In the history of the Met organization, it has indeed been rare times where their offense could be what leads them to the promised land as this franchise has been all about pitching from the time Tom Seaver stepped on the mound in his rookie year of 1967.
The 2020 Mets have that chance because this lineup is loaded with the right mixture of power and speed and the universal DH could make this a very tough group of nine hitters for pitchers to try to navigate through without surrendering that big inning that could end a game.
Starting at the top of the order Brandon Nimmo and Jeff McNeil will be on-base all the time much in the manner Lenny Dykstra and Wally Backman patrolled the bases in 1986 and the three hitters that follow them-Pete Alonso, likely Yoenis Cespedes, and Michael Conforto form a trio that could all hit 30 homers even in this truncated season.
But the lineup does not stop there as JD Davis provides an RBI stick that excelled with runners in scoring position last year especially at CitiField and in Wilson Ramos the Mets have a bonafide RBI bat that uses the whole field so well that no other NL catcher drove in more runs than him last year.
And lets not forget Amed Rosario whose bat has become a lethal weapon in the bottom of the order or Robinson Cano who has so much to prove heading into 2020. You should also expect Dominic Smith to get some DH time especially of Cespedes can play the outfield some of the time. And Melky Cabrera could be a hidden gem on the bench as a proven hitter who has played in some big moments on playoff bound teams performing like a grizzled veteran.
Ahmed Rosario Robinson Cano
When all is said and done in 2020, this could become the best lineup in franchise history as I imagine this team averaging 4-5 runs per game which will help both the starters and the bullpen salt games away. I can see this team in many a tight game as they go into the late innings and I firmly believe this lineup may indeed make tack-on runs a nightly occurrence and in games they trail the Mets will never be out of a game.
In a nutshell, this team has the best power hitter in the game in Alonso coupled with a future batting champion in Jeff McNeil. In Michael Conforto, they have a hitter that crushed 30 homers last year and JD Davis and Wilson Ramos are serious RBI bats. Amed Rosario provides balance in the bottom of the order and oh yes I almost forgot–2 players in Robinson Cano and Yoenis Cespedes who have tons to prove.
It is a lineup that will give NL East pitchers nightmares because there is so much depth and so much balance. It will without a doubt be the biggest strength of the 2020 Mets.
Tomorrow in Part 3 of my Met season preview I take a look at the Met Bullpen.