Coming into this new 2012 Major League Baseball season, I really didn’t have high expectations for my favorite team, the New York Mets. Many experts have projected the Mets to finish fourth, or maybe even last in the division. This was probably because of a dominant Philadelphia Phillies’ starting pitching rotation, the Washington Nationals’ young talent, the newly named Miami Marlins acquiring a new shortstop, and the Braves solid mix of batting and pitching. Up to this day, the Mets have exceeded pretty much everyone’s expectations. They are a solid four games above a .500 winning percentage (20-16), along with new up and coming players helping along the way.
One of the biggest surprises for me this year is Kirk Nieuwenhuis. He was called up from Triple A Buffalo when the Mets’ new center fielder Andres Torres went on the 15 day disable list. Ever since then, Nieuwenhuis has been tearing it up on the field.

Another pleasant surprise this year has been the starting pitching. With Johan Santana missing all of last year, a lot of people thought he wouldn’t have the stuff to be an MLB ace pitcher. Man, were they wrong. Despite a 1-2 record, due to lack of run support, Santana has posted a 2.92 earned run average (ERA) and a 1.16 Walks/Hits per inning (WHIP). The rest of the starting rotation including knuckleballer R.A. Dickey and southpaw Jon Niese have been solid.

Lastly, the biggest surprise so far of this young season is Third Baseman David Wright. He has been a very consistent hitter, posting a batting average over .400 (.408) which is leading all hitters in the league. He also has four homeruns and twenty-one runs batted in. He has been on a tear lately and I hope he continues his great play throughout the season.

Having said all this, I actually think the Mets have a good shot at making the playoffs. With the Phillies having struggles on offense, the Nationals’ inconsistency, the Marlins not performing well, and the Braves being only an average team, I don’t see why the Mets wouldn’t make the playoffs with the way they are playing now. I hope the Mets continue their stellar play and hopefully I will be watching them play in the post-season.