PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- The experiment is neat and clean, without any frills or clauses. After decades of a pitching-first philosophy, the Mets are suddenly counting on one man, Mo Vaughn, to complete a total makeover and turn them into one of the National League's top offensive powerhouses.

One man. One lingering question. Is Vaughn still the same run producer who totaled 100-plus RBI in five of the last six seasons before a torn biceps put his career on hold in 2001? The answer cuts to the heart of the Mets' offseason experiment, and could well decide if they catch the Braves in the East.

	“	I feel like some great things are coming. I'm healthy, which is the big thing. I'm healthy and I'm planning to put up some big numbers. ”
		— Mo Vaughn

In the first week of camp, Vaughn has shown the Mets plenty of power and bat-speed -- enough to calm any early fears that Vaughn, who turned 34 in December, lost his skills during his year of inactivity. But he also arrived at 270 pounds, and after experiencing soreness in his quadriceps following sprints and running drills, will obviously have trouble on the basepaths and won't have much range at first base.

Still, Bobby Valentine reminds reporters that Vaughn's predecessors at first base, Todd Zeile and John Olerud, "were two of the slowest guys on the team" -- a fact that doesn't buffer Vaughn from the scrutiny he knows is building.

"Oh, I'm nervous and I'm in fear," Vaughn said. "I'm in fear all the time. Fear is what makes athletes go. The ones that say they aren't nervous or have fear have to quit. But I know that if I'm a healthy ballplayer and if I go out and get my 600 at-bats, I'm going to do my thing.

"I did my thing unhealthy for two years and I was still able to ring up stats. And I had a lot of things on my mind. I know if I have a clear mind and I'm a happy player and healthy, there are some great things I can do."

Baseball people are divided as to whether Vaughn's injury will be a curse or blessing when he makes his National League debut in 2002. After all, Vaughn led the American League in strikeouts in 2000, and his .272 average represented a second straight year of decline, down 65 points from his career-best .337 with Boston in 1999.

But Vaughn says the year dedicated to rehabbing his arm has actually refreshed his skills, and his body is younger, not older, than it was two summers ago. The Mets tend to agree. When a contingent of team officials traveled to Massachusetts to evaluate Vaughn this winter, watching him hit for nearly two hours in a batting cage, they were impressed with how quick Mo's bat was.

	Mo Vaughn First Base New York Mets Profile
	2000 SEASON STATISTICS GM HR RBI OBP SLG AVG 161 36 117 .365 .498 .272

As Bobby Valentine said, "It's not what I saw, but what I didn't see." Meaning that no bad habits had developed to protect the damaged arm, no need to cheat or swing early in order to catch up to 90-plus fastballs. It took just one audition for the Mets to initiate a trade with the Angels for Vaughn and project him into a lineup that had added Robby Alomar and Roger Cedeno and later added Jeromy Burnitz.

One major-league executive praised Mets GM Steve Phillips for "having the guts to totally upgrade his team. But he's taking a lot of chances, too. No one really knows how it's going to work out, because let's face it, they really don't know about Vaughn and some of their pitchers."

No one has to remind the Mets they lost Kevin Appier, who didn't lose a decision after July 27. The Mets can only hope that Pedro Astacio's torn labrum doesn't deteriorate or blow out during the season, and Shawn Estes' confidence will match his talent.

But mostly, the Mets hope that Vaughn, who will likely hit fifth or sixth in the lineup, will make Mike Piazza an even more dangerous home run threat. It's inconceivable that the Mets, who finished last in the major leagues in runs scored in 2001, won't improve in 2002. Vaughn and Alomar certainly give them greater star power -- evidenced by the large crowds they've been drawing during the opening days in camp.

Unlike the Yankees, who have a new, glitzy facility in Tampa, the Mets train in out-of-the-way Port St. Lucie in central Florida, and, until now, have had trouble drawing fans to their drab, 14-year-old ballpark. Not this year.

Every one of Piazza's and Vaughn's batting practice home runs turns into a free-for-all chase among the hundreds of kids waiting beyond the fences, and serves as eye-candy for the thousands who are showing up just to watch the Mets work out.

Part of the reason, Vaughn knows, is the expectation of a prosperous summer at Shea.

"I know people are watching, and I think that's great. Let 'em watch," Vaughn said. "I know how things are in New York. It's how baseball should be. I feel like some great things are coming. I'm healthy, which is the big thing. I'm healthy and I'm planning to put up some big numbers."

Bob Klapisch of The Record (Bergen County, N.J.) covers baseball for ESPN.com.