Playoffs school: The New York Mets

October 3rd, 2006 | Posted by The Postmen

By now, you probably know the drill. We’re previewing the baseball playoffs by asking the people who know about each team best some ill-formed, silly questions, and then letting them “school” us, as the youths would say. Next up is Eric Simon, who runs not one but two rather excellent Mets blogs: MetsGeek.com and the fittingly named Amazin’ Avenue. He got down with us on the Mets’ chances without Pedro, an unsung fan favorite, and his ideal World Series. (Hint: it involves the Yankees.)

The Postmen: The Mets have seemed to be out in front of the rest of the NL the entire year. Considering the paltry state of the league, is there anyone in the NL that could possibly derail them?

Eric Simon: The experts will tell you that in a short series anything can happen. The Padres pitching staff is very good, and the Dodgers have two-or-three solid starts they can throw at you. I’ll take the Mets’ offense against anyone in the National League, but I think this thing is pretty wide open right now.

TP: What’s the biggest question surrounding this team right now?

ES: If you asked me yesterday I’d say it was whether Pedro Martinez would be ready to pitch in the postseason. Now that we know he’s out indefinitely, I think the biggest question still falls on the pitching staff. Tom Glavine/Orlando Hernandez/Steve Trachsel (or John Maine) isn’t nearly as imposing as Pedro Martinez/Glavine/Hernandez. Other than Maine you’re talking about an old-to-ancient front three, and it remains to be seen whether they’ll be able to keep the Mets in the game long enough to hand the ball off to arguably the best bullpen in the league.

TP: Who’s the most important player on this team?

ES: The thing about this team is that there isn’t any one player that makes the machine run smoothly. Every player on this team went through a slump at some point this season and the team never fell apart, never had a prolonged losing streak. I’ll give you an unexpected answer, though: Aaron Heilman. Given the state of the starting rotation, I expect there to be a lot of tight ballgames once the playoffs start, and Heilman is the primary bridge to get those close games into the hands of Billy Wagner. If the Mets can carry a lead into the 8th and Heilman can pitch has he has in the second half, the Mets are going to win a lot of games in October.

TP: Who’s the fan favorite around Shea?

ES: The easy answer is Jose Reyes. My answer is Endy Chavez, who was signed in the offseason for peanuts as basically a fourth or fifth outfielder and defensive replacement. He has surprised with the bat and has been otherworldly with the glove. My Chavez t-shirt is on order from the Mets team store.

TP: Who’s the most consistently detrimental player on the team, and what Single-A market would be the proper punishment for his crimes (kidding)?

ES: If we’re talking about the twenty-five guys who will be on the postseason roster, I’d say none of them. In past years there have always been one or two guys who I didn’t really care for, but I have a hard time saying that this year. I genuinely like every guy on that ballclub. Performance-wise, Steve Trachsel leaves a lot to be desired. But then again he’s a Proven Veteran™, so what do I know?

TP: Picture the perfect scenario - the Mets win the World Series. How will it happen?

ES: The Mets sweep the Yankees as Mariano Rivera blows four ninth-inning leads.