New York Mets

Sure, the Mets can't hit in scoring position to save their lives, but wow, these guys can hit .300!

Over the first 12 games of the season the New York Mets compiled a record of 6-6. That means that the Mets are .500, that's not bad for most teams.

For the Mets it apparently is. I don't know the reasoning for that, maybe because they are favored to win their division. 

Whatever it is, "Don't Worry 'Bout It". I say that because all the Mets have to do to get in good shape is at least take two out of three from the St. Louis Cardinals in their upcoming series.

Based on some stats from ESPN.com, the Mets are on pace to leave 10 men on base per game this season.

Ten men a game.

That's over 1,600 men left on base for the entire season. And you wonder why we missed the playoffs? I've been a major voice in saying the Mets issues last season were with the bullpen. Fix the bullpen and you'll fix the issues. But now I'm questioning myself.

On Saturday, April 4, the Boston Red Sox defeated the New York Mets 9-3 in the second and final exhibition in Citi Field.  Not only this, but I received my first opportunity to check out the ballpark, which at about nine months ago I praised as the best of the two New York ballparks.  Was I correct? Let’s take a look, report card style.

Ballpark Exterior: A

Last week, with the help of “Captain Clutch Robert Curci” (look it up, that’s actually his full name), I had a chance to check out the New York Mets’ new digs for the first time. And boy, was it not Shea Stadium.

There were a lot of different elements that played into my review of the park, so I broke the review down into down into several different categories. Each element has a one to ten score, with ten being the highest. We will average these out and get the final grade for Citi Field.

When asked who is most responsible for the Mets bullpen revamping, the names that first come to mind are the obvious K-Rod and J.J. Putz. The two-headed combination of K-Rod and Putz has provided an unrivaled eighth and ninth inning relief combination for the 2009 Mets.

It goes without saying that the New York Mets' Achillies heel last season was the bullpen. Locking down the wins in the eighth and ninth inning was very difficult for a makeshift bullpen, which lost Bill Wagner late last year and never found the right formula of relievers for getting the win.

If not being able to hit with men on base isn’t enough to anger Mets fans, then the decision from Mets management to remove an impromptu signature by Dwight Gooden on the wall in the Ebbets Field Club at Citi Field will absolutely infuriate them. And who could blame them?

This all starts with Mike Pelfrey's tendinitis.

The Mets decided to skip his start to rest the arm, which I thought was a smart move, but from there, I'm not sure about how they've gone about dealing with this situation.

After 12 games the Mets have a 6-6 record, which equals .500, but based on the OBP percentage of the team and an average of about 12 hits per game, their record should be 8-4 at worst.

They are averaging about 15 men LOB each game, this has to stop in order for the Mets to be competitive in their division.

Jerry Manuel has basically stuck with his lineup, not really tinkering too much, but something needs to be done to maximize the hitters getting on base and being driven home.