Alright, forget the poor defense and cold bats. Forget that Nate Robertson turned into Tom Seaver for five innings. Forget that there were only 25,982 fannies in the seats at Citi Field. Forget the 3-1 score. As Jason Fry says, forget the boxscore.
Focus on Jon Niese. Because it looks like the Mets have a second starter after all.
Oh, I’m not suggesting he’s yet the kind of strong number two John Lackey would have been. And I’m nowhere near saying this ragged rotation is rounding into shape as the Mets sit at 1-2. Why would I? This yea, to me, is about next year – when there’s a new manager (perhaps Bobby Valentine) and a new general manager (Ron Darling?) and new direction in Metsland.
And then we’ll still need a core of talent. I think Niese belongs in that core. I totally agree with Matt Cerrone’s take:
niese is going to be a very good pitcher… i look forward to watching his career… he’s poised, and professional, and he already seems to have an idea of what he’s doing out there, more so then some other people on his pitching staff… i liked seeing the Marlins walk back from the dugout, a bit confused by his cutter, giving a look back to the mound as they shook their heads… good stuff… and he didn’t even use his curve ball that much… he’s going to be just fine…
So don’t look at the standings. The Mets will flirt with .500 this year and battle the Marlins for third place. Keep your eye on the talent, and decide who should be part of the core. That’s all we have this year.
Oh, and Jose Reyes returns on Saturday – watch what happens with David Wright.
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