4
2012
What Are You Watching For The Most During Spring Training?
An article by 
With Spring Training right around the corner it’s time to start to get into the baseball spirit. Even though it appears we are not going to be contending for a title this season, there is still plenty to be excited about. There is always the outside chance that we make it interesting and contend for the second wild card spot. For that to potentially happen things need to break right for us and players need to step up. That starts in spring training as the position battles begin and players who we may see arriving for their big league debut later this season will showcase their skills in exhibition games. Here are some of the things I am most interested in seeing this spring.
1. Young players
Some of the notable young players who we will see in spring training are Wilmer Flores, Cesar Puello, Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Jeurys Familia and Matt Harvey. These players may not be there for long, but we will get to see a glimpse of them and how they look on the mound, in the field, and in the batters box.
2. Johan pitching from a mound
Regardless of whether he is ready for opening day we will finally get to see Santana pitching off of a mound. We will see him throwing during practice and we will see him start some spring training games.
3. Center field and second base position battles
The battles begin in Spring Training and end on opening day. The battle for second base will feature Daniel Murphy who is more known for his bat, and Justin Turner who is more known for his defense. A sleeper for this spot may be Jordanny Valdespin. Even though he is not supposed to be called up until later in the season, he still could blow the coaching staff away and win the job. Center field will feature a battle between Andres Torres and possibly Scott Hairston or Kirk Niewuenhuis.
Both positions appear to have the starters already named in Murphy and Torres, but you never know what can happen.
4. Our new revamped bullpen and who wins the set up role
We acquired a very talented right hander named Ramon Ramirez from the Giants in the Angel Pagan trade. I am extremely excited to see him in action as he is probably the best and most talented pitcher we will have in our bullpen this season. John Rauch makes his return to the Mets organization, and we will get our first look at our new closer Frank Francisco. I am interested to see who between Rauch and Ramirez will ultimately win the coveted set up role.
Spring Training is a time to enjoy baseball. Even teams that may not have World Series aspirations still have things to get excited about. After all, this is baseball and you really never know what is going to happen.
What are some of the things you are most interested in this Spring?
To read my blog and more of my thoughts and opinions click here
About the Author: Dan Valis
I am a staff writer for Mets Merized Online. I am a Mets team analyst with a focus on the minor league system, as well as the major league club. I am a lifelong New Yorker who was born and raised to be a Mets fan. The ups and downs of being a Mets fan is what makes following this team so much fun, but at times so frustrating. You can follow me on Twitter @BgAppleMetsTalk.
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Kirk Nieuwenhuis opened my eyes last year in spring training. I was very much impressed. I’m hoping this year he impresses the Mets brass enough to earn a spot on the MLB roster at some point of the season, if not earning a opening day spot.
I’m looking forward to Havens and seeing if he can develop into the player I hope he can be. I want an issue with where to put Murphy, as it may progress the moving of Wright or Murphy, hopefully for a decent C or P prospect. We’ll see.
Also looking forward to the young pitchers and to see how they are progressing.
Also looking forward to seeing Murph back on his feet and ripping the ball.
Looking forward to the new Timing Bar in right field. You are going to have to drink alot to watch this team.
Will also be looking for hot women in short shorts and bikini tops!
If you are talking about the Mets….Pitching and more pitching, especially the young guns who they have invited!
1) How Johan looks in game situations
2) Murphy’s progression
3) See if Havens rakes enough to put himself in the 2B conversation
4) See if Kirk Nieuwenhuis can steal the CF job from Torres
If David Wright is as ‘good as gone’ as many on this Site think and he is traded early on, the real battle over 2B may be between Justin Turner and Jordany Valdespin.
Personally, i think we should wait and trade DW at the deadline (if we do have to), since i am confident he’ll have a big rebound year and his value will be higher at the deadline than in ST.
If the Mets trade David Wright later rather than sooner, and if the winter strengthening and conditioning of Reese Havens is successful, he’ll be our next guy at 2B. But if David goes in the first month or so of the season, Havens will in the lineup after the All Star game.
If Havens conditioning isn’t successful, he’ll be another failed Round 1 selection. Time will tell and it will be soon.
Good point, Reese Havens, if healthy, would probably be the favorite for 2B once Murphy moves to 3B (or is traded), but Valdespin impressed last year and i bet he would have a shot to prove what he can do also. Never know just how prospects are going to pan out.
It’s nice to have two hot prospects at 2B — Havens and Valdespin. We need one of them to successful.
Yes, DES, that’d be cool…and the ‘loser’ might have some trade value.
Ike to be healthy, Neise to show he is ready to take the next step, and Duda to look OK in the OF and deposit a bunch of balls out past the berm.
I’m looking forward to all the loser hapy people celebrating each loss as if it meant victory. Sorry Bayonne and a few others…losing is the only way on this site.
Oh, forgot the biggie. havens showing that he is going to be taking 2B soon and keeping it for a long time to come.
Reese Havens comes out ripping in spring training and wins the starting job at second base…
Havens has shown he can hit. What he needs to do is show he can stay healthy and that won’t be determined in Spring Training.
I think Murph has to be epically bad at 2B to not win that job, and that’s likely also something that won’t be determined in Spring Training.
of course he can. If he is 100% good to go in ST has has no setbacks, then he is healthy.
It doesn’t make any sense to me to take a guy that is playing well, and not injured, and send him to the minors to prove he won’t get hurt in the future.
Spring Training isn’t the season. I’m not saying Havens has to stay down there for long, but he needs to show he can handle a real schedule and besides, we have to do something with Murphy.
This also all assumes Valdespin doesn’t outperform him.
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Ironically, the single most critical and important thing that 2012 hinges on is not anything Sandy Alderson did. There’s no game changers in the last two off-seasons all low-impact roster fill-ins. Any success this season all hinges on Johan Santana.