My good friend Woody Paige, a sports columnist for the Denver Post, frequent guest of Around the Horn and voter for the NFL Hall of Fame, wrote the following to me after I explained to him why I thought the New York Mets would win the World Series.
"Peter: Thanks. Next time I'm in Sonoma I'll look up your stuff. Wish you well. You make a strong case for the Mets, and I agree, even though you didn't ask, that they'll win the division and maybe the league championship. But I'll take the Yankees. How about both stadiums in the series? That's rhetorical. Woody"
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Cady Picks Mets to Win World Series
The Yankees, Red Sox, Rays, Cubs and Phillies have been crowned as 2009’s favorites to win the World Series as Major League Baseball began its long and grueling season last Sunday.
These are all strong picks, as each of these teams possesses a strong lineup and pitching staff.
However, I believe that the New York Mets will win the World Series this year, due in large part to their lineup and Johan Santana, but most importantly their bullpen, which has gone from one of the leagues worst in 2008 to the game’s best (on paper) in 2009.
When I asked some of my friends in the sports media business whether or not they agreed with my pick, the reactions weren’t favorable.
“I don't think the Mets have enough starting pitching right now, although their new ballpark is supposed to be more hitter-friendly than Shea (Stadium), so perhaps they can out slug teams,” said Andrew Baggarly, who serves as the San Jose Mercury News’ beat writer for the San Francisco Giants.
“I do agree that they have the resources to bolster their rotation in the second half, and if they were to add (Jake) Peavy, etc., they could make a successful run once the playoff crapshoot begins. For now, I certainly expect the Mets to contend.”
“I am not convinced of the Mets’ ability to last through October,” added San Francisco Chronicle sports columnist and frequent Jim Rome is Burning guest Ray Ratto. “Certainly if every cheery scenario comes to pass they’d be a factor, but it is hard to see that happening for anyone, because baseball is about the challenges rather than the triumphs.”
However, contrary to Baggarly and Ratto, I fully believe that the World Series Champions come this fall will be the Mets.
My main reason is very simple: Their games have now been shortened from nine innings to seven. The Mets blew 29 saves last year and their bullpen was horrible down the stretch. But now that weakness has arguably turned into the team’s biggest strength, as General Manager Omar Minaya acquired both J.J. Putz from Seattle and Francisco Rodriguez from the Angels in December, both of whom are lights out, shutdown relief pitchers.
No team should stand much of a chance of coming behind against them in the eighth inning (and the seventh if necessary) against the flame-throwing Putz, and will definitely not stand a chance of getting a win once Rodriguez comes into the game in the ninth, as the all-time single season saves leader features a curveball that moves more than a stripper at the Body Shop in Hollywood.
Combine that with Santana and a lineup that is as strong as anybody at the one-through-five slots with table setters in Jose Reyes and Luis Castillo to go along with mashers in David Wright, Carlos Beltran and Carlos Delgado, and the Mets should have plenty of two-plus run leads this year going into the eighth inning
Consider that with the fact that four out of the Mets first five hitters in their lineup played in the World Baseball Classic, a newly-acquired Gary Sheffield that still has some pop in his bat and a New York media that will largely focus on the new Yankee Stadium (the Mets’ new stadium is not as big of a deal to most people than the replacement for the house that Ruth built) and how Alex Rodriguez plays and is greeted by fans when he comes off the D.L. in the first half of the season instead of the Mets, and you are looking at a team that could get comfortable and hot right away and ascend to the top of the standings early before coasting to October.
And when it comes to the team’s one weakness, their starting rotation, it is not as bad as you may think. The team’s three starters after the dominant Santana (Mike Pelfrey, Oliver Perez, John Maine and Livan Hernandez) are all big league mainstays who know how to get hitters out, and their average-to-good stuff will largely be canceled out by the team’s offense and weak National League lineups that they will see (with the exception of the Phillies, Cubs, Nationals and Dodgers).
Plus I agree with Baggarly that the Mets have the prospects and cash to acquire at least an Erik Bedard or Vicente Padilla if not Peavy at the All-Star break, and don’t count out Minaya signing former Mets pitcher Pedro Martinez between now and July if the Dodgers don’t pull the trigger either.
