#1: R.A. Dickey: 37-year old righty knuckleballer R.A. Dickey has finally seemed to master one of the toughest pitches to throw and the results have been outstanding the last couple of years for the Mets. Dickey pitched in 33 games (32 starts) for the Mets last year and he was 8-13 with a 3.28 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP. He has now pitched in 60 games (58 starts) in his first two years with the Mets and he s 19-22 with a 3.08 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP. Dickey has now pitched in 204 games (106 starts) in his first 9 years in the majors and he is 41-50 with 2 saves, a 4.34 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP. I don’t see any reason to think that Dickey won’t be successful once again for the Mets in 2012.

#2: Jonathan Niese: 25-year old lefty Jonathan Niese was being shopped around this winter, but the Mets decided to keep him. He pitched in 27 games (26 starts) for the Mets last year and he was 11-11 with a 4.40 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP. Niese has now pitched in 65 games (64 starts) in his first four years in the majors and he is 22-23 with a 4.39 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP. The Mets are hoping that Niese picks up the pace a little bit in 2012.

#3: Dillon Gee: 25-year old righty Dillon Gee is a winner, plain and simple. He pitched in 30 games (27 starts) for the Mets last year and he was 13-6 with a 4.43 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP. Gee has now pitched in 35 games (32 starts) in his first two years in the majors and he is 15-8 with a 4.04 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP. Gee doesn’t have the best stuff but he almost never gives in to hitters and the results have been pretty good. The Mets hope he keeps up the good work in 2012.

#4: Mike Pelfrey: 28-year old righty Mike Pelfrey should be better than he is. He pitched in 34 games (33 starts) for the Mets last year and he was 7-13 with a 4.74 ERA and a 1.47 WHIP. Pelfrey has now pitched in 150 games (146 starts) in his first six years in the majors and he is 50-54 with 1 save, a 4.40 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP. The Mets need to see some improvement out of Pelfrey or they might replace him in the rotation at some point in 2012.

#5: Johan Santana: 32-year old lefty Johan Santana missed all of last year due to a shoulder problem. He looks like he is going to be ready to go for 2012, but the Mets are going to have to monitor his workload to ensure that he won’t get hurt again. Santana has pitched in 88 games (all starts) in his first four years with the Mets and he is 40-25 with a 2.85 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP. Santana has now pitched in 339 games (263 starts) in his first 11 years in the majors and he is 133-69 with 1 save, a 3.10 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP. The Mets are hoping to get around 25 starts out of Santana in 2012.

Chris Schwinden: 25-year old righty Chris Schwinden is likely going to get another shot in the rotation for the Mets at some point in 2012. He pitched in 4 games (all starts) for the Mets last year and he was 0-2 with a 4.71 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP. Schwinden also pitched in 28 games (26 starts) in AA+AAA-ball last year and he was 8-8 with a 3.87 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP.

Miguel Batista: 40-year old righty Miguel Batista was very effective last year for the Mets, so he could get a shot to start some games for them in 2012. He pitched in 9 games (4 starts) for the Mets last year and he was 2-0 with a 2.64 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP. One of his starts was a complete game shutout for the Mets. Batista pitched in 35 games (5 starts) overall last year for the Mets & Cardinals and he was 5-2 with a 3.60 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP. Batista has now pitched in 623 games (243 starts) in his first 17 years in the majors and he is 101-112 with 41 saves, a 4.48 ERA and a 1.49 WHIP.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE STARTING ROTATION IN 2012: C-

In the field: The only impact player the Mets have brought in over the winter in the field is CF Andres Torres. He will likely replace the player he was traded for (Angel Pagan) as a starter in the Mets’ outfield in 2012. Catchers Lucas May and Rob Johnson will be in the competition to be Josh Thole’s backup in 2012. Outfielder Adam Loewen and infielder Omar Quintanilla will compete for bench jobs this spring. Ronny Cedeno will be the Mets’ top backup in the middle infield in 2012.

On the mound: Frank Francisco was signed to take over as the Mets’ closer in 2012. He certainly has the arm to succeed in that role for the Mets. Righty relievers Jon Rauch (free agent) and Ramon Ramirez (deal with the Giants) will team up to set-up for Francisco in 2012. I really like this trio of relievers.

Overall: The Mets have improved the bullpen with the additions of Frank Francisco, Jon Rauch and Ramon Ramirez. But, adding Andres Torres and Ronny Cedeno is not going to give the Mets the juice they need to add to the lineup for 2012.