Team in Focus: New York Mets

The Mets have jumped out to a 27-16 record, including a sterling 13-3 mark at Shea Stadium. After finishing 82-80 last season and 5 games out in the division, the Mets did not add a big bat to a lineup that had struggled to score runs. Most observers thought that the failure to acquire some pop would lead to another season of .500 level baseball and a seat at home for the playoffs. Instead, the team has smashed 82 HR and scored the second most runs in the NL, led by a balanced attack that has seen seven regulars hit eight or more HR thus far.

Owner urbanwarrior has seen a power surge from several young players; rookie C Nicholas Simms is slugging .613 and just battering opposing pitching. He remains humble, however, saying: "You just go out there and try to make a good swing. These major league guys can throw pitches that haven't even been invented yet down in the minors." Taking over for a veteran like Hector Valenzuela, Simms has demonstrated an even-keeled temperment beyond his years: "Hey, I understand that there will be rough patches. I'm just trying to enjoy playing well right now; it's pretty easy to do with this lineup going the way it is."

Fellow rookie SS Socks Coleman has hit 9 HR and carries a 5.69 range factor at age 24. The bright lights of the Big Apple have failed to rattle this kid and his unflappable confidence. Although the tabloids have linked him to several starlets, he maintains that it is all business when he comes to the ballpark: "Look, I haven't always been known for my defense. I understand that if I'm gonna make it in this league, I have to be out there taking grounders all the time. So that's what I've been doing." It sure seems to be paying off, as his defense this season has been nearly as solid as his offensive production. The scary part? Scouts universally agree that he will only get better.

The old man of the rookie group is 25-year-old 1B Delino Fernandez, whose incredible 79 HR (!) at Double-A last season earned him a starting job in Shea and the confidence of urbanwarrior's front office. He has lived up to the expectations, hammering out 13 HR so far this season, good for second on the team. Once a 7th-round draft pick, Fernandez has found time while racing through the Mets minor league system to finish his degree in finance at the University of Maryland, where he starred for three seasons. With the contract that he will be offered after a season or two like the one he is putting together, that expertise in money management may yet come in handy.

The New York power surge has not been completely a product of the wunderkind, however. Veteran 3B Alex Hodges, who was signed to a massive 5-year, $50-million deal after OPSing .991 in Season 7, has shown no signs of slowing down at age 33. His .641 slugging percentage is tops among the team's regulars, and he has carried all the expectations that were heaped upon his shoulders when he signed that contract with ease. "These fans are sharp," he said. "They know that when a team pays you big-time dollars, you better give 'em their money's worth." He is doing exactly that; the Mets have played him at 3B consistently for the first time in his career, and his 8 errors in 177 games there demonstrate that he has not yet lost the proverbial step.

The pitching has been as solid as it was last season; that was never the concern. However, certainly Kevin Gant's Cy Young-caliber performance has been a pleasant surprise; he is 7-0 with a 1.12 WHIP and a 2.22 ERA. In other words, hitting against this guy has been like going to Shea without getting sick from the smell: damn near impossible. With numbers like those, he is a virtual lock for his first All-Star appearance; if so, it would be well-deserved, and perhaps even a long time coming. Ace Pedro Guzman has continued to live up to the massive amounts of dollars the Mets are paying him, going 6-2 with a 1.13 WHIP and 2.66 ERA. There may not be a hotter one-two punch in baseball right now.

So what does it all mean? The Mets have opened up a 7-game lead against their sub-.500 division rivals, while going 7-3 within the NL East. Those rivals should take note: as well as the Mets have performed thus far, they are still underperforming their Pythagorean record. A team that during the offseason was expected to fight to contend could run away and hide with their division title. There are potential pitfalls: pitchers around the league are bound to figure out these rookies eventually, Gant and Guzman may not be able to maintain their low BABIPs, and Tampa Bay's actual won-lost record could finally start to reflect their pyth. Stick around; this could get interesting. Fans in New York are anxious for a competitor, and urbanwarrior may have assembled the team that can make a run this season and in the future.