Top 13 Things We’ve Learned So Far About the 2014 New York Mets

Jimmy & Mike:

* Oh, maybe now Terry Collins will start to realize why it only took Colin McHugh to get Eric Young.

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* The first base position will never, ever be resolved by a “competition.” We’ll only witness small sample sizes, meaningless hot streaks and cold streaks. Management must make a decision; it’s that simple.

* If strikeouts bother you, this might not be your team.

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* The bullpen is not quite a finished product.

* Bobby Parnell, sadly, reminds us again how dangerous it can be to rely on nothing but pitching.

* When Bartolo Colon pitches, the outfield is going to be kept busy.

* The current Mets infield defense is the old Mets outfield defense. To win at Citi Field, it must be fixed. Defense matters.

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* Jose Valverde just might turn out to be a fun guy to watch. It’s exciting to see a guy who competes. Fingers crossed he can keep it rolling until at least late June.

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* The struggles of Travis d’Arnaud only reinforce the reality that rookies struggle, that it’s rarely easy in the beginning, and that it’s foolish to expect prospects to experience instant success at the MLB level. It takes time.

* Dillon Gee, maturing in front of us, proves the same point. Wilmer Flores, in a different way, too.

* Things that make you go “Hmmm.” Terry Collins apparently does not believe in separating the lefties in the lineup.

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* We don’t know if there’s a stat for it — oh, who are we kidding, there’s probably a stat for it — but the New York Mets must lead baseball in lowest % of balls put into play per pitch. In other words, nothing happens the most when you watch the Mets. Deep counts and strikeouts, it’s like working the clock in basketball. Might be effective, but it can be dull.

* And we’ll resurrect a theme from last season: You never know. Maybe this team figures out a way to win 90 games after all. We can hear Al Michaels now, “Do you believe in unlikelihoods?!”

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