Doug Williams and Adam Fisher go in-depth on this episode about the Mets' hot start, and who will be sent down once Todd Frazier and Jed Lowrie return from the IL.

Adam and Doug also examine the year of the contract extension, and if the scorching Pete Alonso will play himself into a deal like young star Ronald Acuna.

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The Mets won two of three games during their season-opening series against the Nationals this past weekend in Washington D.C. Here are three good and three not-so-good takeaways from the previous three games...

Up >> The offense is no one-trick pony

The Mets are no longer waiting on home runs and 'hunting strikes,' a hitting approach pushed the past few years by Sandy Alderson and his hitting coaches Dave Hudgens and Kevin Long. Instead, manager Mickey Callaway and new hitting coach Chili Davis worked this past spring to get their roster to focus more on hitting behind runners, ways to oppose the shift, making good contact, and putting the ball in play.

The Mets won two of three games during their season-opening series against the Nationals this past weekend in Washington D.C. Here are three good and three not-so-good takeaways from the previous three games...

Trending Up 

1) The offense is no one-trick pony

Anthony McCarron, SNY.tv | Twitter |

Extracting the positives from a loss is usually as palatable as digging into the dry chicken dinner usually served at a sports banquet. Losing stings, regardless of what might have gone well during a game or a weekend. 

But while the Mets squandered a nifty comeback Sunday in losing the finale of their opening series, 6-5, to the Nationals, what happened on the field during the three-game set could resonate throughout the year as the two clubs try to navigate the upper reaches of the National League East. 

In fact, manager Mickey Callaway told reporters, the Mets' comeback "put something" in the Nationals' minds, even if that comeback wasn't completed. 

The Mets made a late comeback, but the Nationals walked it off in a 6-5 loss for New York to close out the opening series. >> Box score

Six things to know about Sunday's game...

1) Zack Wheeler made his season debut, and it didn't go how it would've liked it to. The first two innings were painless, but the Nationals got to him in the third. On just four pitches, a double, single and home run were hit to make it a 3-0 game for the home team. Then, after a silent fourth inning, Wheeler allowed another run to come across on an Anthony Rendon RBI single in the fifth. Overall, Wheeler allowed four earned on six hits while striking out seven and walking one over five innings. 

The Mets are going for the series sweep against the Nationals on Sunday afternoon, and Pete Alonso is certainly helping the cause. 

The rookie had two RBI doubles in Saturday's 11-8 win, and he added another one today that scored Brandon Nimmo...

"Polar Bear" was one of the Mets that led the offensive charge against the Nationals on Saturday afternoon. You know him as Pete Alonso. 

Noah Syndergaard, who started for the Mets in the 11-8 win, dished out some nicknames on the roster and they were all different animals. It was third base coach Gary DiSarcina that gave Alonso his nickname, and it couldn't fit any better. Polar bears possess raw power, something Alonso has been displaying since Spring Training. 

"I guess so, yeah. I'll embrace it," Alonso said of his nickname...

Anthony McCarron, SNY.tv | Twitter |

Late in spring training, a scout who was trailing the Mets said - unprompted - that he believed the club renowned for its pitching was going to hit more than most thought. "They're going to surprise some people scoring runs," the scout noted.

Saturday's 11-8 victory over the Nationals in Washington, D.C. was a ringing endorsement of that opinion. Who knows if the Mets lineup will gorge all year, but at least for one day the offense sparkled enough to gloss over forgettable performances by Noah Syndergaard and Seth Lugo.

If you weren't already thrilled about Pete Alonso's potential and Jeff McNeil's ability to pile up hits, just glance at Saturday's box score. McNeill had the fourth four-hit game of his career and Alonso was 3-for-4 with two doubles, two RBI and a run. J.D. Davis hit a two-run single to give the Mets the lead for good.

The Mets were roping the ball in our nation's capital on Saturday afternoon, as 14 hits generated an 11-8 win over the Nationals.  >> Box score

Seven things to know about Saturday's game...

1) After a three-run first inning, Noah Syndergaard came to the mound with a pretty nice cushion to work with. However, the Nationals would eventually string together four runs in his outing to tie the ball game. Overall, Syndergaard allowed seven hits (one homer to Victor Robles) while striking out seven and walking none over six innings.

