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New York Mets Spring Training Tickets - Preseason Overview
The Mets led the National League in attendance in 2008, were one of the best offensive teams in baseball and had one of the game's best pitchers. Yet they tripped up late in the season and finished in second in the NL East and didn't win the Wild Card race. A lot of things hang in the balance as the preseason starts, so there's a lot of excitement about New York Mets spring training tickets this year. Before you start searching online for some seats to the best preseason games, let's take a look at where the Mets are coming from, the highlights and lowlights of the season that was, and then take a look at some of the issues facing the team as spring training gets underway.
2008 Highlights
The Mets scored the second most runs in the NL and had the fourth best team batting average. David Wright made the All-Star Game, averaged .302 and slugged .534. Jose Reyes started slow but then finished the regular season with 204 hits, best in the National League, led the league with 19 triples and racked up 56 stolen bases, 2nd in the NL. Johan Santana was well worth the money, as he won 16 games while leading the league with a 2.53 ERA. He finished 3rd in the NL Cy Young voting, and threw 206 strikeouts, the second most in the NL. Closer Billy Wagner made the All-Star Game and saved 27 games.
2008 Lowlights
Besides Santana, the Mets were mediocre from a defensive standpoint. Pedro Martinez made way too much money for his five wins and 5.61 ERA, and relief was an issue nearly all season long, especially when they needed it the most at the end of the year. The Mets still had a team ERA above the league average, so it's hard to tell why they didn't win more games. Perhaps the managerial issues had something to do with the Mets' inability to close out their division and get to the playoffs.
Spring Training and Future
Fans making the trip to Florida to use New York Mets spring training tickets will be interested in seeing some of the team's offseason acquisitions. Since bullpen troubles were the fatal flaw of the Mets last year, they focused hard on turning their weakness into a strength. They hired Francisco Rodriguez as a free agent and then traded to get J.J. Putz. It's a shame Wagner will miss most of the season, otherwise the Mets' bullpen would be one of the best in the game on paper. Not much should change from an offensive perspective, so the Mets will have plenty of pop. It wouldn't surprise anybody to see this team still playing in November. The Mets had very few things to address before the start of 2009, and they seem to have made the right moves to shore up the weak spot. Mets fans have a lot to look forward to right now. The team is expensive and full of stars and the stadium is new. Spring training games should be well attended, so make sure to get tickets to the best matchups as early as possible.
About the Author StubHub has sponsored this article, which was written by Brent Warnken. Stubhub.com is one of the leaders in the business of selling New York Mets spring training tickets, sports tickets, concert tickets or even special events tickets.
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