We've Entered The Drowsy Part Of Spring Training

by Tim Reilly March 25, 2021

The excitement of Spring Training has come and gone. Every spring I start to fade toward the end of March. The allure of seeing all the guys in camp only lasts so long. Now, I need meaningful baseball.

My wave of Spring Training emotions looks like this:

Feb: I'm giddy for pitchers and catchers to report
End of Feb.: I'm drooling at the sight of all the guys in camp
Early March: My smile returns when games return
Mid-March: Projecting record-breaking stats for the entire roster
Late-March: BORED
End of March: Let's F---- Go Mets!

Like clockwork, that's what I go through. Right now? I'm bored. The dog days of spring is real, folks.

We're in the phase of Spring Training where the only meaningful news to come out of camp is one of two things: 1) There's an injury or 2) There's an unwanted drama of sorts. With each silent day that passes, I let out a sigh of relief.

Watching Lindor hit home run after home run is great, but it ultimately means nothing. He's ready to go. Good. Great. Awesome. I cannot wait to see him on Opening Day... and now I'm ready to put the guy in bubble wrap until then.

There's not too many battles going on at this point. We know what the rotation will be. There's probably 1 bullpen spot up for grabs. And that's all good news. The Mets roster is in good shape and we know what to expect on Opening Day.

Mets pitching staff should look like this:

1. deGrom
2. Stroman
3. Walker
4. Peterson
5. Lucchesi

6. Díaz
7. May
8. Loup
9. Castro
10. Familia
11. Betances
12. Barnes
13. ?

I feel comfortable penciling in Barnes, which leaves one spot for Montgomery, Hunter, Tarpley, Gsellman.
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) March 24, 2021

These games mean nothing. Get your work in. Get a comfort feeling back. Get on with the season.

The final-week wait before Opening Day feels as long as November to February. Of course, I'll still be paying attention to what's going on at camp. I'll just be doing it with drowsy eyes.

When Alonso goes yard in the top of the first on Opening Day, the crack of the bat will wake everyone up. If that doesn't do it, the pop on deGrom's fastball in the bottom half of the inning will do the trick. I need it to be April 1 already and I need it now.