Picking Nits: Mets

By foxsports
Published

The Argument: The New York Mets are in first place, but they're not nearly as good as their place in the standings and their 73-59 record might suggest. The Mets play in MLB's worst division, against which they're 35-18 ... whilst going 38-41 against everybody else. If you put the Mets in the West they'd be in third place; in the Central, fourth place.

One Rebuttal: The Mets' record might well be somewhat deceptive. Considering their fundamental performance since Opening Day, the Mets probably haven't been one of the five best teams in the National League. Probably not close. 

But what if we consider just the talent at hand right now? Don't the Mets look quite a bit better than they did in May.

Four months ago, they didn't have David Wright or Yoenis Cespedes or Noah Syndergaard or Tyler Clippard or Travis d'Arnaud or Michael Conforto. And while it's still obvious that the Mets benefit from the weak competition in their division, it's also obvious that these reinforced Mets are nearly as good as anybody else in the league. Especially in October, when their three best starting pitchers can match up with just about anyone.