In his first game of his second season, Mets manager Mickey Callaway had his team on autopilot through the first six innings. However, from that point on, Callaway had three important decisions to make, all of which worked out, though one could have come back to bite him...

Lugo for deGrom

In relief of Jacob deGrom, who tossed six beautiful innings, Callaway brought in reliever Seth Lugo, who tossed a perfect seventh inning by striking out the side. However, despite throwing just 15 pitches, Lugo was pulled in favor Jeurys Familia, who, in standard Familia fashion, allowed the tying run to get to the plate.

Jacob deGrom says he was "nervous" for his Opening Day start, but he went out and tossed six shutout innings while Pete Alonso recorded his first MLB hit in the Mets' 2-0 win over the Nationals on Thursday. Hear from deGrom, Alonso and Mickey Callaway as they react to the victory.

Pete Alonso said after making his big league debut on Thursday and getting his first hit that it felt like a gorilla, not just a monkey had been lifted off his back. 

"It was really special. It felt like I was walking on clouds out there," Alonso said about a debut where he went 1-for-4 with an eighth inning single. "That was the most excited I've ever been to play a game before."

The single Alonso got in the eighth inning put runners on first and second, and Robinson Cano followed by lining an RBI single to left field to increase the Mets' lead to 2-0.

One of the worst-kept secrets over the last week was that Pete Alonso was going to make the Mets' 25-man roster. Still, Alonso had a tough time holding the tears in when manager Mickey Callaway gave him the news.

"I got misty-eyed," Alonso said before Opening Day on Thursday. "Everyone was like, 'don't cry Pete.' I was wearing sunglasses at the time, thankfully. I was beyond excited."

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Mets manager Mickey Callaway spoke with reporters Thursday before Opening Day against the Nationals in Washington, D.C.

The takeaways...

• As Callaway and GM Brodie Van Wagenen have said, there will not be a platoon at first base. A platoon would have meant Dominic Smith starting most days. Instead, it seems Pete Alonso will start at first base most days.

The Mets open the 2019 regular season when they face the Nationals in Washington, D.C. at 1:05 p.m. on SNY.

Mets notes

Pete Alonso gets the start at first base in what will be his major league debut. ... Robinson Cano is at second base, batting third in his Mets debut. ... Since the turn of the century, the Mets have gone 13-6 on Opening Day, including winning their last four. ... The Mets' overall Opening Day record is 37-20. ... With Jacob deGrom faxing Max Scherzer, today is the fourth time in MLB history that the Cy Young winner from the previous season will face the runner-up on Opening Day. 

Brodie Van Wagenen has preached a players-first regime since he became the Mets new GM earlier this offseason, and that was on full display Thursday in our nation's capital during Jacob deGrom's press conference to formaly announce his five-year extension. 

While teams all over were issuing extensions to essential players to lock them up for the near future, the Mets and deGrom were working diligently to get a deal done themselves. It came down to the last week of Spring Training, but ultimately, the Mets didn't want to come back north without deGrom inked long-term. 

That vigor and determination to have the Mets' ace on the team for the next five years is the exact message Van Wagenen promised, and he believes that the team and everyone around it has felt that from the start...

As SNY's Andy Martino has hinted to on several occassions, the Mets will indeed begin the season with Pete Alonso on their 25-man roster, GM Brodie Van Wagenen confirmed Wednesday.

It's been considered a strong possibility fellow first baseman Dominic Smith joins the 24-year-old while the Mets use analytical tools to determine how to maximize production from both Smith and Alonso, according to Martino. 

Mets manager Mickey Callaway also sounded like he was leaning that direction while speaking with reporters last Wednesday. 

In the wake of making the postseason in 2015 and 2016, the Mets have gone 147-177, fired their manager, watched the face of their franchise retire, and have taken a gamble by hiring a former agent to lead their revival.

In five months, Brodie Van Wagenen has modernized the organization's front office and staff, has added five former All Stars, stabilized the depth and back end of the roster, and inked Jacob deGrom to a contract extension. At the same time, during the past two years, a shift has been created in the NL East with a large crop of young talent emerging and older players either leaving or switching teams.

The dust has settled and, to the surprise of most New York fans -- myself included -- the Mets are projected to contend for the NL East title. However, so are three other teams...

