NY Sports Dog: Good Morning Mets Fans!

And a child shall lead them....

But which one? The "old" Mets are surging, and it's the more youthful players in blue and orange who are making the biggest contributions.

25-year old Jose Reyes is making a bid for MVP. Here's where he ranks in the NL:

1st in Hits
1st in Triples
2nd in Stolen Bases
4th in Runs
13th in Batting Average
15th in Doubles

Among NL shortstops, he is pretty much 1st, second or third in every category except homeruns, where he is 4th.

25-year old David Wright, along with Lance Berkman and Albert Pujols, just might be Jose's main rival for the award. Here's where DW ranks:

3rd in RBIs
4th in Walks
5th in Doubles
5th in Runs
9th in Hits
13th in OBP
15th in OPS
16th in Homeruns
17th in Slg %
21st in Batting Average

Of course there's 24-year old Mike Pelfrey, the man of the moment who just happened to pitch a 3-hit complete game last night.

Big Pelf leads the club in wins with 12 (he's 8th in the NL), and he's second on the team in innings pitched (21st in the NL).

How about 23-year old Daniel Murphy (have we decided on Kid Murphy yet for his nickname?). Murph is batting .404, with a .491 OBP, and a ridiculous 1.108 OPS. He's gotten on base in 17 of the 19 games he's played in, and in both games he failed to reach base his only appearance was as a pinch hitter.

Then there's 22-year old Nick Evans. Nervous Nick has quietly began hitting with authority. After a bad stretch of games early, he rebounded to hit .318 in July with a .360 OBP. In August he's been even better, hitting .323 and displaying more of a power stroke. Since the All-Star break Nick is hitting .311, with a .360 OBP and his OPS has climbed near .800.

25-year old Argenis Reyes, while certainly not a great hitter, has brought a burst of energy to the team, fielded beautifully, sacrificed himself with regularity, and shown everybody that he can help the team as a utility infielder, pinch runner, pinch hitter and spot starter. I love his approach--very professional--gritty is how I would describe him.

Last night's game was a highlight for Big Pelf--his first big league complete game. As he went out for the 9th the packed stadium rose to its collective feet to urge on their young star to victory...a thunderous, rousing ovation for what he has become.

"That was awesome, being a part of that, a standing O," Pelfrey said. "I noticed so it was pretty cool."

The big hurler didn't dissappoint. After going 3-0 on future Hall of Famer Chipper Jones, Brian Schneider went out to the mound to settle down his battery mate and Pelfrey bore down--the strikes came on two foul balls and then Pelfrey painted the black with a tailing fastball for the big K. Chipper knew it and walked back to the dugout.

He quickly dispatched the next two hitters and the crowd again rose to their feet in appreciation.

In the end he proved too much for the Braves hitters--in fact, he only needed 26 pitches in the final three innings and 108 pitches for the game--the Mets third complete game in their last 23 outings.

"I just think I'm not the same guy that early in the year was trying to be so perfect and nibble at the strike zone," said Pelfrey, "I feel more confident and know that when I throw the ball over the plate and keep it down we have guys behind me that will make plays."

"Mike has evolved into one of the bright young pitching stars in the National League, no question," said Jerry Manuel, "He's very impressive from where he came early in the season. We were questioning whether or not to have him on the staff, have him in the rotation."

One of the reasons Mets fans have grown to love Pelfrey is his work ethic and humility--he knows his ceiling is much higher, and he wants to work hard and get there. "I'm happy with the way things have gone," Pelfrey said. "But the year's not over. I'm just going to continue to work and see what happens."

Pelfey is 10-2 with a 3.17 ERA in his last 16 starts, and the Mets have won 13 of those games. He is becoming an ace before our eyes.

At the end of the day it was hugs and congratulations from his teammates for a job very well done.

In other news, the NY Daily News reports that Ryan Church will rejoin the team tomorrow:

Ryan Church will make his long-awaited return to the Mets tomorrow, sources told the Daily News.

"I'm champing at the bit," he said after going 0-for-4 in a rehab game with Double-A Binghamton Wednesday night following a flight from Triple-A New Orleans. "Considering the fact I was going on three hours' sleep, I felt pretty good."

Enjoy your coffee!

Mets Batting Leaders

BATTING AVG

HOME RUNS

RBI

OBP

Jose Reyes