Mets have high hopes under rookie manager Carlos Mendoza after dismal season
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- The New York Mets have high hopes for the 2024 season as Port St. Lucie, Florida is abuzz with spring training baseball.
It's hard to believe, but the Mets have only made the playoffs 10 times in the team's 62-year history.
The team is coming off a disastrous 75-win season after registering 101 wins the year before. So the question is, which Mets are going to show up this year?
Pitchers and catchers started their officials workouts under the watchful eyes of first-year manager Carlos Mendoza, who's looking to make his coaching style crystal clear early on.
"A great communicator with high expectations. Talk about respect, accountability, and at the same time understanding that the game is hard and keeping it loose, keeping it fun," said Mendoza.
It wasn't much fun finishing 4th in the NL East last year. Reliever Adam Ottovino said the team just couldn't get any traction.
"We never really got the ball rolling in the right direction last year. So let's have a really good camp, just wipe away last year, come out playing good baseball and hopefully get on a little bit of a roll and that kind of can snowball in the right direction," said Ottavino.
The return of Edwin Diaz would be huge. In 2023, Diaz tore his patella tendon during the World Baseball Classic and missed the entire season.
"It was tough. I'm a competitor. I like to be there every night. It was tough to watch it from outside, but that was last year and we are here this year," Diaz said.
Diaz said he's good to go for Opening Day.
"That's something, like everyone's waiting for that. Me too. So, can't wait to hear the trumpets back in Citi Field," said Diaz.
Luis Severino is also here. The former Yankee has moved boroughs from the Bronx to Queens, which has at least one perk.
"I can keep my beard," Severino said.
He is coming off an oblique injury, which shortened his season. He's still working out the kinks, throwing his first bullpen session Friday.
"My command was not very good, but that's normal in my first bullpen, so hopefully it's going to get better as I throw more bullpens," Severino said.
"My expectation is he's gonna be an impactful player for us. We've all seen it before, especially when he's healthy and stuff. He's electric. We're expecting him to provide a lot of innings and quality innings," Mendoza said.
When Severino is good, he has been real good -- a two-time All-Star who once finished third in Cy Young voting. The Mets hope he brought that production across the bridge with him.