NEW YORK METS--Adam Ulrey

The Mets were within a few games of winning their first championship since 1986, but ran into the wrong team - the Yankees. The Subway Series was terrific to watch, but the Mets know they let opportunity slip away. This year they hope to get back and win the whole deal.

Last year was the first year at first base for Todd Zeile and from all indications he was a success. He hit 22 homers and drove in 79 runs, but most importantly he played a very solid first base. The second baseman is one of the rising superstars of the game, Edgardo Alfonzo. All he did was go out and hit 25 HRs, 40 doubles, 94 RBI's with a career high .324 batting average. He has played 150 or more games four years in a row. He is the heart and soul of the team. Back at shortstop this year is Rey Ordonez who is known for his glove but not for his bat. Probably one of the toughest ballplayers around in any era is Robin Ventura, the third baseman, who played hurt all last year. He never complained or used it as an excuse, but you could tell he was not healthy. Look for him to rebound back to his 1999 numbers. The catcher, Mike Piazza, is simply a god. There is no one at his position that puts up the phenomenal numbers this guy puts up year after year. For the sixth year in a row he hit over 30 homers. He also drove in 113 runs last year. It was his fifth consecutive season topping 100 RBIs. He's played eight full seasons and has yet to hit under .303 in any of them. His lifetime average is .328, which is unheard of considering that he catches over 130 games every year. Simply put he's the best hitting catcher in the game. Sorry, Ivan.

The outfield might be the worst in baseball for a contending team. Benny Agbayani (15 Hr's, 60 RBI's, .289 Avg.) will play left, but scares his manager with his glove. He will not be one of the finalists for a Gold Glove award. In center you have Jay Payton who finally showed some of the talent the Mets had been waiting for. He hit 17 homers and drove in 62 runs while hitting a respectable .291. He plays a fairly solid center field. Right field is still up in the air and the Mets have made no bones about needing to improve that position. Timo Perez proved in the playoffs and World Series that he wasn't the answer. He will battle with veteran Darryl Hamilton until they can find somebody better.

The starting pitching begins with their ace, Al Leiter, who won 16 games last year with an ERA of 3.20. He has been in the Bret Saberhagen mode of late, having a good year followed by a bad one for six seasons now. The Mets are hoping he'll break that spell this year. He'll be followed in the rotation by the former Athletic Kevin Appier who won 15 games last year and started to look like the old Appier. Rick Reed (11-5, 4.11 ERA) returns as the number three starter and hoping to improve on his high ERA. The number four and five starters will be Steve Trachsel and Glendon Rusch, who proved to be a pleasant surprise for the Mets last year. Trachsel has always been a horse, having gone five years in a row with over 200 innings pitched.

The bullpen is one of the key strengths of this ball club, led by their closer Armando Benitez (41 saves, 2.61 ERA). John Franco, the wily lefthander veteran, returns for another year to be the setup man and get an occasional save. Turk Wendell has appeared in 65 or more games five years in a row and 157 over the last two years for the Mets. He'll be counted on again to pitch a lot. Dennis Cook, Rick White and newcomer Donnie Wall round out a very good pen.

Look for the Mets to give the Braves all they can handle, but they won't go far if they don't get another bat in the lineup or if the starting pitching doesn't come around.