Met the Standard

I'm going to bring up the ugly truth right now, before I get into serious details about the Mets- I don't see that great of a chance of the New York Mets returning to the World Series this year.

Yes, they're a fantastic team, and they've had a hell of a lot of progress, but unless they figure out a way to get around NOT ONLY the Nationals at first, but the Giants AND the Cubs, two teams at the heads of divisions that are, quite frankly, a bit better than them, they're going to have to settle for second this year.

It's sad, too, because the pitching staff in Queens is more concise than it's been in years. deGrom's killing it, Thor's killing it, Matz is killing it, and EVEN BARTOLO COLON, AT 43 YEARS OLD, is killing it for the Mets. Yes, Matt Harvey is having a comparatively down season, but he seems to be getting his stuff back, which is nice, because Logan Verrett, while nice, isn't nearly up to the quality of the rest of the rotation.

Jacob deGrom actually scared me earlier on, because I feared his son's medical emergency was gonna cut back on his season's legitimacy, and I do have to remind myself when I see his stats compared to the rest of the staff's, that he's missed games. Of course, he's still got an amazing ERA and is striking out batters left and right, but missing those two starts, as of right now, has made his numbers a little less than people like Thor and Colon and Harvey who've been there the whole year.

DeGrom is still one of the best pitchers in baseball, even if he's being overshadowed by Noah Syndergaard this year, who is raising absolute valhalla. It's still a collaborative effort, and DeGrom, with Syndergaard, Matz, Harvey and Colon (and Zack Wheeler), is part of the best rotation in the NL, hands down. And even then, he's one of the more powerful entries. So that says something.

Coming Tonight: Prince Fielder was traded to Arlington, and, with the exception of last season, his numbers have been pretty disappointing. The guy they traded him for...oh, he's been pretty damn amazing in Detroit.