John Harper, SNY.tv | Twitter | : Since 2017, the American League could make the claim of having the best three teams in baseball: the Astros, Red Sox, and Yankees. Two of them have won championships, and, well, it almost feels inevitable the third will cash in this season.

Yes, I realize it's not a terribly bold prediction picking the Yankees, but the talent gap between the haves and have-nots is so great in baseball these days that I couldn't find a surprise pick I could sell as believable.

I do have the Nationals finally breaking through in October, minus Bryce Harper, and I actually considered predicting a Subway Series, after scouts came away impressed with the Mets in Spring Training.

John Harper, SNY.tv | Twitter | : Since 2017, the American League could make the claim of having the best three teams in baseball: the Astros, Red Sox, and Yankees. Two of them have won championships, and, well, it almost feels inevitable the third will cash in this season.

Yes, I realize it's not a terribly bold prediction picking the Yankees, but the talent gap between the haves and have-nots is so great in baseball these days that I couldn't find a surprise pick I could sell as believable.

I do have the Nationals finally breaking through in October, minus Bryce Harper, and I actually considered predicting a Subway Series, after scouts came away impressed with the Mets in Spring Training.

The Mets wrapped up Spring Training by defeating the Orioles Monday afternoon, 9-7. >> Box score

Five things to know about Monday's game...

1) Making one last bid to win the first-base job over Pete Alonso, Dominic Smith hit a game-winning, three-run homer in the top of the ninth inning with two outs to give the Mets a two-run lead. Smith, who was the DH, finishes the spring with a .321 average, .831 OPS, two homers and 12 RBI.

2) Jeff McNeil hit his fourth home run of the spring, a solo shot in the fifth inning. McNeil tied with Alonso for the second-most homers on the team in Spring Training, one behind Michael Conforto. 

Pete Alonso has done everything he's needed to do on the field this spring to earn a spot on the Mets' Opening Day roster. Still, it will be emotional for the 24-year-old first baseman if he does indeed make the team.

"I might cry if they give me the thumbs up, because it's a lifelong dream," Alonso said. 

The Mets wrap up their Spring Training games in the Grapefruit League by playing the Orioles on Monday at 1:05 p.m. 

Mets notes

Wilson Ramos appears to be OK after being hit by a wild pitch in the hand on Sunday, back in the lineup batting fifth. ... Michael Conforto, who is the Mets' team leader with five home runs and 14 RBI, will bat cleanup on Monday while Pete Alonso, who has had just as good a spring as Conforto, bats second with a .368 average, four home runs and 11 RBI. 

The Mets beat the Nationals, 8-4, at First Data Field on Sunday in Port St. Lucie >> Box score

Five things to know about Thursday's game...

1) Michael Conforto went 2-for-3 with an RBI, and would have been 3-for-4 (with a double added in) if not for a missed fair/foul call on a ball hit down the right field line. 

Mets infielder Jed Lowrie, who has been out since late-February due to a capsule sprain in his left knee, has taken a few big steps as he progresses toward a return.

There is still no shot that Lowrie (or Todd Frazier) will be ready for Opening Day this coming Thursday, he has started taking ground balls and is swinging from both sides of the plate, GM Brodie Van Wagenen said Sunday during an in-game interview with SNY. 

Lowrie had started a throwing program earlier this month. 

In what is their final game in Port St. Lucie before breaking camp, the Mets face the Nationals at First Data Field on Sunday at 12:10 p.m. on SNY.

Mets notes

With the Mets opening the regular season on Thursday against the Nationals, they are having Noah Syndergaard start in a minor league game Sunday instead of against the Nats. 

The Mets' offense erupted on Saturday against the Braves while Jacob deGrom looked true to form as they cruised to a 12-2 victory. >> Box score

Five things to know about Saturday's game...

1) Jacob deGrom appears to be ready for the regular season, tossing three perfect innings while striking out five batters in his final start before Opening Day.  

The Mets head up to Lake Buena Vista, Fla. as they take on the Atlanta Braves at 1:05 p.m. 

Mets notes

Jeff McNeil is back in the leadoff spot after homering in the first inning on Friday. He is hitting .364 with three home runs and four RBI this spring. ... Pete Alonso is hitting .356 with four home runs and 10 RBI as he bats second. ... Robinson Cano is batting third and brings a .447 average into the game. 

