MLB SHOWDOWN 2018 SET -- New York Mets

Rejoice ye Showdown faithful, the best individual card is finally, finally here: Jacob DeGrom!  Fans have been waiting, patiently and impatiently alike, for this card to finally get posted... and he does not disappoint! The NL Cy Young winner comes in at 670 points and brings an epic Tier 1 card to the set.  Expect him to get drafted in the first or second round in all drafts!

The rest of the team has bright spots, but is overall very indicative of the Mets' 77-85 record.  As such, I've added some special Pennant Run treats below that can be plugged in -- Cespedes, Cano, Lowrie, Ramos and Diaz! By adding these guys to the squad, the Mets go from a shade under 4000 points to over 5000 points (aka a very strong squad!).  A breakdown of their PR-infused, 2019 team is below.  If the new additions perform at their 2018 levels (which is obviously a big ask) and the rotation stays incredibly strong (a bigger ask considering the Mets tradition of rotation injuries), the Mets have all the makings of an over 90-win ballclub in 2019! 

Listen to Bob and I gush about the Mets (and how pitching tiers work) below!

Lineup: The top three of the Mets lineup is fantastic, but then.... ooft, you see why they added so many guys in the offseason to bolster their hitting.  Jeff McNeil had a fantastic rookie campaign and will be one of the absolute steals in a 2018 set draft.  He's got high on-base AND speed for under 300 points!  He's followed by breakout sensation Brandon Nimmo, who put together a beastly card and is a prototypical #2 hitter.  Nimmo's followed by Conforto, whose on-base was down in 18 but his power numbers were steady and strong, providing a very stellar #3 hitter to the lineup.... and then things go downhill.  No great on-bases and honestly fairly pedestrian charts.  It's sadly easy to see why DeGrom didn't get much run support last year.

Bench: No much here except some cool looking cards of former useful Showdown players, especially Reyes.  What a stud he used to be, but at least he still gives you some speed for cheap!

Rotation: The Mets 2018 Set rotation is one of the strongest at the top across the set, obviously bolstered by DeGrom having the BEST card in the game.  A tier 1 starter with no doubles on his chart, 1-18 out with a Control 4 for 7 IP, DeGrom is a great bet to pitch 8 innings extremely well for a manager.  He's got a huge K rate and should absolutely lock down opponents.  Following him are a pair of extremely capable/draftable Tier 3 starters.  Noah is always a stud, and brings my favorite kind of rotation filler card to bear: 440 points for a Control 4, on at 17 pitcher. Nothing too fancy, gets the advantage and gets a healthy helping of Ks.  He's followed by Zach Wheeler, bringing a very "original set" David Cone feel to the #3 spot.  Wheeler will be a higher tier and higher control than the majority of #3 starters the Mets face.  Unfortunately, the #4 rotation slot's Steven Matz surrenders a HR.  He's struggled the past two seasons (1.6 HR/9 and 1.5 HR/9 in 2017 and 2018), which depresses his point value to 160 (would be 320 as a tier 4, Control 4 IP 5 pitcher if that HR was a 2B).  In my 2018 league, Vargas will shift to the bullpen as an IP 2 pitcher, but he will seldom be used and I doubt he gets drafted unless someone drastically overspends and ends up in desperate need of a cheap starter.

Bullpen: Not much to like here, but Seth Lugo is VERY draftable and a definite bright spot.  As a super solid IP 2 pitcher, the Mets will lean heavily on him in my league for innings/big moments.  Great move adding Diaz to the bullpen this offseason, definitely gives them an extra boost! Gsellman is a Tier 5, but he at least brings a decent control and could be useful vs bottom's of orders. Blevins and Sewald will be playing with fire every time they come to the mound.

SPECIAL Pennant Run cards

The Mets are the first NL team that I can (thankfully) grant a nice healthy dose of Pennant Run cards to and will plan to utilize these cards in the 2018 season. Cespedes takes over for Jay Bruce (and drops Bruce), Cano slots in at 2B (and in my league, everyone uses DH so that's where McNeil will hit from, and this cuts Reyes), Frazier goes to the bench in favor of Lowrie (cut Jackson), Ramos slots in for Plawecki (cut Mesoraco), and Diaz/Familia take over in the bullpen for Sewald and Blevins! Here are the Pennant Run cards:

As such, the 2019 Mets are coming into my simulation season as follows:

Lineup:

DH McNeil       260 points

CF  Nimmo       450 points

LF  Conforto     320 points

2B  Cano           360 points

RF  Cespedes    290 points

C    Ramos        350 points

3B  Lowrie        300 points

1B  Flores         140 points

SS  Rosario        30 points

Bench:

1B/3B Frazier    140 points

C Plawecki        140 points

Rotation: 

SP DeGrom        670 points

SP Syndergaard  440 points

SP Wheeler         460 points

SP Matz              160 points

Bullpen:

CP Diaz               250 points

RP Lugo              280 points

RP Familia          110 points

RP Gsellman         50 points

"RP" Vargas          10 points

TOTAL: 5210 points!!!

Clearly, the Mets moves this offseason haven't made them an unstoppable juggernaut, but when compared to the playoff teams of 2018 (especially division rival Atlanta), it's clear that they're primed to make a postseason run.... although Atlanta, Washington, and Pennant Run supported Philadelphia (see their upcoming post ;)) will all clearly have something to say!!