2013 Mets Opening Day Lineup and Roster Projection

88 Comments + Add Comment

• HarryDoyle March 17, 2013 at 7:11 pm

  Ok, so that’s the roster on April 1st. What’s the roster look like on May 1st?
  • van March 17, 2013 at 8:07 pm

    quite a bit different?

    if you can expect anything this year, it is that there will be a lot of roster shuffling. So even if someone you wanted on the roster doesn’t make it, expect to see them soon!
• Matt March 17, 2013 at 7:17 pm

  Marlon Byrd batting 3rd tells you all you need to know about the 2013 New York Mets.

  Note: Please don’t respond with “that’s only because Wright is injured.” Byrd being a starter is bad enough…but projecting him to be a #3 hitter (sans PEDs), no matter the case, is a bad sign.

  With this roster…this team will be 68-94.
• Mitch Petanick March 17, 2013 at 7:19 pm

  Joe, I am not pleased you are sending MDD down to AAA
• RandomGuy March 17, 2013 at 7:20 pm

  I believe this is a modest representation of what our line-up will look like, With Murphy, and Wright in there, sliding out Turner and Byrd, moving Jordany to right. Our line-up looks alot better with that.
  • RandomGuy March 17, 2013 at 7:21 pm

    Oh, and Joe D, who were the most recent bans? lol
    • Hitman March 17, 2013 at 7:38 pm

      I have a hunch who one of them is since I see that his comments are no longer on some articles, but does Salty count as the other one or not?
      • van March 17, 2013 at 8:08 pm

        Can’t count Salty, since that was a voluntary “vacation”.
        • Hitman March 17, 2013 at 8:13 pm

          Yeah, I figured that. Thought I’d ask anyway.
• Roxio March 17, 2013 at 7:23 pm

  We need a new GM. This might be the worst roster since Bobby Bonilla was patrolling left field. Are we going forward or backward? This team is in danger of 100 losses this season.
  • taskmaster4450 March 17, 2013 at 8:23 pm

    Not a chance at 100 losses. It is important to understand how bad a team has to be to lose that many games and the Mets have too much talent for that.

    The only way that happens is with injuries to most of the starting staff. If they stay healthy, no way they lose 100 games.
• RandomGuy March 17, 2013 at 7:30 pm

  I wish I could go back and edit my post. You should of made two different Opening Day line-ups. This is a good analysis if both Murphy and Wright start the team on the disabled list, but there’s also a real possibility that they are both available for Opening Day, and if they are I think it could dramatically alter the look of our line-up.
  This could easily be our opening day line-up. (batting order could be different, but positions might be dead on point.)
  1. Valdespin – RF
  2. Murphy – 2b
  3. Wright – 3b
  4. Davis – 1b
  5. Cowgill – CF
  6. Duda – LF
  7. Buck – C
  8. Tejada – SS
  9. Niese – P

  Imagine how different that could be by the end of the year. MDD, D’arnaud, and Flores are all going to be pushing for looks, obviously D’arnaud will get his but I can only hope Flores and MDD play there ways into the roster very quickly.
• Mookie March 17, 2013 at 7:33 pm

  Dreadful to say the least.
• Hitman March 17, 2013 at 7:36 pm

  “I have Mike Baxter making the team, but not because he earned the spot, the Mets have no depth and other options are hitting even worse than he is.”

  Which is why they need to get on the phone with Texas right now and make a trade for Craig Gentry. Very good defender in CF that kills LHP (.374 last season Vs LHP).
  • Hitman March 17, 2013 at 7:41 pm

    P.S. I prefer Lutz starting over Turner because I don’t like Turner defensively and I don’t like him as a starter. Also, Byrd batting 3rd is a horrible idea. Bat Davis 3rd, Duda 4th, Lutz 5th, Byrd 6th, Tejada 7th and Buck 8th.
• TJ March 17, 2013 at 7:52 pm

  I’m with Mookie on this. How about Mr. Alderson works some magic and finds some more talent before April 1.
• kenny from Riverdale March 17, 2013 at 7:57 pm

  Question #2.

  How many of these guys aren’t on the 40 man roster and who will get dropped off it to make room for them?
• tlagee March 17, 2013 at 7:57 pm

  Keep in mind everyone – this terrible team has been two years in the making.

