NY Mets: 3 preseason predictions everyone seemed to get wrong

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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 11: James McCann #33 of the New York Mets celebrates his sixth inning two-run home run against the New York Yankees with teammate Jeff McNeil #6 at Citi Field on September 11, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /

In the final weeks of the 2021 MLB season, we have time to reflect on what is, what will be, and what should have been. Preseason predictions are a big part of all sports. Anyone who follows the New York Mets had their share of hits and misses before this 162 game stretch began.

However, there are three preseason predictions I think people unanimously got wrong.

Whether you root for the Mets or bleed another team’s colors, 99.9% of us got these predictions dead wrong.

The Mets are going to be one of the best offenses in baseball

It was the narrative all spring training wrong. So what if Noah Syndergaard wouldn’t be back? Who cares if the bullpen stinks? Jacob deGrom can take a step back and still, the Mets are going to win a lot of games for one reason: the offense is going to dominate.

From top to bottom, the Mets looked like a group of eight starting men who could clobber opposing pitching. Put them in any order you want. The back of their baseball cards had serious potential to destroy ERAs.

All year long, the opposite has been true. The Mets have universally struggled at the plate. While certainly not an all-time worst offense, you could make the case that this is one of the biggest disappointments in franchise history.

If you saw the Mets bats struggling all year long, kudos to you. Next, make yourself useful and buy me a lottery ticket. We can go halves on the winnings.

WASHINGTON, DC – SEPTEMBER 03: Francisco Lindor #12 of the New York Mets bats against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on September 03, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images) /

Francisco Lindor will compete for the National League MVP

Along with the impressive offense we thought for sure the Mets would deliver, there was a chance the team could finally get an MVP winner. It wouldn’t be a homegrown talent either. Newcomer Francisco Lindor was going to be the guy to do it.

When the Mets made the swap with the Cleveland Indians to land Lindor, there was a ton of excitement. The focus then went to what he could do for the club this year and whether or not he’d stick around beyond 2021. Months later, Lindor is far from an MVP candidate.

The drought looks like it will continue. No other players on this team are going to sniff a major award. Before he landed on the IL, deGrom was an outside candidate to do it from the pitcher’s mound. Because he’ll miss essentially half of the year, we can file that into the “what if” category in team history.

Lindor will have plenty more chances to compete for an MVP and possibly even win it one day. It’s not happening in 2021, a year in which we all predicted much bigger and better things out of the franchise shortstop.

Not all of the predictions we got wrong were necessarily negative. The final one we all swung and missed on has to do with a guy we swore wouldn’t give the team much at all.

Sep 9, 2021; Miami, Florida, USA; New York Mets relief pitcher Jeurys Familia (27) delivers a pitch in the 8th inning against the Miami Marlins at loanDepot park. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports /

Jeurys Familia is cooked

How will the Mets part ways with Jeurys Familia? Can they dump his contract in a blockbuster deal? Will Steve Cohen and his billions of dollars simply DFA the veteran reliever?

Instead of taking either of those actions, the Mets rolled into the 2021 season with Familia in an unfamiliar role: pitching middle relief innings in lower leverage situations than he typically has.

This didn’t last too long. Familia proved there’s blood still flowing through his veins. Quickly, he became a setup man. On days when Edwin Diaz has been unavailable, the Mets have even turned to him to finish games. There’s a possibility Familia ends up leading the pitching staff in wins this year. As unpredictable as this is, it does showcase a little about how effective Familia has been.

Looking beyond just this anomaly, Familia has been successful at preventing runs even while tossing a career-worst 8 pitches that went yard. He has been exactly what the team needed him to be these last three seasons, setting himself up nicely for a wider market in free agency this winter.

I can’t blame anyone for thinking Familia was done entering this season. After how badly 2019 went and uncertainty about his 2020 results, it made a lot of sense to write him off. Familia stepped up and I give him credit for being one of the team’s best relievers.

If you were insistent that Familia is cooked, you might take some personal solace in his recent performance. He’s beginning to look like nothing more than a mop-up man.

Next. Mets top trade candidates as the season comes to a close

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Which other preseason predictions do you think everyone unanimously got wrong?

Home / New York Mets News

The Mets are going to be one of the best offenses in baseball

Francisco Lindor will compete for the National League MVP

Jeurys Familia is cooked

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