The regular season is over for all three upper minors teams. That means no more baseball for the Bisons and B-Mets, and a best-of-three divisional series for the St. Lucie team. Let’s take a look at who finished up the season strong, and who didn’t.

Who’s Hot!!!

• Wilfredo Tovar 2B, Binghamton- Tovar had a strong first half with St. Lucie, but had a tough time adjusting in Double-A Binghamton. However, he was able to finish the season very strong. He hit .417 over his last ten games, driving in six runs and hitting four extra-base hits.
• Dustin Martin OF, Binghamton- Martin is heating up once again with Binghamton. He is hitting .359 over his last ten games to go along with three home runs and six RBI. He has a total of seven extra-base hits over that span.
• Wilmer Flores INF, Binghamton- Flores finished up the season very strong, hitting .359 over his last ten games and hitting .377 over the month of August. He hit five home runs last month, driving in 13 runs.

Honorable Mention: Logan Verrett SP, St. Lucie- Verrett has put together a dominant string of starts since being called up to St. Lucie from Savannah. In six starts in the FSL, he has a 2.09 ERA in 38.2 innings pitches. He has also struck out 26 batters and walked only four over that span.

Who’s Not!!!

•  Brad Emaus 2B, Buffalo- Brad Emaus struggled in Buffalo this season, hitting just .212 in 73 games. However, he finished up the season with a really tough stretch. Over his final ten games, he hit just .156 with a .229 on-base percentage and .219 slugging.
• Adam Loewen OF, Buffalo- Loewen is another guy who has struggled in less than half a season with the Bisons. Loewen is hitting .227 on the season with Buffalo, including a .148 average in his last ten games. He drove in just one run over that span and also struck out in nine of his 27 at-bats.
• Daniel Muno SS, St. Lucie- Muno caught fire after returning from a PED suspension earlier this season, but has struggled recently. He ended the season with a ten-game in which he .167. The good news for Muno is he drew ten walks during that span, making his on-base percentage .395.

The combination of Sandy Alderson and Terry Collins is attempting to light a fire under their players. Part of the way they’re going about this is by letting players know that if they don’t show up, they’ll be sent out.

The first instance occurred with Blaine Boyer.

Boyer pitched his way onto the Mets roster in spring training and looked to be a good find. His sinker was working great, which caused him to get a lot of ground balls. Such would be extremely valuable late in games if the Mets were in dire need of a double play.

Boyer pitched so well that the Mets asked fan-favorite Jason Isringhausen to go to extended spring training. Izzy did have injury concerns, which also aided in this decision.

However, things didn’t work out so well for Boyer. He appeared in five games and went 0-2 with a 10.80 ERA. He gave up eight earned in just 6.2 innings—not exactly what you look for out of a reliever.

Rather than ride out Boyer’s hot start in spring training, the Mets cut ties with Boyer in favor of Izzy. Boyer opted for free agency rather than accepting a minor league assignment.

In the most recent example, the Mets sent Brad Emaus back to the minors and called up the rightful owner of Emaus’ roster spot: Justin Turner.

After winning the second base competition basically by default, Emaus couldn’t handle major league pitching. He hit just .162 with one RBI in 37 at-bats, and his fielding wasn’t what it was hyped to be.

Maybe Emaus can turn himself into a Major League player, but it won’t be with the Mets.

Earlier last week, Terry Collins announced that he would give Emaus a set number of at-bats in which to evaluate him. Well, that number turned out to be just seven at-bats; Emaus was 0-for-7.

Daniel Murphy has hit well and surprisingly fielded well, turning in some highlight-reel plays. He and Turner will form the new second base tandem.

The moves of Boyer and Emaus show that the Mets will have a short leash this year. Since they don’t have the personnel or depth of the Philadelphia Phillies or Atlanta Braves, the Mets will need significant contributions for every member on their roster if they expect to compete.

One or two slip ups is all it takes for a fringe team—which the Mets are—to fall way out of contention.