  I just hope that the quality on the field is reflected by the amount of rear ends in seats.
• van March 17, 2013 at 8:04 pm

  I thought all along that Hefner was close to a lock, since they absolutely needed a long man, even if the entire rotation was ready to go (with no guarantee that would happen!)

  and if this is the roster, at least start Lutz instead of turner who should never be starting, certainly not at 3B.
• van March 17, 2013 at 8:17 pm

  Joe, was the standings widget up there all along, or is that back in anticipation of the season?

  Because putting up last years standings is just plain mean, if not a troll!

  Can’t you reset it to 2013, so every team is 0-0?
  • Hitman March 17, 2013 at 8:20 pm

    If you ask in some circles, that’s a projection of this upcoming season.
    • taskmaster4450 March 17, 2013 at 8:36 pm

      Some think that record will be an accomplishment this season.
  • Joe D March 17, 2013 at 10:01 pm

    The standings module is the same one we used the last three years. I take it down in the offseason. It streams the standings direct from MLB which indicates the most recent regular season results.
    • van March 18, 2013 at 12:23 am

      so it can serve as a motivational tool for the next 2 weeks I guess, until they are back in 1st place on 4/1!
• Long Suffering Fan March 17, 2013 at 8:54 pm

  Weak at best; unmitigated disaster at worst…
• Trs86 March 17, 2013 at 9:40 pm

  Cowgill, Vspin/Murphy, Wright, Davis, Byrd, Duda, Buck, Tejada

  For now whomever is hot and change it based on the pitching matchup .
  • Joe D March 17, 2013 at 10:10 pm

    It’s interesting how Tejada, 22, is a career .336 OBP and had been considered the leadoff or #2 hitter for the season. But now along comes Cowgill, 26, career .317 OBP has leapfrogged him. Plus Cowgill has double the strikeout rate that Tejada has. I wonder if it’s just the fact he’s new and different. Obviously it’s not his resume.
    • tlagee March 17, 2013 at 10:18 pm

      Joe D -

      I think it’s even more interesting that Tejada is hitting .100 for the spring. No, that’s not a typo.

      What’s up with that?

      Of course, you have to spend money for a good leadoff hitter. We had one once – we let him get away.
    • HarryDoyle March 17, 2013 at 10:23 pm

      Tejada has no business being at the top of any lineup vs RHP.
    • van March 18, 2013 at 12:25 am

      I think it has more to do with him having some actual speed, and potential SB action. and of course, there is the grustle factor.
    • Hitman March 18, 2013 at 12:39 pm

      Joe, the difference is that Cowgill provides the speed and pop the Mets need in a #2 hitter, especially if Valdespin is tabbed as the leadoff hitter. As good of a contact hitter Tejada is, he doesn’t have neither of the above.
    • TRS86 March 18, 2013 at 12:43 pm

      Actually I was looking for balance. Tejeda does make a decent #2 hitter. I am not a big fan of him in the lead-off spot. However, to keep the lineup balanced I didn’t want to hit Cowgill and Tejada back to back as two of the only RH we have.
• Mr North Jersey March 17, 2013 at 10:16 pm

  Joe D let me propose for your consideration an idea for a follow up post to this. Looking at your Opening Day roster you have the following non-roster players on it.

  OF: Marlon Byrd
  Bench: Omar Quintanilla
  RP: Scott Atchison
  RP: LaTroy Hawkins

  and where you pose a choice let’s for the sake of this discussion go with RP: Pedro Feliciano over Robert Carson.

  That would make it a total of 5 players that would need room to be made to fit them on the 40-man. Which 5 would you remove the following 40-man to make room for the above 5?

