PORT ST. LUCIE — Welcome to Camp Hug.
It better become Camp Hit.
Mets pitchers and catchers officially report Thursday, but spring training 2015 is well under way at the Tradition Field complex.
So begins what should be a season of redemption for the Mets and already, everywhere you turn, these Mets are talking about success and camaraderie. Whenever a workout session ends, there are hugs all around.
The Mets are trying to build something big here.
While the Yankees are already dealing with the Alex Rodriguez situation, there are no distractions here — other than the Mets' .239 batting average last season, which was 28th overall. Only the Reds at .238 and the Padres at .226 were worse and San Diego underwent a complete makeover this offseason.
That ineptitude is in the past, the Mets say.
The players already believe in one another because of the impressive depth of pitching talent and the hope David Wright will return to the hitter he once was following a season marred by a shoulder injury.
Wright, 32, managed just eight home runs last season.
Following Wednesday's workout, which took place on three different fields, owner Fred Wilpon, who has been here most of the week, had a conversation with new batting coach Kevin Long that lasted more than 20 minutes. There were lots of smiles and gestures and even a hug at the end. Hope was in the air as the two men discussed the club's hitting.
When the talk ended, Long ran off Field 2 to the clubhouse while Wilpon sped away in a golf cart.
The pressure will be on Long to deliver an offense that will make all that pitching the Mets possess be effective. "This is a good group,'' the former Yankees hitting coach said this week, adding he will talk to the media after manager Terry Collins speaks.
Sandy Alderson will comment on the state of the Mets on Friday. Collins returned to Michigan after the passing of his dad, Bud Collins, on Tuesday night at the age of 95.
Long will have to find a way to get much more from this offense, which is basically the same as last season's, an offense that was led by Lucas Duda, who bashed 30 home runs.
David WrightPhoto: Bill Kostroun
Wright and Duda have been working together here all winter. They both have homes nearby, and both believe this offense will produce and will be helped by the additions of Michael Cuddyer, Wright's close friend, and John Mayberry Jr.
"I fully expect us to be in the playoffs,'' Wright told me this winter. "We're a much better team than in years past.''
Duda is equally optimistic.
"The culture is changing around here,'' Duda recently told me. "It's evolving. I'm blessed to be a part of it. If we can keep everybody healthy, we can produce. I have the utmost confidence in myself and the team.''
The big addition for the Mets was Cuddyer, who is due to arrive early next week. Like Wright, he is coming off a season of injury, having played just 49 games.
The Mets have no room for error when it comes to the offense. Everyone must stay healthy, but the same thing can be said for just about every team. There aren't many juggernauts outs there.
The big difference this spring for the Mets is they have their backbone back in ace Matt Harvey. Harvey's will is stronger than most pitchers.
"He doesn't want to win just one championship, he wants to win multiple championships,'' one Mets official told me. "He doesn't want to strike out just anybody, he wants to strike out your best hitter.''
If Harvey, Jacob deGrom and Zack Wheeler have success, the Mets will be on their way to the postseason if that offense improves just a little bit.
The Mets were 26-29 in one-run games last season. An extra run here or there can make a big difference.
In the end, more hits will mean more hugs.
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