You may be thinking that the Mets aren’t even good enough to be a fringe team. In my opinion, every team right now is a fringe team at least early on in the season.

The teams that got off to fast starts can fade, and the teams that started slow can get hot. That’s the great thing about baseball. That’s the reason they play all the games.

This homestand will prove if the Mets are serious. They play the Houston Astros and Arizona Diamondbacks—two teams that aren’t exactly knocking on the door of a World Series title anytime soon. If the Mets can’t take at least 4-of-6 from these teams, then it may be time to consider panicking.

Even so, we’re still in April, so panic really shouldn’t set in until the summer.

I do have to say, it’s a positive sign that Alderson and Collins won’t tolerate mediocrity. Though the team may not have the strength to make a run this year, the fruits of a winning organization are slowly but surely being planted.

Follow me on Twitter @JMMancari.

The Mets, backed by overall sloppy play on both the pitching side of the ball, and the defensive side and lost both games in today’s back-to-back double header.

Game 1 – Rockies Win 6-5

R.A. Dickey started today, and didn’t have a very good outing today, allowing five runs on eight hits, walking four and striking out four. Dickey still seemed to be bothered by his nail, throwing 64 of his 110 pitches for strikes. Dickey gave up a home-run to Carlos Gonzalez The Mets defense didn’t really help Dickey, taking poor routes to balls and only providing 2 runs to work with up until the eighth inning. Bobby Parnell came out, and in two-thirds of an inning what would turnout to be the winning run, allowing a home run to Troy Tulowitzki. Bobby Parnell has now allowed 2 home runs in 5 innings. He allowed one all of last year – in 35 innings. Parnell still has options, and if any minor league candidates prove apt and able, Parnell maybe be honing his craft for the Bisons.

Byrdak & Igarashi cleaned up the last two innings, with Byrdak allowing a hit in his inning striking out one, and Igarashi walking one and striking out one. The one day the bullpen doesn’t “fail” and the starter does poorly, which is a shame. Still, the Mets cannot expect to send their bullpen out for 3 innings a game and stand a chance.

The offense today consisted of an Angel Pagan sacrifice fly and a Scott Hairston RBI single up until the eighth inning. Jose Reyes reinvigorated the Mets offense with his first home run of the season. In the ninth, Scott Hairston hit a two-run homer, bringing the Mets to within one. But, as it seems the Mets do, David Wright hit a fly-ball to deep right for the third out, with the bases loaded to end the game.

Turning Point

The seventh inning home runs. Taking any air out of the Mets sails.

Game Ball

Jose Reyes, for continued strong play. 2 for 4 with a home run, run scored, stolen base and walk.

Game 2 – Rockies Win 9-4

Game 2 was similar to game one, in that the starter would struggle, and the Mets would face an insurmountable lead as well as a major bullpen day all around.

Chris Capuano came out, and although he was not lights-out, he was effective for the first five innings, only allowing runs on an RBI fielders choice and a single up the middle. Capuano was exploited in the sixth inning though, allowing a home run to Troy Tulowitzki, giving him one for each game today. After the home run, Capuano missed getting out of the inning when Brad Emaus bobbled a tailor-made double play ball and only got the force out at second. If that was the case, the Mets would’ve left the inning up 4-3. Instead, the game was tied, then took the lead, then Taylor Buchholz gave up a home-run to light-hitting Johnathan Herrera. Capuano’s final line was seven runs on eight hits with two walks and five strikeouts in five and two-third innings. Bad luck today.

The bullpen got worked, as mentioned. Taylor Buccholz went one-third, giving up a run on one hit, a home run and allowing 2 inherited runners to score. Ryota Igarashi came out for the second time today, and gave up one hit and struck out one in his inning of work. Jason Isringhausen came out, and went a full inning allowing no hits and striking out two. Although it is too early to proclaim set up men, especially when we have no set-up situations, Izzy seems to be winning some points with his performance and his poise and maybe ushering himself into that position. K-Rod finished with mop up duty, allowing one run on three hits, striking out two.