  Niese, Jon – (Joe D Opening Day Roster)
  Santana, Johan – (Joe D Disabled List)
  Gee, Dillon – (Joe D Opening Day Roster)
  Harvey, Matt – (Joe D Opening Day Roster)
  Hefner, Jeremy – (Joe D Opening Day Roster)
  Marcum, Shaun – (Joe D Opening Day Roster)
  Mejia, Jenrry
  Carson, Robert
  Edgin, Josh – (Joe D Opening Day Roster)
  Burke, Greg – (Joe D Opening Day Roster)
  Familia, Jeurys
  Francisco, Frank – (Joe D Disabled List)
  Lyon, Brandon – (Joe D Opening Day Roster)
  Parnell, Bobby – (Joe D Opening Day Roster)
  Germen, Gonzalez
  Gorski, Darin
  McHugh, Collin
  Ramirez, Elvin
  Robles, Hansel
  Wheeler, Zack
  Buck, John – (Joe D Opening Day Roster)
  d’Arnaud, Travis
  Recker, Anthony – (Joe D Opening Day Roster)
  Davis, Ike – (Joe D Opening Day Roster)
  Murphy, Daniel – (Joe D Disabled List)
  Tejada, Ruben – (Joe D Opening Day Roster)
  Wright, David – (Joe D Disabled List)
  Turner, Justin – (Joe D Opening Day Roster)
  Flores, Wilmer
  Havens, Reese
  Hicks, Brandon – (Joe D Opening Day Roster)
  Lutz, Zach – (Joe D Opening Day Roster)
  Tovar, Wilfredo
  Duda, Lucas – (Joe D Opening Day Roster)
  Cowgill, Collin – (Joe D Opening Day Roster)
  Valdespin, Jordany – (Joe D Opening Day Roster)
  Baxter, Mike – (Joe D Opening Day Roster)
  Nieuwenhuis, Kirk
  Lagares, Juan
  Puello, Cesar
  • HarryDoyle March 17, 2013 at 10:27 pm

    And when the four players you have on the DL return, who is likely to be removed from the 25-man roster?
    • van March 18, 2013 at 12:27 am

      the 25 should be a little easier, since there will be guys with options available to send down.

      or by then, a few of the guys from OD will prove to be so bad, they can be cut!
  • oleosmirf March 18, 2013 at 12:02 am

    Which is exactly why I expect Feliciano to be in extended ST to start the year and Carson making the team.

    Also, if Wright and Murphy are both on the DL to start the season (which I highly doubt) we wont see both Hicks and Quintanilla since you’d have to DFA someone. In that situation, they would be more likely to carry an extra OF since Valdespin can play 2B and SS in an emergency or even an extra pitcher.

    Losing a guy just to give yourself the best flexibility or the best roster for a few games is very short-sighted.
  • Joe D March 18, 2013 at 1:21 am

    Good question.

    I’d cut

    Carson, Robert
    Germen, Gonzalez
    Ramirez, Elvin
    Havens, Reese
    Puello, Cesar

    Every team will have similar problems and there’s nobody among those 5 that don’t have significant flaws, I’d bet they’d all end up back in the Mets minors anyway.
    • oleosmirf March 18, 2013 at 8:45 am

      Don’t you think maneuvering the roster in a way where you only need to cut 3 plays is a better idea?

      I don’t understand why you would take both Hicks and Quintanilla or choose Pedro over Carson at the risk of losing depth. If both Murphy and Wright need to go on the DL, then you have to be creative and maybe carry and extra pitcher or OF for the first couple of games.

      You’re not gonna win or lose a game because you didn’t choose your best bench from day 1…
• Reese March 18, 2013 at 12:08 am

  McHugh, Ramirez, Havens and Puello (punitive for the PEDs)
  • van March 18, 2013 at 12:32 am

    mchugh won’t go anywhere. i would guess germen, robles, puello and havens all have to be on the list. Hicks and Turner can’t hold anyone good back. Elvin has to be in play.

    so, they should have enough guys they can get through waivers, and a few that if they lose, no big deal.
• oleosmirf March 18, 2013 at 12:12 am

  hey a Mets prospect on Team PR!
  • oleosmirf March 18, 2013 at 12:16 am

    and he might have just potentially cost them the game!
    • Just-Da-Damaja March 18, 2013 at 12:56 am

      which one was this ?
      • oleosmirf March 18, 2013 at 8:41 am

        Randy Fontanez (the RP who gave up their only run)
        • Hitman March 18, 2013 at 12:43 pm

          You know what other former Met prospect was on Team PR & got them out of a jam? Jose De La Torre.

          If you don’t remember him, it’s because he was slept on while he was here. I wish he would’ve gotten a shot while he was here, especially when we need relief help from any way we could get it.
• Joey D. March 18, 2013 at 12:26 am

  Hi Guys,

  Look at our 25 man roster and possible opening day roster as projected by Joe or the one by Random Guy without the injured players. We have those holes in the outfield and what appears as a potentially young and good starting rotation also appears that it is going to have to work with most likely less than desired run support.

