4 things to watch as Mets face Marlins in season-opening series
Here are four things to watch as the Mets face the Marlins in Miami during a season-opening four-game series...
Cy Young Sandy
The Marlins' Opening Day starter opposite Max Scherzer, Sandy Alcantara is coming off a phenomenal Cy Young season.
In 32 starts, Alcantara had a 2.28 ERA (2.99 FIP) and 0.98 WHIP with 207 strikeouts. He also pitched incredibly deep most times out, and finished the season with a league-high 228.2 innings pitched.
The Mets had some success against Alcantara last season, getting to him for five runs (four earned) in on June 24 and four runs on eight hits on July 29 -- a start where Alcantara lasted just five innings.
But Alcantara also had his way with the Mets a few times, including seven shutout innings at Citi Field on July 10.
Getting Offensive
The Mets' offense was one of the best in baseball last season, with only a handful of teams scoring more runs.
But that offense stagnated late in the year during a three-game sweep at the hands of the Atlanta Braves that cost New York the division, and in two of three games of the Wild Card Series against the San Diego Padres as the Mets were eliminated from the playoffs.
During the offseason, the belief -- which was shared by owner Steve Cohen -- was that the Mets needed one more big piece for the offense. But after the Carlos Correa deal fell through, they were left without that piece.
The Mets then decided against carrying either Brett Baty or Mark Vientos on their Opening Day roster, instead choosing to take Tim Locastro after Darin Ruf was DFA'd.
While Baty and Vientos aren't here now, the Mets shouldn't wait long to call on them (and Francisco Alvarez) if they find themselves in need of more offense. In the meantime, Eduardo Escobar (at third base) and Tommy Pham (as the right-handed DH) will likely be lineup fixtures.
Do the Mets have an 'official' closer?
With Edwin Diaz out for at least the first five months of the season and perhaps the entirety of it, the Mets will likely turn to David Robertson as their closer most nights. And Robertson is a very good fallback option.
He had a 2.40 ERA (3.58 FIP) and 1.16 WHIP with 81 strikeouts in 63.2 innings last season (11.5 strikeouts per nine) for the Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies, and is a tested closer.
But New York might also spread things around depending on the matchups, with Brooks Raley (a lefty who is a true crossover reliever) and Adam Ottavino (against right-handed heavy lineups) other solid options to close.
Jazz Chisholm -- center field edition
Chisholm is one of the most exciting players in baseball, and he's taking his talents to center field this season.
The early returns on Chisholm in the outfield have not been great, which isn't surprising since he has never played a big league game anywhere but shortstop or second base.
The 25-year-old is coming off a season where he was limited to just 60 games due to injury, but he was a powerful force when in the lineup.
Chisholm had a .535 slugging percentage last season, more than 100 points higher than his previous career-high.
