Young New York Mets core is enough to be thankful for today

Who says there’s nothing about the New York Mets to feel thankful for? The young core is reason enough to have some optimism.

When folks say the New York Mets need to get younger I wonder how old they think a baseball team should be. The Mets are in no way an old team. If anything, I believe they need a little more experience.

Thankfully, and I will probably use that word or something similar plenty here, the young position player core will only get more of this in 2019. In both the infield and outfield, the Mets have younger players making their mark on the game. If all goes right, they should only get better.

Excluding the catcher spot, this team is made to have a really good infield for a few more years. Assuming Jeff McNeil and Amed Rosario continue to play well, they have two guys a few seasons away from turning 30 who should provide them with some good offense. McNeil looks like he has already arrived with his breakout year in 2018. Rosario still needs a little more seasoning but may turn into a real stud.

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At first base, we can look forward to Peter Alonso. His monster year in 2018 made everyone excited to see what he could do at the big league level. At some point in 2019, we should get an opportunity to see it.

There’s more young talent beyond the infield dirt. In the outfield, Michael Conforto and Brandon Nimmo are two players to watch develop further.

Conforto has been both great and really bad in his big league career. He’s the kind of guy who could potentially set a new single-season home run record for the franchise than have a year of hitting .220. Hopefully, the kid finds his consistency.

Nimmo is equally as interesting while maybe not as well-rounded. His positive attitude and hustle are what truly won over the fans. It also doesn’t hurt that he’s willing to do anything to get on base and do it often.

Let’s still not forget about Noah Syndergaard. Thor may now have parts of four seasons under his belt but he is still very young by baseball standards. He too can help turn this franchise around as one of its under 30 stars.

As with most teams, there are guys on the farm who offer hope. Shortstop Andres Gimenez may end up as an even bigger prospect than Rosario ever was. The idea that this franchise may have even more top pitching prospects on the way, this time named Justin Dunn and David Peterson, also provides a reason to be thankful.

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I know it’s hard as Mets fans to be thankful for much after two bad years. However, if you put on your optimism hat a little tighter, maybe you can feel a little more hopeful.