  Now, when the Beltran trade was made, it was reported:

  “Alderson indicated he preferred one top-notch prospect from the Giants over offers from other organizations of lesser three-prospect packages. “We were looking for big upside,” the GM said. “We could have gotten a package of three players from a number of clubs.”

  Sandy was praised for being so pragmatic and getting such a highly ranked pitching prospect in Wheeler. But when evaluating our farm system at the time, it seems our projected strength was in pitching and our weakness with outfielders who could hit, let alone hit for power. This is indeed representative of our strengths and weaknesses not just today but in the long term as well.

  Looking at what we had and where we were heading to (with Pagan going after the season and Duda known for his extremely poor fielding, from a strategic re-building point, does it seem wise to have looked for one “top-notch” prospect no matter what position he played instead of a package of two or three others as Sandy had as well? Would it be better to get more in quantity with a little less in potential quality than one with the potential quality of Wheeler, considering at the time that our minor league system did include Harvey, Familia, McHugh and others arms and that we already had Niese and Gee along with the old only in age R.A.?

  Should we have been looking for the best player available or focused more on the best hitting prospect, even if it meant not one in the top echelon of prospects like Zack. Or a package deal. We saw how Oakland was criticized by it’s local media for trading Gonzalez for a package of prospects and saw how that helped the A’s. Now granted, we were not going to get a package like Beane got from the Nationals but still, if the Mets were scouting every possible prospect available, were not there others that addressed our future needs more than adding to the what seems to be our strong point?

  This of course is all hypothetical. We do not know what prospects other teams were offering for a rental in Beltran (unless they were hoping to re-sign him themselves). But in terms of methodology – and methodology only – was looking simply for the best player around better than looking for the best player (or players) around that could build up what our minor league system lacked?

  Again, look at our problems for now and the future and does Wheeler help resolve those that are facing us?

  Just a question and, of course, as with Wheeler, nobody could guarantee the success of any prospect so even with pitching being our potential strength in the farm system, there was no guarantee that our starting pitching would have fallen into place, hence, the importance of not following of with Zack as well. Have to mention that in fairness to Sandy since he was intent of having his organization get rid of Beltran .

  So it’s not a question of should he have traded him as it is for whom. When answering the question, let’s consider that there was one – or even two – minor league outfielders who were weren’t ranked as highly as Wheeler but rated well enough to stand on their own as potential major league hitters.

  http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/mets/post/_/id/30669/gm-alderson-explains-trade
  • van March 18, 2013 at 12:34 am

    If the choice is 1 wheeler of 3 lagares/puello types, then yes, take the top guy. You can always find 2nd/3rd tier players (cowgill/Brown) when you need them, so no need to spend a valuable trade chip on more of the same.
  • vigouge March 18, 2013 at 12:40 am

    I’d rather have one elite prospect. With Beltran the team didn’t have a lot of barganing power, they’re were only a few teams who needed a corner outfielder, would part with prospects, and didn’t care about not getting a draft pick through arbitration at the end of the year. I also don’t mind the prospect being a pitcher. Pitching is ridiculously expensive with mid rotation starters getting 15 million a year. With the attrition rate of pitching prospects being so high raising the chances of getting someone who may slot into the front of the rotation in two or three years is fantastic. Plus when all is said and done and you still have a surplus and are ready to make your move, then you can use your depth to patch holes.

    In general I would always want the deal with the best prospect possible. Look at the Dickey trade, we got Toronto’s best prospect, another very good prospect, and another dark horse prospect with high upside. Sure there was probably a deal to be had in Texas for Olt and a handful of mid level prospects but the Toronto deal was better.
    • Joey D. March 18, 2013 at 10:50 am

      Hi Van and Vigouge,

      Well, I wasn’t thinking of terms of Cogwell-type players, either. Not Harper or Trout but not Cogwell, either. Let us say one or two in-between.

      But the point is well taken about d’Arnaud which is kind of my point – we needed better catching is this is what the Mets got for R.A.

      Though it is true that no team ever has enough pitching, pragmatically that didn’t seem to be our big problem as far as our stock of prospects for future building at the time Beltran was traded. My own feeling is that Zack, just like are other starters, is going to be a victim of not enough run support and with that projected pitching depth that we had gong for us, an outfielder would have been our better focus.

      But I was talking in term of approach – If it wound up that it would be two of Cowgill-type quantity, then of course, go with Zack – no questions asked. So I’m thinking not in terms of the result but in terms of the thought process.

