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Kallet: If I Told You The Story Of The 2015 Mets, Would You Believe Me?

By Brad Kallet, WFAN.com
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If I told you in spring training that Wilmer Flores and Ruben Tejada would be idolized and revered by Mets fans, would you believe me?

If I told you that four starting pitchers -- Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, Steven Matz and Bartolo Colon -- would be held in higher regard than Matt Harvey, would you believe me?

If I told you that Jenrry Mejia would be suspended not once, but twice during the season for failing a drug test, would you believe me? And piggybacking on that, what if I told you that he would become a complete afterthought?

What if I told you that Jeurys Familia would establish himself as one of the most dominant closers in baseball? Would you believe that?

What if I told you that Juan Lagares, last year's darling and a Gold Glove winner, would become a forgotten man and nothing more than a late-game defensive replacement?

What if I told you that Colon, at age 42, would post a winning record -- again?

What if I told you that deGrom, making his first All-Star Game appearance, would strike out the side on 10 pitches in his lone inning of work?

What if I told you that, during the trade deadline season, general manager Sandy Alderson would not only acquire Kelly Johnson, Juan Uribe, Tyler Clippard and Addison Reed, but superstar slugger Yoenis Cespedes? Would you believe that?

What if I told you in May, June, July or August that David Wright would return, play 30 regular-season games down the stretch and be productive?

Would you believe me if I told you that Michael Cuddyer, the club's most high-profile signing of the offseason, would be relegated to bench duty?

What if I told you that Michael Conforto not only was called up a year after being drafted, but hit the cover off the ball and earned an everyday job?

What if I told you that Zack Wheeler and Josh Edgin wouldn't throw a single pitch -- and it wouldn't matter?

If I told you that Alderson would not only be accepted -- but in fact loved -- by Mets fans for his aggressiveness, would you even take me seriously?

If I told you that the Mets would win the National League East, finishing seven games in front of the heavy-favorited Nationals and 19 games in front of the Marlins -- a sexy preseason pick -- would you laugh in my face?

How about if I declared that Kirk Nieuwenhuis would get designated for assignment in May, play 10 games for the Angels, return to the Mets for a second stint, hit three home runs in a game on July 12 and then find himself on the postseason roster? Yeah, that's a good one.

What if I informed you that Chase Utley would again be public enemy No. 1 in Queens, but this time as a member of the Dodgers?

What if I told you that the Mets were one game from eliminating the Dodgers in the National League Division Series and advancing to the NLCS? Would you believe that?

Funny, because it all happened.

Brad Kallet is an editor and columnist for CBSNewYork.com. He has written for TENNIS.com, MLB.com and SMASH Magazine, among others. You can follow him on Twitter @brad_kallet.

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