In April, Curtis Granderson was the bust the most cynical and scarred Mets fan feared he would be, a $60 million albatross who invoked memories of Jason Bay.
But in May, Granderson has become the cleanup hitter and run producer the Amazin’s envisioned when they signed the former Yankee.
“This is what we expected, what we’ve seen in the month of May,’’ manager Terry Collins said before the Mets’ series opener with the Diamondbacks was rained out Friday night at Citi Field and rescheduled as part of a single-admission doubleheader Sunday. “We thought that’s what he’d come out [and give us].
“I haven’t been around Curtis to know how he’s come out of spring trainings before, I know his numbers were … he was really trying hard, and we sat here a lot of nights talking about him trying too hard at times. But I think what he’s done lately is the guy we knew we were going to get.”
Doubt clearly had crept into the hearts of the Flushing Faithful, if not into the minds of the Mets themselves. Through the end of April, Granderson wasn’t even hitting his weight, batting just .136 and slugging .216 with one home run and seven RBIs.
But as soon as the page turned on the calendar, the veteran outfielder turned the page on his struggles and started giving David Wright the protection Granderson was brought to Flushing to provide.
He’s batting .310 in May, slugging .592 with five homers and 14 RBIs. His five longballs were tied for third-most in the National League this month, and his 14 RBIs were tied for the fourth-best.
It’s a stunning turnaround for a player who wasn’t among the NL leaders in anything except boos suffered through.
What has been his secret?
“Just more baseball. I wish I could give you a better answer,’’ Granderson said with a shrug. “It’s just baseball being baseball. That’s what makes this game so much fun.
“I’ve just continued to work drills with [hitting coach Dave] Hudgens, getting early BP. There’s no magic formula, just continuing to work and swing the bat. … It’s just saying we want to make sure we’re in the right position. We’re real close; continue to keep swinging, go after it and get pitches we can handle.’’
Granderson has clearly done that this month. His OPS had vaulted from just .468 in March and April to a scalding .963 so far this month. After watching him double and triple in Thursday’s 5-3 victory over the Dodgers — the latter a shot off the center-field wall that would have escaped almost any other park — Collins said Granderson is ready to change the entire dynamic of the Mets.
“The right fielder’s starting to warm up,” the manager said. “This is going to be a different looking team.”
“I hope it could be true,’’ Granderson said. “One of the things I want to do is just continue to expand the confidence here — myself and throughout the lineup — as we continue to play, collectively as a whole just go out there and do the things we know we’re capable of doing.
“[Collins] has the confidence in me; now it’s up to all of us to have that confidence in ourselves to go out there and do it.’’
For his part, Granderson refused to use Citi Field as an alibi, saying, “If you hit it over the wall, it’s a home run in any park.” But Collins said if Granderson can stay hot, eventually that will get Wright better pitches to hit.
“The more Grandy starts to do damage, the more David doesn’t have to try to do it, go outside the strike zone,’’ Collins said. “You’ll see him get those bases on balls we’re accustomed to having him get all the time.’’