By pitching K-Rod to “end a game”, it is allowing his option to come closer to vesting. Sigh.

The Mets offense came out with a bang, scoring in the second on a Mike Nickeas two-RBI double and in the fourth on a Jose Reyes two-RBI single. After that, tumbleweed and some walks, but no significant rallies.

Beltran & Davis – 0-7 with four strikeouts and a walk.

Turning Point

Brad Emaus flubbing the double play. It happens, but this just seems like it had to happen with the Mets recent luck.

Game Ball

Jose Reyes, again. 1 for 5 with 2 RBI. David Wright was of note as well, going 1 for 2 with two walks and a stolen base.

On Deck

The Mets will look to recover from this skid, going to Atlanta tomorrow to begin a series against the Braves. The Braves will be sending out Derek Lowe, and the Mets are believed to be sending D.J. Carrasco to the mound, unless someone is called up from the minors last minute for a spot-start for Chris Young. Game time is 7:10 P.M.

It is early, but the team is currently sitting in last place in the NL East. While the Mets won’t spend the year in the cellar, there are some issues that will certainly keep them from competition for a playoff spot.

Mike Pelfrey’s struggles are obviously the first and most salient of the team’s issues. Pelf’s first three starts can be characterized as nothing other than ugly. He has failed to deliver a quality start yet this season.

Some of Pelfrey’s struggles have been tied to the fact that he has been unlucky this season. He has a .348 BABIP, which is well above his .308 career average. In addition, his groundball rate is just 43.5%, well below his career average of 49.3%.

Pelfrey will undoubtedly right the ship, but the question is what type of pitcher will he be. He is not an ace, and he is not a number two. With a career strikeout rate of 5.10 K/9 and a walk rate of 3.34 BB/9 to go along with a 4.42 ERA, it is hard to even see Pelfrey as a number three. Pelfrey’s has a career 93 ERA+. This is below league average.

It may be time to realize that even though he has turned in a few good seasons, Pelfrey is nothing more than a number four starter. Since this may in fact be the case, the Mets need someone they can count on to act as an ace until Johan Santana returns.

The Mets bullpen also appears to be another area of concern. Because of the struggles of the rotation, they Mets bullpen has bullpen has been taxed and has one of the worst ERAs in the NL.

Part of this can be attributed to some of the same issues that Pelfrey is facing. They bullpen has a very high BABIP in addition to a low groundball rate. In addition to these issues, they have also been allowing a lot of walks.

Another pressing issue for the Mets appears to be second base. The team thought the problem had been solved when they picked up Brad Emaus in the Rule V Draft. However, it appears that is not the case.

Emaus has gotten off to a slow start to the season. He has just four hits in 28 plae appearances. He has walked three times but he has also struck out six.

Some of his issues may stem from the fact that this is his first exposure to Major League pitching. Regardless of the reason, Emaus seems to be a bit lost at the plate. We are not seeing the power that we have heard about. In addition, Emaus has been nothing more than decent defensively.

The solution here may be a simple one. The Mets have Daniel Murphy who it appears will become a platoon partner of Emaus. Murphy has already proven that he can handle hitting in the Majors. His defense at second base has appeared to improve greatly. He just may the answer to Mets issues at second base.

The final thing that is a bit worrisome about the Mets is the Jason Bay’s replacement in left field. Lucas Duda struggled mightily in his limited action and was already sent back down to the minors. Willie Harris has been on a tear to start the season.

This may not seem like a concern. However, Harris is just a career .240 hitter. His current BABIP of .438 is in no way sustainable. The question right now should be how long will Harris be able to keep up his current level of success. It likely won’t be much longer.

Left field will once again become an issue for the Mets once Harris cools down. If Jason Bay is out for an extended period of time, then Harris is not the answer for that. The Mets do have talented young players in the minors, and it may be time to give Fernando Martinez yet another shot at trying to prove he can be a Major League outfielder.

