#REAL Spring Training coverage: New York Mets & Yankees

With MLB Spring Training underway, every MLB team can optimistically look forward to a 162 game season. Spring training is historically a time of over-reaction. I can guarantee you that over the next few weeks, every bullpen, every batting practice, and every long-toss will be over-analyzed and over-hyped. This blog will ignore the petty over-reactions, and present the major news and updates from the two New York teams, being the Yankees and Mets. This blog will focus on the #REAL stories, events, and headlines from both camps, and ignore the rest. Get ready folks, baseball is back.

This year differs from past years in terms of pre-season expectations for New York baseball. Usually the Yankees are the preseason team with the biggest names and expectations, while the Mets scramble to assemble a competitive big league roster. This is not the case in 2015. The New York Mets are widely considered to have the strongest/deepest/youngest pitching staff in all of baseball. With the signing of Michael Cuddyer and the development of young talent, this year holds undeniable promise for the Mets. I will cover the return of Alex Rodriguez (in depth) later in this article, but the Mets also have a third baseman returning from injury. David Wright, after missing several months at the conclusion of last year due to a nagging back injury, finally seems to be healthy and ready to go. After ample rest and rehab over the winter months, Wright claims to be 100 percent. The Mets also bought Wright some protection in the lineup with the signing of slugger Michael Cuddyer. While Cuddyer is 35 years of age, he is a career .280 hitter who has averaged over 20 home-runs per year. The main concern is his health, as he has missed half the past two seasons due to injury. Cuddyer will play alongside Gold Glove center fielder Juan Lagares, and opposite fan favorite Curtis Granderson.

Both the Mets and Yankees have their ace’s returning from elbow injuries. The highly anticipated return of Matt Harvey and Masahiro Tanaka are among the top headlines from both camps. The hype is indeed justified for both men. Matt Harvey hasn’t pitched for the Mets since 2013, but what a magical year that was for him. In addition to starting the All-Star game (at Citi Field) for the National League, Harvey posted a 2.27 ERA in 26 games started. He struck out an impressive 191 batters before hurting his elbow and receiving Tommy John surgery. Tanaka was almost as impressive in his 2014 campaign, starting 20 games and posting a 2.77 ERA for the Yankees. Tanaka retired 141 batters via the strikeout, but his season also ended prematurely with an elbow injury. Both men are looking for repeat success in 2015. Another thing that both the Yankees and Mets have in common is a weakness at the shortstop position. This is uncharacteristic of the Yankees who had Jeter solidify that position for so many years.

However the dominating story for the Yankees is the return of the controversial Alex Rodriguez. After serving the longest suspension for PED use in the history of baseball, A-Rod is expected to be the DH for the Yankee lineup. Alex has apologized for his past mistakes via a handwritten note to Yankee fans. The Yankees offered him Yankee stadium as a stage for his public apology, but he opted for a letter rather than a public announcement. This decision has received a mixed reaction from fans and critics alike. In his first preseason game, the 40 year old Rodriguez went 1 for 2 with a base hit to left field in his first at bat. Rodriguez admitted to being nervous for his first game in a year and a half, but performed well overall. It is almost impossible to project the success A-Rod will find this year (if any), but he is only 61 hits away from 3,000 career hits. This will be monitored closely. At the end of the day, the majority of fans (including Yankee fans) want A-Rod out of baseball. He will make 21 million this year, which makes him the 20th highest paid player for the 2015 season. He will make 20 million a year over the next two seasons.

While it is difficult to predict regular season success based off spring training development, the attention both teams will continue to receive over the next few weeks is very predictable. Everything from trade rumors to player disputes will surely surface, but luckily both teams managers have a relatively strong job stability. One thing is for sure: championship teams are built in March. The wait is over, and baseball is finally here.