New York Mets

CLEVELAND: When the season began, everyone's preseason favorite to win the NL East and even NL were the Philadelphia Phillies. Some people also picked the Cardinals to win the Central and Rockies to win the West.

Right now, on June 16, the Mets have a better record than all three of those teams, and are one-half game out of first place. The Mets also are only one-and-a-half behind the Padres for the NL's best record.

The MLB Player Draft has brought some gems to the Mets in recent memory. On the other hand, on several occasions, drafting hasn't really yielded much talent

Simply put, in terms of the quality of their number one overall picks, the Mets organization has had ups and downs throughout the 2000s.

This is a look at where the Mets went right and wrong in their top draft selections since 2000, and where all those guys are now.

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Johan Santana is the most notable pitcher on the New York Mets and one of the most dangerous in all of baseball. However, his stats alone don't echo that sentiment.

With the surge in Mike Pelfrey's performance this season, Santana isn't seeming much like the ace of the staff anymore. More importantly, the team's offense is not supporting Johan like the ace that he is.

I've been trying to generate some feelings—vitriol, despair, disgust, frustration—over the latest developments concerning the Lighthouse, but I just can't do it. It's like trying to light a fire with a wet match and a cinder block. I'm done.

There have been rumors that the New York Mets and the Seattle Mariners have been in discussions regarding Cliff Lee. Lee obviously will not bring back the package that he did the past two times he was traded.

Lee will be a half season rental, and has stated that he wants to go to free agency. This is a smart move by Lee as he is likely to get more money on the open market with this winter's weak free agent class.

The city of Chicago has seen its share of hard times. In 1871 they had a massive fire that lasted for days. It destroyed everything in it's wake. The city rebuilt though and once again became a prominent destination in the United States, both economically and competitively.

They have had sports teams struggle in mediocrity and succeed to the heights of their profession. Among their teams are the Bears, who have such a storied history in the NFL that it speaks for itself and the Bulls, who have won many NBA championships and were the sports dynasty of the 90's.

The last time the New York Mets played the Cleveland Indians in Ohio, George W. Bush was in his second year of office, Emma Watson and Caroline Wozniacki weren’t even teenagers, and Sammy Sosa was still bla…no, whi…no. Never mind.

In fact, the last time the Mets played in Cleveland was the first time the Mets played in Cleveland. Heck, it was the first time they had played Cleveland.

Currently, the Mets sport a rotation of Johan Santana , Mike Pelfrey, Jonathon Niese, RA Dickey, and Hisanori Takahashi. Dickey and Takahashi did not start the season in the rotation, but after John Maine and Oliver Perez hit the DL, Dickey and Takahashi took over.

Carlos Beltran was able to play five innings in an extended spring training game today. This is another big step in his rehab. He got six plate appearances and played center field.

It appears Beltran is getting closer to starting a minor league rehab assignment. Once he is cleared by doctors, he can be in the minors for up to 20 days before he needs to be called up.

Jerry Manuel wanted to have Beltran back to DH against the Yankees this weekend, but that does not appear to be a possibility.