R.A. Dickey had ZERO control today, and that seemed to be a recurring theme for the Mets as they took a loss in their home opener to the Nationals, 6-2.

Game Notes

R.A. Dickey just couldn’t find it today. Dickey allowed three runs on six hits in five innings, walking five and striking out three. Dickey finished the game throwing 98 pitches, 53 for strikes but those numbers didn’t begin evening out until the 4th inning. He had thrown half his pitches for strikes up until that point. His knuckleball was not in control, as shown by him throwing a lot more fastballs then he usually does. He got lucky in multiple situations, stranding a fair amount of runners.

The bullpen continued the walkfest for the most part. D.J. Carrasco came out and went two innings, walking one and striking out one but allowing no hits. He has been a pleasant surprise for an inning-eating middle reliever. Tim Byrdak came out, and in one-third of an inning gave up two runs on one hit walking one and striking out one. The experiment using him as a crossover reliever doesn’t seem to be working too well. Bobby Parnell pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up one run on one hit, walking two and striking out one. Parnell was clearly overthrowing today. Blaine Boyer came out for the ninth, and gave up one hit.

The pitching today was awful, and got lucky on a few great defensive plays.

The bats today were pretty awful, stranding 14 runners. The Mets manage to get runners to third and second base with no outs, and could not convert. Ike Davis hit a sac-fly in the second, and Lucas Duda had a pinch-hit RBI double. Only Josh Thole (2 for 3, one run and one walk) had more then one hit.

Ike Davis – 0 for 3 with one RBI and two K’s. Both strikeouts were called third strikes, with one clearly being a ball on a 3-2 count.

David Wright – 1 for 4 with a rocket double and some good defense.

Scott Hairston/Willie Harris – 0 for 4 combined with two strikeouts, including a big strikeout by Hairston with a man on third.

The offense is struggling, and the only positives are watching Brad Emaus surprise with both his defense and his plate discipline and Josh Thole continuing to show strong plate discipline.

Turning Point

The unraveling relievers in the eighth inning, taking it from a one-run game to a four-run game.

Game Ball

Angel Pagan for a great catch that lead to a double-play in the ninth. Too little too late but great defense

On Deck

The Mets will hope to rebound from this three-game losing streak, sending out new Mets lefty Chris Capuano to face-off against Nationals lefty Tom Gorzelanny. Game time is 7:10 P.M.

Chris Young, in his Mets debut pitched a great first game, going five and one-third innings, giving up one run on five hits with four walks and seven strikeouts and the offense exploded in the third inning, chasing Cole Hamels in their 7-1 victory.

Game Notes

Chris Young looked pretty good in his first outing for the Mets. He allowed five hits, but didn’t start allowing hits and runs until after the 4th inning. Young had some control issues, but as they like to say was wildly effective. Despite the lack of speed difference in his pitches, Young kept hitters off balance. If this was just a sign of things to come, this could be a great season for Chris Young. He split even with ground balls and fly balls 5 to 5.

The bullpen came out and got in some solid work today. D.J. Carrasco came out and allowed one hit in one and two-third innings, striking out one. Tim Byrdak came out, and did exactly what he was expected to, striking out Ryan Howard and allowing zero hits in his inning of work. Bobby Parnell finished up the game allowing one hit, a ground ball just out of the reach of Chin-lung Hu. The pitching was spectacular today.

The offense today came alive for one inning, and thats all that was really needed. RBI hits by David Wright, Ike Davis, Brad Emaus and Chris Young in addition to Angel Pagan scoring on a wild pitch . All of this damage chased Phillies starter Cole Hamels out of the game, only allowing him to pitch two and two-third innings. The Mets tacked on a run for insurance on a Scott Hairston RBI single, scoring David Wright. The Mets stole three bases (Reyes, Pagan, Wright) and drew four walks (Pagan, Beltran, Hairston, Davis). Despite no massive offensive contributions, the Mets capitalized when they had runners in scoring position.