      On an off-shoot of that, it was obvious from Sandy’s comments that it wasn’t a matter of wanting to get prospects as it was wanting to dump Beltran. As it was reported by ESPN:

      “The GM said had a prospect the caliber of Wheeler not been available, the Mets may have looked for salary relief instead. The Mets are paying $4 million of the remaining $6.4 million. “We strategically might have gone the other direction,” he said. ”

      It was then reported that Sandy had said:

      “Alderson said the Francisco Rodriguez and Beltran deals combined to save about $5 million, which he hopes to reinvest rather than have ownership pocket”.

      …. since we know the Mets would have looked for salary relief and that the money we did save via Beltran and KRod was not used to re-invest but did indeed go into the owner’s pocket, I think that answers the question of the motivation behind the trade. It’s not like with Hairston who Sandy said the year later that if he couldn’t get the prospects he wanted he was going to keep Hairston so the team could still remain competitive rather than seeking out “salary relief instead”. The fact that we would only have saved about $363,000 might have been more of the reason why Scott stayed and Carlos didn’t.
      • vigouge March 18, 2013 at 6:03 pm

        I think approach needs to be situational. Since trading players for top prospects is relatively rare (how many times do teams do it in a year?), and since the market for trades is dependent on which teams want the player then you need to be flexible. While I would always want the best single prospect there are definitely situations where I may want a teams 2,4, 11.

        For example take the Dickey trade this winter. If all reports are accurate then there were 3 treams with some type of interest in Dickey, the Jay’s, the Royals, and the Rangers. The best prospect for each of those three clubs were D’arnaud, Myers, and Profar respectively. Let’s assume that each team was willing to trade their top prospect, of the three Profar is the best followed closely by the other two. I wouldn’t want Profar and would go for Myers since OF is a position of weakness for the Mets.

        Now lets assume there is only one team and they’re offering a package of either their top prospect who plays a position at which the Mets already are strong in (corner if, SP) or 3 B prospects 2 of which play a position which is a weakness. In that case I might take the second package.

        I’d be interested in what you’d do.
        • Joey D. March 18, 2013 at 8:11 pm

          Hi vigouge,

          As far as d’Arnaud, if I was to trade R.A. (and the picture of him wearing that Toronto Uniform is still too hard for me to see) I would have done exactly what Sandy’s people did.

          Like many, I was also disappointed in Josh’s performance this year. Was rooting very hard for him to improve in his game for though not a power hitter, as a catcher he did carry his weight with the bat his prior two seasons. However, that was probably what kept him in the lineup as well for we experienced too many passed balls and an inability to block pitches in the dirt that were scored wild pitches. And unfortunately, after his concussion he was very timid with covering home plate.

          I hope that does not become the case with Travis as the Mets talked about because with our lack of hitting, allowing a runner on a close play to score so to avoid injury is asking for trouble – not to mention that also extends an inning by giving the opposition another out to work with and thus could result in even more runs. And by announcing the Mets wanted Travis to be cautious, third base coaches are going to become more aggressive as they get to third…, sorry, got off track there.

          Again, as far as Zack, it would again have to depend upon who else we could have gotten. If it was just a bunch of Cowgills, no, even if three or so. But if it was as I said, a nicely rated outfielder, even one-up, then I might have gone for it. I would not have made a final decision just going for the best prospect offered instead of maybe two others or one nicely rated one that would have been directed toward our needs. Who knows, it wasn’t specified what the other offers were but it would be interesting to see.

          Also, there is one thing in the back of my mind – though Sandy is said to be pragmatic, would the fact that Wheeler was a top draft be better in terms of public relations and making more splash in the media? We know that’s a concern with the ones that Sandy works for…. Just a thought. But the actions of this front office does make me suspicious of their motivations as so many of us have pointed out.
          • Captain Capicu March 19, 2013 at 6:10 pm

            LOL

            Remember Gary Brown…the cant miss prospect that the Giants refused to part with….he dropped from #38 to #100 on the top 100 list…

            how about Dominic Brown…Phillies refused to let him go b/c he was their cant miss prospect…

            as much as the Sandy crowd wants it to be true…more than likely Wheeler and Travis turn out to be serviceable players…not HOF players….not even All-Stars….

            and its highly unlikely that Nimmo, Cecchini or Evans ever see MLB time….

            the fact that Omar got MLB production while be ing handcuffed in the draft or IFA arena is simply amazing

            
• Lareplus March 18, 2013 at 12:35 am

  I think Buck, Davis, Murphy, Tejada, Wright, Valdespin, Cowgill and Duda are the best we can expect this year and maybe things will be better than worse.

