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4 reasons why every New York Mets fan should believe in this team again
The New York Mets are a .500 baseball team. Not what we wanted to hear at this point of the season, right? Yet thanks to a four-game winning streak that includes two come-from-behind, walk-off wins, Mets fans are feeling better than a 23-23 record would normally indicate.
For any Mets fans that aren't yet aboard the hype train, was your TV broken this week? Get to the station now while there are still seats available. If you asked a week ago, it would have been difficult to come up with many reasons to believe that this team was going to be anything other than a massive disappointment. Times have changed, though, and we gotta believe. Here's why.
1) The Baby Mets
Most people don't know this, but I have six kids, and I love them all. Three of them live at home and range from four to eight years old. The other three play baseball for a living. Their names are Brett, Francisco, and Mark.
Like the local bookstore owner that steals the heart of the protagonist of a Hallmark movie that has returned home for the holidays, the Baby Mets have given me a reason to love again. I call it "Home Run of the Heart." Be right back, I need to call Hallmark.
In a season that can seem endless at times, no baseball team can reach the finish line without coming together. Brett Baty, Francisco Alvarez, and Mark Vientos have been the glue that has solidified a Mets team that played like less than the sum of its parts before their respective arrivals.
The team's recent four-game winning streak wouldn't have been possible without the contributions of all three, and they're only scratching the surface of what they can do. Even better, Mets manager Buck Showalter seems to be realizing it also, as he started all three in Friday's epic 10-9 win over the Guardians. The trio has made themselves impossible to ignore, which bodes incredibly well for the team's prospects the rest of the season.
2) Pete Alonso: the man, the myth, the legend
Do you remember the old Chuck Norris facts that used to rule the internet? "Chuck Norris invented the giraffe when he uppercutted a horse." "Chuck Norris makes onions cry." Pete Alonso is the new Chuck Norris.
There's nothing you could tell me that Pete Alonso accomplished that I wouldn't believe. Pete Alonso hit a walk-off homer against the best team in baseball. Pete Alonso defeated a brick wall in tennis. Pete Alonso hit an opposite field grand slam to tie the Guardians. Pete Alonso destroyed the periodic table because the only element Pete Alonso believes in is the element of surprise. See? Where's the lie?
Like Atlas holding up the Earth, Alonso has hoisted the Mets upon his dependable shoulders in the past week. I wouldn't be surprised if he took the short walk over to the Unisphere and lifted it up as a postgame workout after helping the Mets to another dramatic win. The Mets' mythic first baseman has homered in four straight games, coming up biggest when it matters most.
Alonso has often felt like a fan that was blessed with some kind of super serum that allows him to crush baseballs, a Captain America's Pastime, if you will. The ultimate teammate, winning means more to him than anyone, a refreshing example in a pro sports landscape that too often can feel like mercenaries in pursuit of the next contract instead of the next championship.
For those keeping track at home, yes, I have compared Pete Alonso to Chuck Norris, the Greek titan Atlas, and Marvel's Captain America in the span of a few short paragraphs. Just for the record, I'm taking the Polar Bear every time.
3) Steve Cohen
Things have been fairly quiet on the Uncle Stevie front this season. You know that won't last. With the highest payroll in baseball, the Mets' owner has proven that he is willing to open the checkbook in pursuit of wins.
If the team can continue trending in the right direction, it's a certainty that Cohen and general manager Billy Eppler will get creative around the trade deadline to bolster the roster. Many teams are already playing themselves out of the pennant race, and the Mets would be wise to target trade partners such as the White Sox, Reds, and Rockies in the coming months.
The fanbase is already dreaming of a world where Cohen is able to land Shohei Ohtani on a record-shattering contract this offseason, but moves will be made this year to provide more immediate results. Whether it's bullpen help, outfield depth, or a shiny new starting pitcher or two, I know that Cohen won't sit idly by.
It wasn't all that long ago that Mets fans were crying themselves to sleep each night while the Wilpons stole the joy from our lives. Cohen has been a massive improvement in every way, and that will become even more apparent as the Mets play to win this year, and every year going forward.
4) Positive regression to the mean
Unless your favorite sport is Math Olympiad, regression to the mean is probably not something you would get excited about, but Mets fans should. Before the last few wins, it seemed that the Mets were having a Murphy's Law of a season. Everything that could go wrong, did. And yet entering Sunday, the team is only 5.5 games behind the Braves.
There are many Mets who are bound to improve as the season goes on, and I'm not talking about the young guys. I mean players that have underperformed the level that we know they're capable of. Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander are better pitchers than what they've shown. I can promise you that neither's ERA will remain close to 5.00.
Jeff McNeil won the batting title last year. He's going to get back over .300. Mark Canha and Starling Marte have nowhere to go but up. Even after his three-hit game on Friday, Francisco Lindor's numbers are still down from last year. That won't last.
Beyond individual players, there are big picture things that will regress the Mets' way. The team's debacle of an average with runners in scoring position has already started creeping up. Likewise, it's hard to envision a scenario where the Mets remain this completely inept at throwing runners out. I swear, every opposing baserunner has been safe by an inch.
The Mets are starting to make believers of us once again after toying with our emotions for a month and a half. Citi Field is rocking, and Mets magic is back. We saved you a seat. Won't you join us?
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