Just Some Thoughts As Opening Day Quickly Approaches

Just some thoughts. How many at bats does Juan Lagares get? Does Conforto play a full season in the majors? How does Flores respond to his new role with the team? Can the Mets get anything worth while for De Aza? Can Plawecki or d'Arnaud play first and/or third base?

First, I feel like Lagares gets anywhere from 300-400 at bats. He will be moved around the whole outfield, predominately being a late inning defensive replacement, hopefully his range returns from two years ago. Conforto's contribution to the team directly relates to Lagares's role, if Conforto is on the team, Lagares gets less time in the outfield. If Conforto spends any bit of substantial time in the minors, Lagares might be able to get 500 at bats.

I think Flores wants to be on the team, at any cost. I don't think he cares much where he plays, so long as he plays. I love a guy that cares more about the name on his chest more than the one on his back. You can see how much Flores wants be on the team and how he will do anything necessary to stay in that home clubhouse at Citi Field. I think maybe you even see Flores at first base this year while a bulk of his time will be at the other corner, the hot corner.

De Aza has swung a pretty good bat this spring while showing he still has life left in those legs, Maybe he can be a good fifth outfielder. Maybe even tested at first base some days? The Indians are in the market for more outfield depth but as the spring starts winding down, more teams start to figure out what they need and some might be more inclined to take on the five plus million dollars that is owed to De Aza. From the sound of it, the Mets aren't looking for much in terms of a player, just a team that can take on De Aza's salary.

It is interesting to note that the Mets brass was thinking about sending Plawecki down to the minors but it looks like they have elected to keep him on the big league staff. It is interesting because he's young and his and d'Arnaud's bat should see consistent at bats. They will need to be creative in finding playing time for both of the catchers. Maybe one catches and one plays third or first base, while Flores either gets a day off is playing the other position. It will be fun to see as the season opens how they use the two catchers. Is Plawecki going to be nothing more than a backup catcher for this 2016 team?

What do you think about this? What do you think they do with Plawecki and d'Arnaud? Who, if anyone, takes on De Aza's contract? What position will Flores get the most time at? Who will log the most innings by the end of the year playing each outfield position?

Either way, this is a very exciting time of the year where questions get answered and some arise. As the fast approaching Opening Day arrives, I am patiently waiting for this exciting day, like a non-Italian little kid on Christmas Eve. 

Matt Harvey Named Opening Day Starter

It's been announced, Matt Harvey will start opening day. Really any of the first three could start this year as the Opening Day starter which is really fascinating to see. This seems like a decent move (there really was no wrong move here), maybe deGrom should have gotten it, but Harvey is like a bull dog out there on the mound. It doesn't matter what he does outside the foul lines, when he's 60 feet 6 inches from the batters box, he's a competitor. Someone that you want on your side because he wants the ball as seen in game five of the World Series. He will get his chance at Kauffman Field against the 2015 World Series Champions, Kansas City Royals. It's a good way to set the tone for this team, show them the team that won last year. Show you want it on opening day and go out there and win. You want to win every game, but these have a little bit more to it.

I look forward to seeing Harvey on the mound April 3rd.

Let's go Mets!!!

Thank You Ruben Tejada!

Ruben Tejada. You never really filled Jose Reyes’ shoes but you sure provided a nice glove and when you found out what kind of hitter you were, a nice addiction to the lineup. You will be able to get a much better opportunity out there and I certainly hope you the best. You could have been a nice bat off the bench for the Mets but unfortunately you’re the same as Flores, can play 2b/ss/3b (and hopefully soon to 1b).

Tejada you were a nice slap hitter. A backup infielder. A nice bat off the bench. I hope you the best in free agency this year. I think the Cardinals would be a nice fit for you, just a standup organization. 

Spring Training Thoughts!

So with spring training under way, the media has taken a huge interest in Yoenis Cespedes and all the horse power he has off the field, including two horses. I thought the tricycle he received was a very nice touch and shows just how much the team has accepted him in the clubhouse.

Building a team is tough. The team that always comes to mind is the 2003 Mets when they compiled what looked like a really good team on paper with names like Roberto Alomar, Mo Vaughn, Jeromy Burnitz and Mike Piazza. They looked like their offense would be able to help carry them to victory. They even had Tom Glavine to lead the pitching staff. But at 66-95 the only thing they found themselves was in fifth place wondering how they could flip the roster. They had the stats on paper but not the chemistry in the clubhouse. Granted chemistry is helped by winning but even before you step on the field it's important to build a foundation that can overcome a losing streak. With a pitching staff like the Mets have this year, it's going to be tough to go on long losing streaks.

I like that Cespedes has taken it upon himself to be the guy that the media is drawn to. He has taken all of the pressure so everyone else can focus on the tasks at hand, even if it was only for a few days. He has tried to become accepted into the Mets clubhouse even more than he was after the historic second half of the regular season.

After all of that media attention, I liked what Terry Collins did. He put down the hammer on Cespedes and said it's time to start focusing on baseball and not how he gets to work. Time to start focusing on the 25 guys that will make up the opening day roster and how they will become the New York Mets.

I'm excited for this upcoming year. I still they have a few question marks, like how will Conforto take to a full season? Can Granderson come close to repeating last year? What happens with Lagares, who has come to camp looking in great shape, to keep him sharp? How will the middle infielders produce, defensively and offensively? How many games can David Wright play this year, because even his presence in the clubhouse is uplifting. Can Lucas Duda help provide the pop with Cespedes? Starters stopped going nine innings and it's looking like seven is the new nine for starters. With that being said, there's been more emphasis on the back end of the pen. Can the Mets bullpen slam the door shut when they need a big out in the seventh and eighth inning and the starter is out of the game?

I'm excited to see the season begin but these questions have been floating around. I'm excited to be seeing baseball again.

Lets go Mets!!!