Well spring training is about half way done and some things are becoming very clear to us diehards…..

Johan Santana is good, very very good. Forget the spring training stats, they mean nothing to a pitcher like him. What makes Mets fans giddy is his presence on the mound, his incredible stuff, his work ethic, and his slider that is on its way to becoming a great third pitch and possibly increasing the strikeouts!

Angel Pagan will make this team – barring an unforeseen trade (every Met fan I talk to has agreed….we don’t want a Kevin Millar, nor a Coco Crisp) for a solid righthanded bat who can play OF and 1B (Nady, Bay etc) we want Pagan out in left with Endy until Alou comes back. Yes Alou takes longer to heal than predicted and yes he is brittle, but we have to be optimistic. If the All Star break comes around and he can not be counted on (or Delgado continues to slide) we will need to add a power bat at the deadline….but that time is not here.

Pagan will make this team! Pagan brings two key things that all Mets fans love. First, he came from our organization and many still feel he is “home grown”…although his path to the majors has been “unique”. Second, he brings energy and hustle! Today was a perfect example when he dropped a flawless bunt down the third base line and beat out the throw by Glaus. Pagan then stole second base on Molina (one of the better arms in the NL) and we were reminded that he stole 62 bases in one minor league season. Finally, he scored a typical NL run on a fly ball that was dropped by Barton of the Cards. Those runs win games!

We need to be searching for a first baseman during the entire season. Not only is Alou a question mark, Delgado has done nothing since his return to calm down our nerves. It appears that he can not get around on the inside fastball of a great high school pitcher at this point and everyone knows it. He will get pounded inside all year. Furthermore, his defense is still a liability, below average at best. Today he dropped a routine throw to first from Reyes. We can live with that if he hits like Mr Pujols, but not when he struggles to put balls in play this spring.

Pitching will carry the offense. Pedro looks healthy, Johan looks like a Cy Young winner, Maine looks like he is maturing as a pitcher and will improve on a solid season, Perez will look to build on a solid year with his nasty stuff and remember…this is his contract year (Mr Boras as an agent). Having to figure out the fifth starter (El Duque is finally throwing a baseball and Big Pelf appears to be making progress) is a nice problem to have. Most teams are trying to figure out there third and fourth starters.