  I think that by the end of the year we will see one of the top pitching staffs in the major leagues.

  Next year, hopefully we will have a solid outfield with Valdespin, Den Decker, and a premium player to be named later. That plus D’Arnaud and we are good, in my opinion. . .if MDD hits well enough. I think Valdespin is going to be a keeper. I think Murphy will be good enough at second, this year will tell.
• Heybatter March 18, 2013 at 12:38 am

  The largest roller coaster in the world won’t hold a candle to the ride the 2013 Mets will provide. Anything can happen, but lets hope against hope the ups are longer than the downs.
• Mr North Jersey March 18, 2013 at 12:47 am

  Off Topic:

  Puerto Rico pulls the upset and makes it to the Championship. WEEEPPPAAAA!!!

  D.R. needs to win so we can keep it in the Caribbean. Vamos Dominicanos!
  • Just-Da-Damaja March 18, 2013 at 12:55 am

    Brugal vs Bacardi
  • Joe D March 18, 2013 at 1:24 am

    Pagan could win a World Series ring and WBC title.
    • metsaddict77 March 18, 2013 at 8:58 am

      that is one pathetic looking lineup.it’s gonna be a long long season.
    • Alex68 March 18, 2013 at 12:47 pm

      I am sure Jose Reyes and the DOMINICAN TEAM will have a something to say about that And to think. just about a week ago, hell not even, 4 days ago the talk of the town was Captain America, USA, how PR couldn’t beat USA and now,Team PR is one game away from being crown WBC champs… I hope we win tonight, PR vs DR for the WBC crown…. One thing i’ll def bet, they’re be a lot of dancing, singing and noises of all kind in the stands if they meet.
      • Captain Capicu March 19, 2013 at 6:01 pm

        tonight…I can imagine the nausea from the Rocky Balbo crowd…
    • Just-Da-Damaja March 18, 2013 at 12:53 pm

      …and yet still some met fans will insist the team is better off w/o him !

      lmao
      • Alex68 March 18, 2013 at 12:57 pm

        Damaja, we didn’t win anything with him so… Good riddance.. Ohh, and that same logic doesn’t apply to DW, he’s awesome and he’s Captain America so….
        • Just-Da-Damaja March 18, 2013 at 1:13 pm

          Pagan was a moody cancer and a negative influence on Brad Eamus.

          Rumor has it that Pagan is the reason Brad is still in AAA, he is still shaking off Pagan’s negative moody cancerous dirty looks !!!
  • Hitman March 18, 2013 at 12:43 pm

    Jersey, does it matter? We got this.
    • Hitman March 18, 2013 at 12:44 pm

      On a side note: hey Xtreem! Did you see the game last night? Who came through for PR last night other than my boy ALEX RIOS!!!
      • Alex68 March 18, 2013 at 12:48 pm

        Didn’t you say PR couldn’t beat USA the other night???? Some fan…. SMH
        • Just-Da-Damaja March 18, 2013 at 12:57 pm

          On the real…I was HOPING PR would beat USA…but if I was a betting man, I would’ve said USA would’ve won…

          no way anyone could see Nelson Figueroa holding an All-Star lineup to 2 hits in 6 innings….

          really thinking about it…the PR pitching staff held DR to a few runs twice, USA to 3 runs, and Japan to 1 run…

          all with journeyman…

          which in my opinion…goes to show how important a CATCHER is…

          Yadi Molina is hands down the best overall catcher in baseball right now…and the next Pudge…who was the best overall catcher of our generation.

          Overall = game-calling, defense, throwing runners out, baserunning, and hitting
        • Alex68 March 18, 2013 at 1:00 pm

          Yadi Molina is hands down the best overall catcher in baseball right now…and the next Pudge…who was the best overall catcher of our generation.

          THIS^^^^^^^^^

          Overall = game-calling, defense, throwing runners out, baserunning, and hitting

          AND THAT^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
        • Hitman March 18, 2013 at 1:13 pm

          “Didn’t you say PR couldn’t beat USA the other night????”