The Mets' split squad fell to the Cardinals on Friday, 15-5, at First Data Field in Port St. Lucie >> Box score

Five things to know about Friday's game...

1) Jeff McNeil blasted a long home run on the first pitch of the game in a 1-for-3 day at the plate. 

Mets first base propsect Pete Alonso has had a red-hot Spring Training and appears to have found a home in the batting order hitting second. 

Manager Mickey Callaway explains why he believes that is a good fit for him and the Mets' lineup. 

The Mets split the squad on Friday with one half hosting the Cardinals at 1:10 p.m. on SNY. 

Mets notes

Pete Alonso is hitting .352 with four home runs and nine RBI this spring ... Travis d'Arnaud is the starting catcher and batting cleanup. ... Carlos Gomez is still searching for his first hit of the spring as he bats seventh in his third Grapefruit League game. 

During the summer of 2017, Mets 1B Dominic Smith was considered the top first base prospect in the minors. He was promoted to the Mets a few weeks later, at which point he was widely considered to be their long-term, future first baseman.

He struggled at the plate and in the field and was later called out in public for his preparation and eating habits by then-GM Sandy Alderson. In response, Smith changed his diet, trimmed down, and returned to Triple-A in hopes of regaining the trust of the organization. 

Thanks to Alderson's remarks, Smith, 23, entered 2019 much like he entered 2018, questioning whether he had any sort of future in the big leagues.

The Mets beat the Marlins on Thursday at First Data Field in Port St. Lucie >> Box score

Five things to know about Thursday's game...

1) Michael Conforto remained on fire, hitting a homer in his fourth-straight game -- a mammoth two-run shot to right field. 

2) Steven Matz rebounded from a tough start his last time out, firing 5.1 scoreless innings while allowing six hits, walking none and striking out three.

Danny Abriano, SNY.tv | Twitter |

With Opening Day one week away, things are starting to come into focus for the Mets. Here's how we see things shaking out in our 25-man Roster Prediction 3.0...

Starting Rotation (5)

1. Jacob deGrom, RHP
2. Noah Syndergaard, RHP
3. Zack Wheeler, RHP
4. Steven Matz, LHP
5. Jason Vargas, LHP

After two days off (one due to a scheduled off-day and one due to rain), the Mets face the Marlins at First Data Field on Thursday at 1:10 p.m. on SNY. 

Mets notes

Pete Alonso gets the start at first base as the Mets trot out a lineup that should very closely resemble what we see on Opening Day. ... Steven Matz is on the mound. 

We suggested eight days ago that it could make sense for the Mets to carry both Pete Alonso and Dominic Smith on the Opening Day roster, and manager Mickey Callaway said Wednesday the team is considering just that.

And If the Mets do carry the right-handed hitting Alonso and left-handed hitting Smith, Callaway suggested it wouldn't be in a straight platoon. 

"I wouldn't classify it as a platoon situation," Callaway said. "I think our main goal would be to put them in the best situation to succeed. ... keep them both healthy and in the game mentally."

The Mets have a challenge ahead of them if they want to make the playoffs this season, being in what is expected to be the toughest division in baseball. Michael Conforto, fully healthy after working his way back from injury in 2018, is embracing it. 

"The division was tough this past year and this year it got a lot tougher," Conforto told Buster Olney during an interview Tuesday on ESPN Radio. "I think we're very lucky to be in a division that's as competitive as it is. The Braves, the Phillies, us, the Nationals, and even the Marlins -- they've got some good young players and you really can't overlook that series you have against them every so often. It's gonna be a battle as well."

Among the biggest moves elsewhere in the NL East were the Phillies adding Bryce Harper and J.T. Realmuto, the Nats adding Patrick Corbin, and the Braves taking a shot on a rebound year from Josh Donaldson. The Mets added Edwin Diaz, Robinson Cano, Wilson Ramos, Jed Lowrie, and more. 

Pete Alonso doesn't lack confidence when he steps in the batter's box. At least, he hasn't shown any signs of it this Spring Training. 

But the knock on Alonso throughout his career in the Minor Leagues is that he struggles defensively. The first baseman has worked hard to erase the stigma, however, and simply play the position better. And he's feeling pretty good about his defensive game as the 2019 season beckons. 

