As we prepare for the final 67 games of the regular season for the 2014 Mets, we here at the Stache decided to bring together our staff once again for another roundtable discussion.
With the Mets seven games out of a playoff spot and five games under .500 at this point in the season, things normally would be looking as bleak as they always have since 2009. But with the team coming off an 8-2 homestand, things are looking a bit better.
So with all that, lets just see how the Stache Staff thinks the second half of the Mets 2014 season is going to go.
Matthew: I wrote about this the other day but I’m honestly expecting the second half of the season to be a lot more interesting, and dare I say, fun, than we have seen since the 2006 season. I expect the young players like d’Arnuad, Lagares and Wheeler to improve on what has been, on different levels, tough first halves. I also expect to see that Lucas Duda and Ruben Tejada continue to be steady parts of the team. I don’t know if they will step up their performance but what they have given us so far is better than what most expected. If anything, I want this team to relax and have some fun. Nobody expects anything from them and they should embrace that kind of thought and just play the game free and easy. Sending the fan base into the off-season and the 2015 season with a positive feeling towards the future would be nice to see and that is what I expect to see.
Michael: I think now is the right time to be optimistic, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. The immediate goal should be to get to .500 and take it from there. I think the second half will bring glimmers of hope as we head into the off season, but ultimately, this team does not have enough fire power to compete for a playoff spot this season.
Tejesh: I expect the Mets to perhaps win 2 of 3 in San Diego, furthering this Troll Trap 8-2 homestand, before eventually realizing that they are, in fact, the Mets. I expect what this little 8-2 (10-3 in my scenario) stretch has done is stay SandyCo’s hand to the point where we won’t sell even though we desperately need to (Colon, Niese, Gee, Murphy). I also expect, that even if they do end up doing well on the trip out of the break (say 5-5, 6-4), that we won’t be buying, either. So either way, we’ll stand pat, and the chips will fall where the true talent level of this team is, between 74 and 79 wins. Another wasted season with no progress made towards the bigger picture.
Either all that, or they go 8-2 on the trip, win 22 games in August, and Matt Harvey makes his season debut 9/1 and leads the Mets to the division title.
Andrew: I don’t expect the current pace to continue but I do believe the upward trend does. I had this team at 85 wins before the season starts. I don’t believe they’ll quite reach that, but I think somewhere around 80 wins is where they’ll wind up.
Eddie: I expect them to finish strong but not make a run at the playoffs or anything. We’ll look back on this season like we do with 2005.
Mark: This Mets team shows flashes of the pieces coming together at times, which is exciting for sure, but ultimately, over a long season, I feel this is a sub .500 team as currently constituted. They are more than one or two pieces away from being a contender, and until they show a willingness to increase payroll, which they have proved is different than “spending,” they will not be able to get over that hump. Over the final 67 games, I’ll put them at 32-35 for a final record of 77-85.
Ben: My expectations have been as up and down as this season has been so far for our beloved Mets. I have no idea how I can even attempt to accurately forecast what will happen in the second half. I do think that the the biggest key will be the development of the young players. Winning games will be great and if they make a push towards the playoffs, even better. But I want my cake and eat it too. If the young players are the main reason why we are being successful then this year will be fantastic. I personally don’t see us making any kind of run but if the young players get better towards the end of the year, then the second half could be considered a success.
Susana: To be honest, I stopped watching the Mets regularly about a month ago as it got too frustrating for me to watch. From the little I’ve been following it seems the young guys are really producing and helping the vets like Grandy and Wright carry this team instead of sinking into oblivion. However, I know better than to get too excited. They tend to give us a false sense of hope right before the All-Star break and snap us back to reality the rest of the 2nd half. With that being said, I can see them continuing to make things interesting since the NL East isn’t a very strong division and this group of guys are working so well together. Will they make the playoffs? I doubt it, but Ya Gotta Believe!
Earl: What do I expect if the second half? I expect to be disappointed.. I feel as if the next 10 games will set the expectations. Realistically, the Mets aren’t going to gain 5 games in the standings before the trade deadline. I think a wild card might be out of the question as well. If they go 7-3, and the Braves/Nats start to falter, I could see Sandy give us the “we tried to improve but the price just wasn’t right” bullshit on July 31st. It’s time to go out there and get some god damn impact players. I’m sick and fucking tired of the Chris/Eric Young’s of the world. Juan Lagares is a nice player, but he’s got no power. Unless this team gets a ton of HR’s from Granderson/Wright/Duda, they have too much difficulty scoring. I guess I just expect to be disappointed.
Meriwyn: What I expect, and what will actually happen, are probably two totally different things, but here goes…
They were playing so well leading into the All Star Break, that I was almost sorry they had to stop for a week. What I’m hoping is that they keep that momentum going, continuing to make ground on division rivals. The NL East is wide open right now, and the Mets CAN actually do this. The last few weeks have shown they can click on all cylinders when they put their minds to it. We just have to hope Sandy and the Wilpons don’t put the kabash on that and start trading away important pieces. I expect Daniel Murphy to keep raking and proving that he is one of said important pieces to this team. I expect David will continue to improve, and he and Daniel can possibly become a serious 1-2 punch that would rival any lineup. If Granderson and d’Arnaud (finally) keep producing the way they have, we may actually have ourselves a lineup here. The pitching has been outstanding for the most part, with Jacob deGrom being a very pleasant surprise. If all these things keep happening the way they should…I expect the Mets will have a better than average second half with the possibility of ending up (dare I say it?) #2 in the division.
Tyler: While I’m fully aware how this team team has historically played after the break, I can’t help but be excited. I truly think this team is only 2 or 3 players away from being a contender. In regards to the rest of this season, finishing. 500 seems like a reasonable and solid goal. I see no reason why they can’t do it. In terms of individual progress, I would like to see Lagares, d’Arnaud and Wheeler have productive second halves. One other thing I would like to see this team do is finish better than the Yankees. Sure it wouldn’t mean anything standings wise but it would help with morale and such. Overall I’m excited for the second half where we will hopefully see continued progress.
