Jeromy Burnitz, Mo Vaughn as well as Pedro Astacio, Jeff D'Amico and Shawn Estes. Brutal.


THE BAD:
Where to begin? The bad is basically comprised of the "bad contracts" and "underperforming incumbents."

Bad Contracts
Over the course of this season, three (rather) long-term contracts seemed to bite the Mets.

Oliver Perez, the prime culprit, gave significant angst to Mets fans whenever he took the mound. His ineffectiveness was consistent, and he probably was the least popular among all the players on the squad (while being paid $12 million).

Luis Castillo, the veteran second baseman who had a resurgence last year, performed pretty poorly this year. While his athletic suffering was not even close to that suffered by Perez, he was quite ineffective this year, sporting a .235 batting average and an OPS+ of 68. His quality 2009 season notwithstanding, Castillo's contract seems rather heavy.

The third and least guilty large contract-bearer is Jason Bay*. Bay signed with the Mets last offseason and performed below expectations. Luckily for Bay, with three years left on his deal, he has the possibility of making everyone forget about this season by playing well in the future.

*Why is Bay least guilty?

When you get down to it - and ignore the high expectations - Bay did not have a bad season, as illustrated by his adequate defense and 105 OPS+. Is that the production that the Mets expected when they gave him a $66 million contract? Certainly not. But, honestly, it's far from dreadful. (Well better, for example, than Jeff Francoeur.)


Under-performing Incumbents
While some players on the Mets, like Johan Santana and David Wright, performed quite well, others' performances left a lot to be desired. Jeff Francoeur, Carlos Beltran, Fernando Tatis, and John Maine, were all supposed to be big parts of a quality 2010 New York Mets team. Yet, between injuries (to three of them), and general under-production (by all four), the Mets post-season chances were swept away, like shards of glass after an earthquake, deliberately and unpleasantly.

THE PRECEDENT

So, what's next? How will the Mets perform next year?

- The Mets finished 79-83 this year, the first time they won precisely 79 games in a year.

- The Mets improved by 9 games from last years's 70 wins. The only other time the Mets improved by exactly 9 games was in 1999, when they won 97 games (to their 88 in 1998) and lost the National League Championship Series to the Braves.

- This year's team won 79 games, an improvement of 9; the 2004 Mets won 71 games, an improvement of 5; the 2005 Mets won 83 games an improvement of 12. When the Mets won the division in 2006, they were just one year removed from '05 and two from '06.

Are the Mets in a similar position to the one they were in in 2004 or 2005? It's hard to say. The 2005 team was loaded with young talent (Reyes, Wright, Beltran). However, the current Mets are not exactly slackers in that area, with Ike Davis, Jon Niese and Josh Thole looking to have significant, and promising, future roles with the club.

And maybe, just maybe, the Mets will fall into some luck for a change. Maybe the new General Manager will prove himself to be an adept trader. Maybe some players who seem done, like Luis Castillo, Jason Bay and K-Rod, still have some life in them.

If you're a saddened Met fan, there's still some room for hope.