10 Takeaways from Terry Collins first 2016 Press Conference
Mets manager Terry Collins spoke with the media for 25 minutes ahead of the official start of 2016 Spring Training in Port St. Lucie. Below are his answers to some hot topics along with thoughts about the upcoming season.
“I don’t think it’s World Series or bust because it’s too long of a season. It’s about going out and competing. If we stay healthy and run our lineup out there on a consistent basis, we should win a lot of games. The best part is we now know we can accomplish it. We should be better because of it.”
Favorite thing from the offseason
“I did some things in New York and the response from the fans was off the charts. No matter where we were there were tremendous New York Mets fans.”
The first thing he noticed entering the Spring Training complex
“There’s a different air in the clubhouse. You see the energy and notice the heads are a little higher than they’ve been in the past.”
Who’s already standing out
“Have you seen Juan Lagares yet? He’s in unbelievable shape. The other day Ruben Tejada walked in and he looked the best he has in the four years he’s been here. Those guys aren’t taking anything for granted.”
What trait does he want the 2016 team to have
“Look, I want that swagger. We’re good. We have a good team. We can’t be ego maniacs about it, but you have to walk out with that confidence that we’re going to win.”
The plan for the David Wright
“He’s the one guy that has researched [spinal stenosis] more than anybody. When the [2015] season was over, he went back to California to see the therapist that got him back into the lineup and they came up with the programs he needs to do to get ready for the [2016] season. As we get into spring, him and I will talk about the best approach to getting his repetitions. We don’t have any numbers involved about how many days he’ll need off during the season.”
“We’re going to run Wilmer [Flores] over there. He’s going to play some first base there this spring so we make sure we have a right-handed option. We believe our catcher’s are going to hit, but if you’re going to be moving them around to play other positions they have to be hitting. If we’re playing Travis [d’Arnaud] four days a week and he needs a day off, he needs to rest. To put him at another position will defeat the purpose.”
If the starting rotation is the best he’s seen
“I saw the Braves [in the 90s] all those years and they were great. I don’t try to number my guys, but if there’s a staff with five possible No. 1 guys, we’ve got it. We have four of the best arms in baseball and a Cy Young award winner in our rotation. That’s pretty impressive.”
Noah Syndergaard’s transformation
“He probably made as big of an adjustment from Spring Training last year to the end of the [2015] season that I’ve ever been around. He commanded the respect of his teammates because of the way he worked and commanded it from the other side of the field. This guy has a chance to be off the charts.”
“Our fans are going to say this is a fun team to watch. Right now sitting here today we’re excited about getting started.”
Purchase tickets to the 2016 regular season right now by clicking here.
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