New York Mets Fantasy Baseball Team Preview 2019

New York Mets 2019 Fantasy Projections – Do the Mets Need a Miracle?

Once upon a time in the Big Apple, there was a pitching staff deemed by many to be destined for greatness. Unlike many endearing fables, this one did not have a happy ending. The New York Mets franchise had built a stable of hired guns on their pitching staff that most experts had pegged for greatness. While the Mets still roster a trio of tremendously talented pitchers, New York fans are still waiting for that miracle to provide them with another storybook ending.

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New York Mets 2018 Recap

The Mets problems in 2018 were pretty easy to figure out from a statistical angle. While they had a dominating ace on their staff, and fair performances from the rest of the rotation, they didn't do a good job producing runs.

Sure, the fell in the middle of baseball statistically for run production, but a vast majority of the Mets runs crossed the plate when it didn't matter. They'd score a half-dozen in a game, only to give up eight runs to the opposition.

What it produced was one of the best statistical seasons from a pitcher in modern-memory, but an 85 loss season. New York tried to add some pieces to their offense before 2018 started, but the strategy ended up looking like a mishmash jigsaw puzzle.

2019 Fantasy Pitchers Projections – The Best of the Mets Staff

The only teams in Major League Baseball that have a trio of top-tier starting pitchers are on the short-list of top contenders for the world title. While the Mets aren't necessarily being tabbed as a top contender, their top three hurlers are all fantasy ace material.

Even the backend of the rotation, Steven Matz and Jason Vargas have track records that would warrant back-of-the-rotation. But, the big three in the Big Apple are all going to be prime targets to fill fantasy baseball pitching.

Jacob deGrom SP – You take out Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander from last season's pitcher board, and deGrom is hands-down the best pitcher in baseball. Unbelievable at times, would not be an understatement.

Jacob deGrom mowed down hitters at a pace worthy of mention with some of the greatest hurlers of all time. In fact, it was one of the greatest seasons for a pitcher in the history of professional baseball. His stinginess was clearly evident by his sub-2.00 ERA.

It was the third lowest ERA in league history for a pitcher with 30 or more starts since the mound was lowered in 1969. Over his last 29 starts, deGrom didn't given up more than three runs. He fanned 269 batters, fourth-best in franchise history, handed out only 46 walks, and but 10 home runs.

He was methodical and effective every time he took the mound. There was only one problem from a fantasy perspective. In spite of his masterful greatness, deGrom won only 10 games.

This made him the only player to post such lofty statistics and win only 10 games. However, with stats like his and an improved Mets team, deGrom is frontend fantasy ace.

Noah Syndergaard SP – As great as deGrom was in 2018, the Mets actually have another pitcher who some feel could push him to the second spot on his own team. Noah Syndergaard, known to baseball lovers as Thor, is as good as deGrom or better.

The 6-foot, 6-inch physical specimen, with flowing gold locks of hair, tossed a pair of complete games, more than deGrom. Syndergaard won three more games than his teammate, and averaged over a strikeout per inning.

The issue Syndergaard has never been with talent and potential, but with durability. He broke down on at least two occasions over the last three seasons. However, if Thor stays healthy, any fantasy squad who rosters him could be in line for super hero numbers.

Zack Wheeler SP – The third man of the Mets trio of stud pitchers may be the most-often overlooked. Wheeler's strikeout percentages are on par with Syndergaard, as well as his ability to be home run thrifty.

He posted an excellent 3.31 ERA, and actually had a WHIP better than Syndergaard. It equaled a dozen wins for an average team. Wheeler is now deemed to be as healthy as he's been in the past two seasons.

If he stays that way, nailing down over 200 innings is not out of the question. He may be the third day starter for the Mets, but he is number one worthy of fantasy rotations.

2019 Fantasy Hitter Projections – The Best Mets Bats

This is a part of the Mets roster heading into 2019 that could use a crystal ball. Brandon Nimmo is the fourth highest fantasy ranked New York hitter, but he is hanging around names such as Bauers, Gordon and Kipnis. Some appeal, but nothing yet to get all giggling about.

Jed Lowrie comes east from the west coast. He is a decent fantasy bench player because of his dual-eligibility at 2B and 3B. Keep in mind, however, his 23 HRs and 99 RBIs with Oakland in 2018, were way over his career tendencies.

Wilson Ramos has appeal at a very weak catcher position, but there is a trend that he does not put on the mask every day. A problem when you're looking for some type of daily fantasy consistency.

Keep a casual eye on Keon Broxton. Broxton was deemed a high prospect in Milwaukee, with reasonable long ball power. While he seemed to reduce a bad tendency to miss a lot of pitches, his batting average plummeted below .200 in his final season for the Brewers.

Robinson Cano 2B - Cano, fresh off a season with a missing first-half, is still an outstanding baseball hitter. He has power and punch, even if any small benefit from stolen bases is gone. In half a season, he topped a .300 batting average for the first time in three campaigns, and hit 10 home runs.

With 50 RBIs, Cano has the ability to push for a 100 runs batted in every season. His RBI numbers may not be as high hitting in the two-hole for the Mets. Fantasy owners may get a balancing effect from a boost in runs scored. Cano every year for the past six, he is a top-tier second baseman for fantasy rosters.

Michael Conforto OF – Conforto brings outfield eligibility for all three spots in the grass into fantasy leagues that designate that position. He also brings near 30 home run potential, and should stretch out at least 20 doubles.

The problem recently with Confronto is a tendency to leave runners in scoring position. His average took a nosedive in 2018 and his strikeouts went up. While he did appear to hit better in the clutch last season, Confronto needs to level out his consistency to be more than just a mid-range fantasy outfielder.

Fantasy Rank of the New York Mets

The lofty overall rank for the New York Mets as a team is totally the result of deGrom, Syndergaard, Wheeler, and maybe Matz. There are four viable fantasy pitchers at the frontend of the New York rotation.

The hitting number is really the biggest question in the big apple. Production from any or all of their young outfielders and bounce-back seasons from their four veteran bats could change the Mets run scoring projections, a lot.

Overall: 84
Pitchers: 98
Hitters: 70

The Bottom Line for the New York Mets

New York Mets management didn't do a lot different during the winter leading up to last season than they did this one. They tried again to pick the low-budget free agent list for some viable veteran bats.

They have a quartet of young outfielders who have potential, but they added aging legs to their infield and at catcher. Jed Lowrie and Robinson Cano didn't produce range factor RF stats above much more than average.

Ahmed Rosario was actually the sixth worst in baseball for errors committed at shortstop. While the Met pitching staff is very strong, they may have to be. Wilson Ramos does a fair job of keeping base runners from running at will, but he is more of a bat asset as he is a staff asset.

What it all means is a season very much dependent on the performance of New York pitching. If they live up to expectations, the Mets will be a problem on any given night. If not, it may be a long season for Met fans, still searching for that miracle ending.