Play Ball Already!

Despite the fact opening day came and went last week, nobody noticed because it was on another continent. For me, as a Mets fan, opening day is Monday, when the Mets take on the ever younger and more anonymous Marlins in Florida. Despite the insult of Kruk not picking the Mets to win the division (he picked them third!), I am getting more and more excited, reading the multitude of previews picking the Mets to do well this year. I just finished reading Rob Neyer’s “The top 50 for five years”, in which he picks his favorites to be the best players in the league over the next five years. Excitingly for me, the Mets have 3 of the top 7 players on this list, checking in with 4 overall. Only the Indians, a very good team, have more with 5. I figured out the frequency for each team to give a sense of the best teams over the next few years:

Indians 5
Mets 4
Tigers 3
Phillies 3
Yankees 3
Brewers 3
Rays 3
Diamondbacks 3
Braves 3
Twins 2
Orioles 2
Padres 2
Red Sox 2
Dodgers 2
Marlins 2
Rockies 2
Astros 1
Royals 1
Nationals 1
Cardinals 1
Rangers 1
White Sox 1
Blue Jays 0
Pirates 0
Giants 0
Cubs 0
Mariners 0
Angels 0
Athletics 0
Reds 0

Surprisingly, Josh Beckett is the only Red Sox pitcher on the list. Joba Chamberlin doesn’t manage to make the list either. None of the Rockies pitching makes the list, nor does Fausto Carmona. I suppose what I’m getting at here is I think the list is position player heavy. Nevertheless, I think it gives a pretty good indication of the relative quality and age of the teams.

Now, as the season begins, let this song bring you joy.

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