"I'm extremely confident," he told reporters Sunday after the Mets' 10-6 loss to the Nationals. "I mean, I feel like I've done a 180 from 2017 to now, because that was my dark year, so to speak, defensively."

Six runs from the Nationals in the first inning set the tone for the game, as they beat the Mets, 10-6, on Sunday at FITTEAM Ballpark of The Palm Beaches. >> Box score

Five things to know about Sunday's game ...

1. For the second straight game, Michael Conforto homered. This time, he drilled a two-run shot off Stephen Strasburg in the third inning. He worked a walked and struck out to raise his Grapefruit League average to .253 with a .782 OPS. 

Hector Santiago takes the mound for the Mets on Sunday as they head to West Palm Beach to face the Nationals at 1:05 p.m. 

Mets notes

Michael Conforto returns to the cleanup spot on Sunday after going 2-for-3 with a home run on Saturday ... Pete Alonso bats second with his team-leading three home runs this spring while Dominic Smith is the DH as he continues to make his case to be on the Mets' Opening Day roster. 

Mets first baseman Pete Alonso is having a strong spring.

The 24-year-old reflects on what got him to this point in his career and how he can continue to succeed at the next level. 

Doug Williams and Nelson Figueroa drop an all-new episode of Shea Anything, and they go long on the Pete Alonso vs. Dom Smith debate for first base.

They also go deep on whether or not Amed Rosario will break through with a star-making season in 2019, and try to make sense of the new MLB rules changes.

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The Mets tied the Cardinals. 1-1, on Thursday >> Box score

Five things to know about Thursday's game...

1) Zack Wheeler was dominant for a second-straight start, firing 5.1 shutout innings while allowing two hits, walking none, and striking out four. His ERA is down to 2.25.

The Mets beat the Astros, 2-1, on Wednesday afternoon in Port St. Lucie >> Box score

Five things to know about Wednesday's game...

1) Noah Syndergaard was a bit wild but largely dominant, firing 5.2 scoreless innings while allowing two hits, walking two, and striking out five, lowering his Spring Training ERA to 1.88.

The Mets (8-10) host the Astros in Port St. Lucie on Wednesday at 1:10 p.m., live on SNY. 

Mets Notes...

Noah Syndergaard looks to bounce back from a subpar outing on Friday against the Marlins. ... Jeff McNeil starts at third base for the third time in four days as it seems more probable by the day that he'll be there on Opening Day. ... Pete Alonso starts at first base as he tries to earn his spot on the roster.

With Opening Day just over two weeks away, the Mets are dealing with injuries to two infielders and watching as their two main competitors for the first base job -- Pete Alonso and Dominic Smith -- tear the cover off the ball. 

Given the current situation, it's a near-certainty that one of Alonso or Smith will grab the Opening Day job, but the intrigue doesn't stop there -- not with both of them being so young (Smith is 23 years old, Alonso is 24) and full of promise.

Both Alonso and Smith have proven their worth in the minors, and with them appearing to be in prime position to make a big league impact, how will the Mets handle it now and in the future?

The Mes lost to the Astros, 6-3 on Monday afternoon in West Palm Beach >> Box score

Five things to know about Monday's game

1. Pete Alonso stayed hot, smoking a double off the wall in left-center field in his first at bat. Alonso went 1-for-3 overall, but his line out in his final at-bat was also a laser -- but right at the shortstop. Alonso's OPS is 1.270.

Mets infielder Todd Frazier took a very big step Monday in his return from a strained oblique, with him running, playing catch, and taking grounders in Port St. Lucie, he told reporters.

Frazier had first started running last Sunday, reported NorthJersey.com's Matt Ehalt. 

Frazier, who has been out since Feb. 26, received a cortisone shot after the injury was diagnosed, and Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen said at the time that the MRI that confirmed the injury wasn't "overly alarming."

The Mets (8-8-1) travel to face the Astros (8-7) on Monday at 1:05 p.m. in West Palm Beach. 

Mets Notes...

Pete Alonso gets the start at first base while Dominic Smith gets the day off. ... Jeff McNeil is at third base for the second-straight game. ... Brandon Nimmo leads off and plays center field. ... Jason Vargas is on the mound.