With Grapefruit Season over and the regular season yet to begin, it’s time to check in with my annual predictions column. Some of these predictions that follow come up short of being “bold” yet I believe that all of them fall outside the boundaries of “safe” or “conventional wisdom.” If history is a guide, most of these will not come true. Yet a handful will and who knows – maybe this will be the year I top 50%. And as always, these come with a money back guarantee.

So, here are my 15 predictions for the 2013 Mets.

1. Marlon Byrd will be released/traded for peanuts before September.

2. Collin Cowgill will post an OPS 200-points higher against RHP than his lifetime .514 mark.

3. Travis d’Arnaud will finish with an OBP under .300 in the majors.

4. Lucas Duda will reach 90 RBIs.

5. Josh Edgin gets sent to the minors at some point during the season.

6. Dillon Gee rebounds from a poor Spring to shave 0.50 off his 4.10 2012 ERA.

7. Jeremy Hefner makes at least 25 starts.

8. Shaun Marcum posts an ERA over 4.00 for the first time since 2007.

9. Daniel Murphy hits as many HR as 2011 (6) and 2012 (6) combined.

10. Bobby Parnell becomes the sixth pitcher in franchise history to reach 30 saves.

11. Scott Rice finishes with a better ERA (4.08) and WHIP (1.302) than Tim Byrdak’s Mets career numbers.

12. Despite hitting lower in the order, Ruben Tejada finishes with 100 more PA than he did in 2012.

13. David Wright’s K% will be over 20%.

14. A pitcher the Mets drafted will represent the team at the All-Star game*

15. No Mets RP will record a better stretch in 25+ IP than Manny Acosta did last year when he had a 1.78 ERA and a 0.908 WHIP in 25.1 innings from July 24th to the end of the year.

I’m feeling generous so here’s a bonus prediction:

16. The Mets will finish with more wins than the Yankees.

*****

* – Hat tip to my friend Mike Salfino, who pointed out: “Last All-Star pitcher drafted by the Mets and representing the Mets — Bobby Jones (1991) in 1997.”

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