The Mets’ bullpen, a Santana-led starting rotation and an imposing lineup will lead them to an NL East title over the Phillies (who are due for a letdown after winning the World Series last year) this year, and victories over the Dodgers and Cubs in the first two rounds of the playoffs before beating the Yankees in the World Series, where Santana and their ability to manufacture runs with Reyes and Castillo will be the difference. I guarantee it.
These are all strong picks, as each of these teams possesses a strong lineup and pitching staff.
However, I believe that the New York Mets will win the World Series this year, due in large part to their lineup and Johan Santana, but most importantly their bullpen, which has gone from one of the leagues worst in 2008 to the game’s best (on paper) in 2009.
When I asked some of my friends in the sports media business whether or not they agreed with my pick, the reactions weren’t favorable.
“I don't think the Mets have enough starting pitching right now, although their new ballpark is supposed to be more hitter-friendly than Shea (Stadium), so perhaps they can out slug teams,” said Andrew Baggarly, who serves as the San Jose Mercury News’ beat writer for the San Francisco Giants.
“I do agree that they have the resources to bolster their rotation in the second half, and if they were to add (Jake) Peavy, etc., they could make a successful run once the playoff crapshoot begins. For now, I certainly expect the Mets to contend.”
“I am not convinced of the Mets’ ability to last through October,” added San Francisco Chronicle sports columnist and frequent Jim Rome is Burning guest Ray Ratto. “Certainly if every cheery scenario comes to pass they’d be a factor, but it is hard to see that happening for anyone, because baseball is about the challenges rather than the triumphs.”
However, contrary to Baggarly and Ratto, I fully believe that the World Series Champions come this fall will be the Mets.
My main reason is very simple: Their games have now been shortened from nine innings to seven. The Mets blew 29 saves last year and their bullpen was horrible down the stretch. But now that weakness has arguably turned into the team’s biggest strength, as General Manager Omar Minaya acquired both J.J. Putz from Seattle and Francisco Rodriguez from the Angels in December, both of whom are lights out, shutdown relief pitchers.
No team should stand much of a chance of coming behind against them in the eighth inning (and the seventh if necessary) against the flame-throwing Putz, and will definitely not stand a chance of getting a win once Rodriguez comes into the game in the ninth, as the all-time single season saves leader features a curveball that moves more than a stripper at the Body Shop in Hollywood.
Combine that with Santana and a lineup that is as strong as anybody at the one-through-five slots with table setters in Jose Reyes and Luis Castillo to go along with mashers in David Wright, Carlos Beltran and Carlos Delgado, and the Mets should have plenty of two-plus run leads this year going into the eighth inning
Consider that with the fact that four out of the Mets first five hitters in their lineup played in the World Baseball Classic, a newly-acquired Gary Sheffield that still has some pop in his bat and a New York media that will largely focus on the new Yankee Stadium (the Mets’ new stadium is not as big of a deal to most people than the replacement for the house that Ruth built) and how Alex Rodriguez plays and is greeted by fans when he comes off the D.L. in the first half of the season instead of the Mets, and you are looking at a team that could get comfortable and hot right away and ascend to the top of the standings early before coasting to October.
And when it comes to the team’s one weakness, their starting rotation, it is not as bad as you may think. The team’s three starters after the dominant Santana (Mike Pelfrey, Oliver Perez, John Maine and Livan Hernandez) are all big league mainstays who know how to get hitters out, and their average-to-good stuff will largely be canceled out by the team’s offense and weak National League lineups that they will see (with the exception of the Phillies, Cubs, Nationals and Dodgers).
Plus I agree with Baggarly that the Mets have the prospects and cash to acquire at least an Erik Bedard or Vicente Padilla if not Peavy at the All-Star break, and don’t count out Minaya signing former Mets pitcher Pedro Martinez between now and July if the Dodgers don’t pull the trigger either.
The Mets’ bullpen, a Santana-led starting rotation and an imposing lineup will lead them to an NL East title over the Phillies (who are due for a letdown after winning the World Series last year) this year, and victories over the Dodgers and Cubs in the first two rounds of the playoffs before beating the Yankees in the World Series, where Santana and their ability to manufacture runs with Reyes and Castillo will be the difference. I guarantee it.
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