The Mets have arrived in Port St. Lucie, FL in a quest to erase the stenches of the past three seasons in Queens. Here's a list of all the invitees(courtesy of Monozygotic and MLB.com):
Pitchers B/T Ht Wt DOB
– Travis Blackley L/L 6-3 200 11/04/82
64 Elmer Dessens R/R 5-11 200 01/13/71
– R.A. Dickey R/R 6-2 215 10/29/74
– Josh Fogg R/R 6-0 205 12/13/76
– Bobby Livingston L/L 6-3 205 09/03/82
– Carlos Muniz R/R 6-1 190 03/12/81
– Eric Niesen L/L 6-1 180 09/04/85
Catchers B/T Ht Wt DOB
– Francisco Pena R/R 6-2 230 10/12/89
Infielders B/T Ht Wt DOB
– Russ Adams L/R 6-0 200 08/30/80
– Jolbert Cabrera R/R 6-1 215 12/08/72
– Mike Cervenak R/R 5-11 200 08/17/76
– Ike Davis L/L 6-5 195 03/22/87
29 Andy Green R/R 5-10 180 07/07/77
– Luis Hernandez S/R 5-10 180 06/26/84
– Mike Hessman R/R 6-5 215 03/05/78
– Ruben Tejada R/R 5-11 165 09/01/89
Outfielders B/T Ht Wt DOB
2 Frank Catalanotto L/R 6-0 205 04/27/74
– Jesus Feliciano L/L 6-0 174 06/06/79
– Kirk Nieuwenhuis L/R 6-3 210 08/07/87
- Jason Pridie L/R 6-1 205 10/9/83
What to look for:
The Mets really need pitching badly. Behind Santana and Maine, the pack really thins out. Jon Niese and Fernando Nieve got their first tastes of major league ball last season. Nelson Figueora is up in the air. If he doesn't make the team, he will more than likely not accept a minor league demotion. I think Josh Fogg, Elmer Dessens, and R.A. Dickey will make the team, but be pushed into the bullpen which isn't as strong either. The Mets are definitely two starters short of a rotation.
The outfield look very good and deep. Signing Jason Bay will increase the homers and RBIs of a team that hurt from production last season. Gay Matthews Jr. is a decent pick-up as well, but needs to prove he can be an everyday player instead of a bench guy. Angel Pagan was a pleasant surprise last season and I expect to see more of similar numbers from him should he get the playing time which I believe(and hopefully most Mets fans did) he earned. Francouer will probably not live up to what he should, but will get the start in right. Having Carlos Beltran healthy will be the key to the outfield dominance. Frank Catalanatto will be a good back-up in the event of an injury.
The infield will rely on David Wright NOT having to carry the team all the time and Jose Reyes getting on base and playing 3/4 of the season. Luis Castillo is still frustrating to watch defensively and maybe the Mets will spring for Felipe Lopez who is still un-signed. Daniel Murphy needs to put similar or better numbers this season as Carlos Delgado won't return. If not, Mike Jacobs will try and best him. Catching wise isn't a good situation for the Mets. I expect Blanco to start and Santos to back him up. Thole and Coste will be sent down. Coste may try and opt out of his contract in fact in that event. Really, catching I feel is a weakness offensively for the Mets with the inability to get Bengie Molina.
Outlook: Still very bleak in CitiField. They should improve both offensively and defensively from last season and make some moves before the deadline, but I can't see them finishing higher than third. The Mets need hitters and a reliable bullpen, instead the rumors today are still going after another catcher. The Phillies are simply still too good and the Nationals went crazy upgrading. The Braves may even slide in for third and you can never predict the Marlins, despite their quiet off-season.
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