Mets: 3 reasons why the Amazins should be the NL East favorites

1) The Mets Starting Rotation & Bullpen

Many of us believed the Mets would have a much-improved starting rotation heading into this season after last season’s tumultuous display behind Jacob deGrom and David Peterson. But nobody could have predicted just how good the pitching staff has held up thus far heading into the middle of May. Jacob deGrom despite his recent injury has looked like he has completely revamped his game which seems impossible to do, and Marcus Stroman has reminded fans just exactly how good he is despite a lost 2020 campaign due to injury and an opt-out due to Covid-19 concerns.

While David Peterson has taken his bumps here and there, when he has been on his A-game, he has displayed the type of promise many fans had hoped for after his breakout campaign last season. We also can not forget to mention how filthy Taijuan Walker has looked through his first-month and-a-half in a Mets jersey and it’s still hard to believe he sat around on the free-agent market as long as he did before being scooped up at the end of February.

The real burning question that surrounded the organization heading into the opening day was the state of the bullpen and they have absolutely delivered early on in the season, and are a large reason why the Mets are in the position they are in today. Outside of Edwin Diaz and Trevor May, many fans, myself included, were not sure how well the bullpen would hold up especially with Seth Lugo on the shelf until at least the end of May.

Every arm in the bullpen has answered those questions and then some, with an honorable mention to Jeurys Familia having a rebound of a season and looking like one of the best relievers in baseball, as well as Miguel Castro stepping up in big situations and delivering when needed. The Mets are second in baseball in both team ERA as well as WHIP, and they have also allowed the fewest earned runs in baseball. That is a recipe for October baseball.