Normally, we would be seeing an abundance of sports journalism on the excitement and optimism as camps begin to wind down to prepare for Opening Day.
Due to COVID-19, we are left in a limbo of when the status norm will return and our national pastime can continue.
With all the information that is coming out about the wide-spread of the virus and the precautions to stagnate the spread, we probably won’t see regular season baseball until June at the earliest.
As the season is going to be cut short, how does the delay in play benefit the Mets?
Photo: Getty Images/ Jim MclsaacMore Time to Recover From Injuries
The amount of time that the season is going to be delayed is substantial, and although that is disappointing to avid fans, it does benefit some of the Mets players. Michael Conforto had a mild oblique strain, an injury that can linger if rushed back.
This late start to the season gives Conforto added time to recover without rushing himself. This time also benefits Dellin Betances, as he is coming back from an injury-plagued season. This allows Betances to get his velocity up, to gain more comfortability on the mound and to be fully prepared to be an elite weapon in the Mets pen.
Lastly, Jed Lowrie and Yoenis Cespedes will have even more time to come back from significant injuries that have prevented them from being impactful players for the Mets, if they can find a way to be healthy enough for the start of the delayed season that would be a huge boost to the overall strength of the team.
Difficulty of Schedule
We have no idea when the baseball season will resume and how much preparation will go to get the players prepared. What we do know is that the Mets were going to have a highly difficult schedule, especially in the first half.
If the season were to be modified to only play the second half, the Mets would go from having the most difficult opponent winning percentage to the easiest opponent winning percentage based on 2019 results.
This could be the biggest advantage the Mets get through this strange beginning to a season.
Featured Image: Rich Schultz/Getty Images