          When did I say that? Don’t even start with me about my fanhood, especially with you.
          • Alex68 March 18, 2013 at 1:19 pm

            Hitman March 15, 2013 at 11:47 am .

            Figueroa is starting for PR? Excuse me while I go throw up.
            • Hitman March 18, 2013 at 1:36 pm

              Yeah, and? Where’s the exact part that I said that “PR couldnt beat the US” like you accused me of saying? Funny coming from the guy who’s tried to downplay Wright’s performance against the “nobodies” he faced.
  • Alex68 March 18, 2013 at 12:49 pm

    Dmaja, lol, i got one better:

    Arroz con guandule vs Arroz con habichuela… Either way noone loses….
    • Just-Da-Damaja March 18, 2013 at 12:52 pm

      Mofongo vs Mangu ?
    • Just-Da-Damaja March 18, 2013 at 12:52 pm

      Platanos vs Pasteles ?
    • Alex68 March 18, 2013 at 12:56 pm

      Lol, Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii Bachata versus Salsa? Bachata versus Regueton?
      • Just-Da-Damaja March 18, 2013 at 1:11 pm

        Palo vs Bomba !

        cuz too many countries can claim salsa now… ( venenzuela, colombia, panama, cuba all are salsa addicted )

        when i went to DR, they played more salsa in Santo Domingo than they did in San Juan ( no lie )

        and on the flip side, they played more bachata in PR than they do in Santo Domingo
        • Alex68 March 18, 2013 at 1:22 pm

          Damaja, Totally 100% correct. When i was growing up all we listen to was either salsa or merengue ripia as we called it. from la fania with pete rodriguez to pacheco, to lavoe all i listen to growing up was salsa, so imagine, now in PR all you listen to is bachata and in DR is salsa, either way, we love music and enjoy as it’s seem in this WBC. For those hating on the ever fun loving fans of DR and PR i have 2 words for ya…………………
          • Captain Capicu March 19, 2013 at 5:40 pm

            2 Words = No Joda

            lmao
      • Mr North Jersey March 18, 2013 at 1:22 pm

        No no no pero no con la musica no. No metas mi Merengue y Salsa o Bachata y Reggaeton en esto.
        • Alex68 March 18, 2013 at 1:31 pm

          jajajaja, ok jersey norte, no voy a hablar de musica entonces… me saludas a saltygary en el desierto cuando lo veas. Preguntale que como esta disfruntando sus vacaciones alla
• Jim March 22, 2013 at 12:01 pm

  I’m thinking about getting milb.tv to watch Las Vegas for the first month or 2. Can anyone give me a guess at what the lineup may look like so I can decide? Thanks.
• metfan lou March 22, 2013 at 3:02 pm

  “Hey Skip, we’re two weeks into the season and I haven’t had one at bat or got into any games. I think I want to be sent down so I can play.” “Son, don’t worry our next series is with the Mets and you’ll be our starting left fielder and batting clean-up.” “Thanks for nothing Skip.”
• Lielongmetsfan March 22, 2013 at 3:14 pm

  2B- Valdespin
  SS- Tejada
  1b-Davis
  Lf- Duda
  Rf-Cowgill
  3b- Turner
  C- Buck
  Cf- Van Deker
  P

  If we insist on keep Marlon Byrd he’s a bench/clubhouse guy NOT a starting player!
  We on earth would we be investing playing time and $$ into a career bench player rather than Van Deker? I know the arguments,”Van Deker needs to hit at AAA before…” That’s BS Van Deker will NEVER be Andy Van Slyke but he certainly can be better than Duda, Cowgill and Marlon Bryd! Makes Me crazy!!!
• Carlos March 22, 2013 at 8:19 pm

  Yes, this team may not win 50 games. Only the ’62 Mets record of 40 wins is safe.
  • Joey D. March 22, 2013 at 9:21 pm

    Hi Carlos,

    When it seemed Detroit might have a shot of breaking our record for futility, I was rooting so very hard for them to win so not to do so. Certain records need to be associated with just one source. Take that away from the 1962 Mets and one takes away some of the mystic that surrounds them.

    Same if the 2013 team only won 39 games. It would be seen as just another bit of history, not a history all of it’s own.
• DrDooby March 23, 2013 at 3:47 am

  I am still a bit puzzled by the “doom & gloom ” projections.
  Is this team a playoff contender ?
  No. This is a transition year of gradual development.

