As I did in the previous posting for the Yankees, I would like to compare the performance of the April, 2013 Mets with the April, 2012 Mets. The Mets, like the Yankees, were expected to finish the season either last or next to last in the NL East. Unlike the Yankees, the Mets were very quiet in the off-season. On opening day, the Mets were without their 20 game-winner R.A. Dickey, traded to Toronto, and former ace pitcher Johan Santana, out for the year. Gone but probably not missed are Pelfrey, Acosta, and Rauch. The only notable pitcher acquired in the off-season was Shaun Marcum. Marcum is a solid pitcher with a lifetime record of 57-38 with an ERA of 3.80. The starters so far in 2013 are Niese, Harvey, Gee, Marcum, and ?. The positional players gone are Thole, Bay, Torres, and S. Hairston. Hairston’s versatility will be missed. Forget the rest of them. Notable additions are Buck and Byrd. The tables below provide the hitting and pitching statistics for the Mets for April, 2012 and April, 2013.
So what do the tables show? The Mets played two more games in 2013 (25 to 23). The 2012 Mets had a higher winning percentage (57% to 40%), a higher AVG (.268 to .233) and higher OPS (.731 to .698). However, the 2013 Mets had a higher runs scored per game (4.76 to 3.96), a lower runs allowed per game (4.72 to 4.83) and a lower ERA (4.12 to 4.30). In spite of a poorer record in 2013, the reason the RS, RA, and ERA favored the 2013 Mets was there were four lopsided losses for the Mets in 2012 (6 to 14, 9 to 18, 2 to 7, and 2 to 8).
The ace pitcher for the Mets for April, 2013 was Matt Harvey. Matt Harvey is a 24 year old right–handed pitcher who stands six-feet-four-inches and weighs 225 pounds. Harvey has been drawing constant comparisons to Dwight Gooden, a former Met phenom. He is a strikeout pitcher averaging over 10 strikeouts per nine innings. This rate is sixth-best among all 24-year-old pitchers in the history of baseball. What impresses baseball scouts is how effortless his delivery is. His fastball is clocked consistently at 98 miles-per-hour and he is one of the few pitchers described as unhittable. The best news for the Mets is whenever he pitches he puts fannies in the seats. Below are his statistics for April, 2013.
So what do the tables show? The Mets played two more games in 2013 (25 to 23). The 2012 Mets had a higher winning percentage (57% to 40%), a higher AVG (.268 to .233) and higher OPS (.731 to .698). However, the 2013 Mets had a higher runs scored per game (4.76 to 3.96), a lower runs allowed per game (4.72 to 4.83) and a lower ERA (4.12 to 4.30). In spite of a poorer record in 2013, the reason the RS, RA, and ERA favored the 2013 Mets was there were four lopsided losses for the Mets in 2012 (6 to 14, 9 to 18, 2 to 7, and 2 to 8).
The ace pitcher for the Mets for April, 2013 was Matt Harvey. Matt Harvey is a 24 year old right–handed pitcher who stands six-feet-four-inches and weighs 225 pounds. Harvey has been drawing constant comparisons to Dwight Gooden, a former Met phenom. He is a strikeout pitcher averaging over 10 strikeouts per nine innings. This rate is sixth-best among all 24-year-old pitchers in the history of baseball. What impresses baseball scouts is how effortless his delivery is. His fastball is clocked consistently at 98 miles-per-hour and he is one of the few pitchers described as unhittable. The best news for the Mets is whenever he pitches he puts fannies in the seats. Below are his statistics for April, 2013.