5 Key Stats for the Mets in the 2nd Half of the Season

As the Mets embark on the 2nd half of the 2009 season, there are a five key stats that will determine the success they will or won't have. Although the most obvious one may be "PCODL" (Players Coming Off the DL), lets assume for the sake of making an ASS out of U and ME the core returns back to the lineup healthy as a racehorse prior to getting pumped full of steroids the night before the Belmont.

1) Jose Reyes On-Base % - It's a cliche among Mets fans that as Jose goes, so do the Mets. OBP is a stat that is in reality, more important than batting average - especially for a lead off hitter. Reyes should wise'n up and use his rehab batting practice time to improve his plate patience which is the key, proved by that linked article, to be the main factor in reaching an ideal OBP.

2) Oliver Perez Walks Allowed - This guy will be so instrumental to the Mets success in the next few months. It is pretty apparent that he and his agent Scott Boras chumped the Mets into giving him a multi-year 36 million dollar contract. That is said and done. OPee led MLB in walks allowed by a pitcher in 2008 with 105. But he was around the league average with 79 in his 2007 season. Reclaiming his accuracy will give him to opportunity to get quality starts, and that's all we can really ask for from him...besides maybe showing some passion and a willingness to contribute, just sayin'.

3) Francoeur Strikeouts - Everyone loves calling this dude Frenchy. I'll tell you what, I'll call him ST. Francis Bossanova, Ruler of the Solar System if he can keep his strikeouts at a reasonable level. Lock him up in a room with Alex Cora, Slappy Castillo, and Rudy Jaramillio for a day straight so they can teach him the art of swinging at a strike. Or better yet, laying off those balls, antinympho-style.

4) Home Runs by the Clean Up Hitter- Whether its Gary Sheffield, St. Francis Bossanova, or Carlos Delgado, the Mets will have to get some power if they are going to make some noise. They are dead last in team home runs. They aren't even in striking distance to climbing out of the gutter there. They are 10 games behind the 2nd to last Pirates. Don't blame Citifield folks, half their games are on the road. I'm not saying that they have to start blasting 3 dingers a game but it be nice to at least pose a minor threat of putting up a run or two in one swing.

5) Mets Consecutive Win's - When your in 4th place in a crappy division and 6.5 games behind the first place team, winning 6 out of 10 games is not going to cut it. There needs to be some serious streaking going on here. I'm talking like ripping 12 games at a time or winning 18 out of 22. Ground needs to be gained and if the Mets are even pondering the possibility that they might start to think about maybe making the playoffs, then this needs to happen in late July and August.

Do you have any stats that are crucial to the Mets success?


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