5 NEW YORK METS
ENEMY LINES
A RIVAL SCOUT SIZES UP THE METS
They're going to be bad... . Jose Reyes is the brightest spot on this team, and it's a contract year so he should be focused. He doesn't have the power he used to, but lefthanded he can drive a mistake. In general he's better off hitting gap to gap and using his speed... . In key at bats David Wright will chase out of the zone because he feels it's all on him in that lineup. He has a loopy swing that has holes. You can get fastballs in on him... . Jason Bay looks like he's still in a fog at the plate. This spring he was getting jammed on 88-mph fastballs. He may be trying to let the ball travel to see it longer, but I don't know that he still has the bat speed to get away with that... . I don't know what they can do with Carlos Beltran. It's tough to say what type of player he still is because every time he gets on the field, one of his knees starts to bother him... . Ike Davis has some power, and maybe more will come, but I would liken him to Adam LaRoche or Mark Grace. He doesn't grade out as a really big bopper... . With all his injuries, Johan Santana will probably come back throwing 88--90 mph with a good change. He might more fit the profile of a No. 3 guy now... . A lot of people think Mike Pelfrey is a No. 1, but in my mind they're overvaluing him. He's a solid No. 3. He's going to get overmatched if they send him out against a lot of aces... . Their motto should be Trade Anybody—no one on the roster should be off-limits. The system is thin at the minor league level. I don't see an impact player there, and they have to do something to change the climate. If they're smart, they would blow the club up and start over.
THE LINEUP
WITH 2010 STATISTICS
MANAGER TERRY COLLINS
1ST SEASON WITH METS
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NEW ACQUISITION
(R) ROOKIE (DOUBLE AND TRIPLE A STATS) *2009 STATS
PROJECTED PAYROLL
$156,300,000
THE NUMBER
47
Home runs allowed by the Mets at home in 2010, the fewest in the majors. Attribute the power outage to spacious Citi Field, not to the quality of the team's pitchers. They gave up 88 homers on the road—in the NL only the Diamondbacks and the Pirates allowed more.
MODEST PROPOSAL
Even after releasing Luis Castillo in mid-March, the Mets had four candidates to play second base—and no one they could feel good about calling their second baseman. Here's an idea: Instead of using a glove-first player who can't hit and has no future—such as 26-year-old Luis Hernandez, who has been with three organizations since 2008—the Mets should use 2011 to figure out whether Daniel Murphy or Rule 5 pick Brad Emaus can handle the keystone. Both have offensive skills to recommend them. Murphy, 25, a former first baseman--outfielder being remade as a middle infielder, hit 12 home runs in 2009 before missing all of '10 with a knee injury. Emaus, 25, had an .874 OPS and hit 15 home runs at Double A and Triple A last year. Second base defense should be a lesser concern for a team that features just one ground-ball pitcher in the rotation (Mike Pelfrey) and a number of fly-ball pitchers. The Mets, who are unlikely to catch the Phillies and the Braves under any circumstance, can trade defense for offense if it means finding a long-term solution at the position.
PHOTO
JOHN IACONO (REYES)
PHOTO
TOM DIPACE (MURPHY)
