Matt Harvey won't be back until next season, but this team still has a handful of players that are worth a fantasy owner's time.
Key additions: SP OF Curtis Granderson, OF Chris Young, SP Bartolo Colon, SP John Lannan, RP Kyle Farnsworth
Key losses: SP Johan Santana, RP LaTroy Hawkins
Projected Lineup
1. Eric Young LF
2. Daniel Murphy 2B
3. David Wright 3B
4. Curtis Granderson RF
5. Ike Davis/Lucas Duda 1B
6. Chris Young/Juan Lagares CF
7. Travis d'Arnaud C
8. Ruben Tejada SS
Eric Young, Chris Young and Lagares could be in a three-man rotation for playing time, which would hurt the fantasy values of all involved ... EY can swipe 40-plus bases if left alone atop the lineup, but the superior defense of his two teammates should keep them on the field a lot ... Some people are predicting sleeper value for Chris Young, but his lack of guaranteed playing time and terrible BA history make him a shaky pick in standard mixed leagues ... Lagares can't hit ... Murphy was a top-five fantasy second baseman last year, batting .286 with 13 homers and 23 steals. Heâll be pretty good again ... If Wright can stay healthy, he'll earn his status as a second-round fantasy pick, and then some ... Granderson's injury-marred 2013 should be considered a fluke. While his new home park isn't as friendly as Yankee Stadium, he'll probably approach 30 home runs and be an OF3 ... Davis and Duda will battle for the first-base job, with Duda offering solid but unspectacular stats, and Davis tempting with the possibility of another season with 30-plus home runs. If Davis wins the job, he probably won't be draftable in 12-team mixed leagues, but you can be sure I'll be tempted to take him like I always do. I haven't given up - Many think that d'Arnaud is a future star, but is he ready to help your fantasy squad after missing much of 2012 (knee) and 2013 (broken foot) to injuries? He should get plenty of playing time, and his minor-league performance suggests that he can hit for a solid BA and power, so he sneaks into my top 15 catchers ... Tejada has no power, no speed and no value outside of NL-only leagues.
Rotation
1. Jon Niese
2. Bartolo Colon
3. Dillon Gee
4. Zack Wheeler
5. Jenrry Mejia/John Lannan
CL: Bobby Parnell
Niese had a shoulder scare in February, but looks to be OK. With his solid strikeout/ground ball repertoire, a bounceback season could be coming, and you might not even need to draft him in 12-team mixed leagues ... Colon had a 2.65 ERA in 190 1/3 innings last season, and if you think either of those numbers is happening again, you're crazy. Colon is 41 and round enough to make you think heâs a strong bet to miss many starts. If you want to draft him as a sixth starter, and ride some decent outings until he gets hurt, thatâs fine. Just know that it could happen on June 15, or May 15, or April 15 ... Over the last two seasons, Gee posted a 3.79 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP with a K rate close to average. Heâs a nice in-season streaming option ... I've got Wheeler in SP4 territory based mainly on potential. His control needs to improve, but he seemed to get over a pitch-tipping issue to improve down the stretch last season. Breakout potential here ... Mejia is a big health risk, but has much more potential than Lannan, who you probably don't want in any format. Lannan induces lots of ground balls, but it's hard to have success with such a low K rate and mediocre control.
Parnell was solid last season, and hopes to be ready for Opening Day after 2013 neck surgery. Vic Black and Kyle Farnsworth loom as fallback options should Parnell not be ready. You'd think Farnsworth is the likely choice if the issue with Parnell is temporary, but the hard-throwing Black could be a long-term fix. Also, remember the name Jeurys Familia, who we'll address below.
Sleeper: How about Wheeler? He'll be drafted in all leagues, but as mentioned earlier, his upside is huge.
Top prospects
Noah Syndergaard, SP - High-90s heat with a "hook from hell" is how manager Terry Collins described Syndergaard early in spring training. He's a big-time prospect who could be a second-half callup. The Mets could have a scary rotation when Matt Harvey returns in 2015.
Travis d'Arnaud, C - Mentioned above. d'Arnaud lots of potential, and even if the accolades are more for his defense than his offense, he can help you.
Rafael Montero, SP - Hey, it's another Mets' pitching prospect! This one isn't as long on stuff as he is on control and knows-how-to-pitch-ness, but he could be a callup worthy of NL-only attention at any time.
Jeurys Familia, RP - Familia had elbow surgery last season. He throws a high-90s fastball and a nasty slider, and usually has no idea where it's going. I took him in a dynasty draft recently, because lesser talents have become good closers after learning to throw strikes.
Wilmer Flores, 3B - Flores is still a decent hitting prospect at age 22, but he's a man without a position (he qualifies at 3B this season for fantasy draft purposes). He'll probably play at Triple A unless someone gets hurt.
