For the first time since 2006, the New York Mets won 90 games and are headed to the postseason. Flushing's favorite team also secured the National League East crown, a task that many considered impossible given the roster of the Nationals. Contributions from young pitchers, along with a huge trade at the deadline was enough to propel the Mets to the top of the division, and back to the playoffs. Here are of some the highlights from New York's 2015 season:
A young rotation emerges
Entering this year, the Mets planned to have the reigning NL Rookie of the Year in Jacob deGrom alongside a returning Matt Harvey. It was a solid one-two punch at the top of the Mets rotation. Injuries to starters like Dillon Gee opened the door for the Mets to promote Noah Syndergaard. In his first big league season, Syndergaard went 9-7 with a 3.24 ERA in 150 innings and continually amazed with his high-octane fastball. However he wasn't the only young starter that got promoted. Homegrown and local product, Steven Matz also joined the fray and went 4-0 with a 2.27 ERA in six starts.
Yoenis Cespedes, Flushing savior
The pitching was great, but the Mets were in dire need of offense. After whiffing on Carlos Gomez and Jay Bruce, the Mets needed a big bat to plug into their lineup, and on July 31st, they found their answer, as Sandy Alderson traded for Yoenis Cespedes. Upon arriving in Flushing, Cespedes caught fire, and hit .287/.337/.604 with 17 home runs and 44 RBI's in just 57 games.
Support arrives
Before there was Cespedes, the Mets tried to fix their offense in other ways. The promotion of 2014 first round draft pick Michael Conforto was in some ways a falling domino that lead to the other moves. Kelly Johnson and Juan Uribe were brought in. They also traded for Tyler Clippard from the A's. Instead of having a bench filled with Eric Campbell and John Mayberry Jr., the Mets had major league talent both on the field and on the bench, which has transformed them into a tough team to beat.