  But is this team going to lose 95 games as some to to be convinced it will ?
  No – unless David Wright, Jon Niese and Matt Harvey spend most of the season on the DL.

  Matt Harvey has replaced RA Dickey in the rotation. As much as I like Harvey, probably a shortterm dowgrade, albeit maybe not that big. Shawn Marcum has replaced Chris Young. That should be a wash or a marginal upgrade – with Zack Wheeler as a potential mid-season replacement at AAA. The rest remains unchanged – the Hefner & Santana combo being the most difficult one to project.

  The bullpen is a lot deeper and should be better than the terrible 2012 version. Especially thanks to the depth.

  The Infield returns and – collectively – should be able to perform at a similar level.
  The C combo certainly can´t be worse than in 2012 but probably isn´t significantly better either – at least until d´Arnaud is ´ready to come up.
  The outfield looks like one of the worst in Baseball on paper. However, it already was one of the worst in 2012, so barring breakouts from Duda, Cowgill or Valdespin – which aren´t totally impossible – what used to be bad, remains bad.

  Overall, the Mets still look like a 75-win sort of team on paper – albeit with youth on their side and thus a higher likelihood for unexpected improving than unexpected regression. That actually makes 80 wins more likely than 70 wins.
  • Joey D. March 23, 2013 at 11:24 am

    Hi DrD,

    The reasons for not seeing this is as transitional year for gradual development is because no further steps have been taken to aid in that development. It cannot be just kids coming up from the minors – there are too many holes to expect prospects to fill and – to then simply wait further till there are. Gradual development, without the necessary additional ingredients, becomes perpetual development.

    Before the injuries (which will work themselves out) our infield was set, we had taken steps to resolve the catching problem by trading the Cy Young award winner for Buck and d’Arnaud. We have that young starting rotation. What we don’t have is an outfield – or, more precisely, what we did once have was an outfield – until it was dismantled. Duda/Hairston in left, Pagan in center would have raised the ante for us with the assets we already have going for us. Beltran? Well, the absence of his bat hurts the team more than the possible emergence of Wheeler – especially with the other good potential arms we seem to have amassed in our minor league system. And, thus the Mets would only have one outfield problem to consider because Duda could still be platooned with any of those other young but fourth outfielders we have now – it would be finding a replacement for an aging Beltran.

    But our outfield problem exists because the Mets would not (or could not) spend the money on even a Hairston (no team guarantees in writing that he will have the chance to play every day, just a promise) and trade away Pagan to avoid arbitration and then having to deal with him as a free agent. Same with the departure of Beltran (if not prospects, then monetary consideration)

    These players, who combined with our youthful pitching , as we know, were not kept not due to any visionary plan but because they were going to cost money. And to think the Mets were NOW serious about spending top dollar to improve their outfield is denial of the trump card they were holding to get off the hook – that CBA agreement.

    And to improve our bullpen, look at all the minor league contracts with an invitation to spring training as the steps they took to resolve it.

    This is not a team in a transition year looking to gradually develop – it is a franchise that is just trying to hang on due to the fiscal cliff they suddenly found themselves in. The steps they are taking are not those taken by other clubs to get themselves out of the below .500 club. Those franchises looked for within the organization while at the same time acquiring those from the outside deemed to be able to contribute as the young players were sewing their oats in the big leagues. The transition from bad to good was not as gradual as we see here. Nor was our situation as drastic as those for others (San Francisco, Washington, Detroit, Cincinnati) that necessitated such turn-over in order to “re-build”.

    With SNY, the Wilpons (via Sterling Equities) are hoping they can absorb the fiscal losses and have the liquidity to pay back those loans – if they downsize the entire Met organization as the are now and spend as little as possible (as we saw with last summer’s amateur draft). It’s a business decision. They can’t even sell the team for what it is really worth because the debt and fiscal losses have driven it’s value down – and I think from reading in Forbes and other financial journals, the are only one of two teams to have their value decrease the past two years….. and those decreases in fiscal value have nothing to do with wins and losses on the field. And for that to happen in the biggest baseball market in the country – well, that is why the question is what is our development plan – gradual or perpetual?
• Marco March 23, 2013 at 12:38 pm

  Let’s be honest. Compared to the rosters of other division teams, this is at best another fourth place finish.