13 overall hits for the Mets, pretty good day.

David Wright, 4-5 with 2 RBI, 2 Runs, a stolen base and a strikeout.

Angel Pagan, 0-3, hitting .143 but has a 4:1 BB:K ratio and picked up his second SB of the season.

Brad Emaus, 1-4 with his first MLB RBI. Welcome to the big show Brad.

Mike Nickeas – 0 for 5 with two strikeouts. Where are you, Ronny Paulino?

Turning Point

The top of the third inning and the Mets hitting with RISP.

Game Ball

Split between David Wright and Chris Young. David Wright had a phenomenal offensive game, as did Chris Young. Mr. Young was 3 for 3 with an RBI and a run. He also pitched a pretty good game.

On Deck

The Mets will look to guarantee a winning series tomorrow, sending Mike Pelfrey to face-off against Joe Blanton of the Phillies. Game time is 7:10 pm

In a further look into the foundations of success, after a team has found a manager, which I wrote about yesterday, that knows the game, can pull the correct strings and can really make things happen with both his direction and his decisions, he then needs to rely in his players. Those players consist of the offensive players, who for the sake of this article we’ll call hitters, his pitching (both bullpen and rotation) and his offensive bench. In this part of the foundations of success, I will analyze the hitters. The hitters will encompass both aspects of the field, just for the sake of fairness.

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The best pitchers in baseball still rely on their offense to score runs and play good defense, especially when up against pitchers who are of the same caliber. No matter how many strikeouts a pitcher gets, K’s don’t put runs on the board, and someone has to catch those strikeouts. As short-sighted as it is to call them hitters, in the simplification of baseball, they are the other side of the equation. A group of quality hitters who can also defend is an essential foundation towards playing consistently good baseball.

The Mets may not have the greatest group of hitters, but they are assembling a good group of hitters who operate well within the fundamentals. They play hard, within their means and with the team in mind. As people, they are great influences for children, caring and intelligent individuals. As much as that is an intangible, it can still be factored into the overall play. This, is what can separate a good team for years from a flash-in-the-pan.

The Mets, even in this early season have 12 walks to 19 strikeouts. Angel Pagan has 3 walks to 0 strikeouts. The hitters are drawing counts, trying to see more pitches and aiming to wear pitchers down. Although the batting average doesn’t reflect it, based on past performance, the team is comprised of starters who hit over .270. Brad Emaus, was a Rule 5 draft pick who remained on the MLB roster and was named the starting second baseman because he has the potential to be a good hitter who will work counts. Josh Thole, who may never be confused for a home run champion or Gold Glove catcher, but he has shown he will be patient, work counts and isn’t going to swing from the heels. Ike Davis, despite his growing pains and 138 strikeouts, also walked 72 times last year. That put Ike in first place on the team in walks, ahead of David Wright, who had roughly 60 more at-bats. As the wise-man said, patience is a virtue.

These Mets don’t only hit and draw some walks. Anyone from 1-7 is capable of hitting a home run, whether it be with their legs after sending a ball into right center or in the air after squaring up a fat pitch. The Mets have the chance this year to possibly have 3 players hit 30 home runs in a year, and a shot at having 4 hit 20 or more. These Mets can run the bases, taking the extra base, stealing bases to open up situations and playing the hit and run. All the aspects of baseball that are overlooked, these Mets seem invigorated to play.

When it comes to fielding, effort is the name of the game. Whether its an infielder throwing himself to the ground to try and stop a ground ball, even if he misses it, it is effort. Ike Davis has all of the makings of a long line of Gold Gloves, with his penchant for highlight plays and his steady defense at first base. The John Olerud comparisons seem to be looking not too off – Ike can pick it at first. David Wright and Jose Reyes make a strong left side of the infield, with Wright having won 2 Gold Gloves. Hopefully Wright can recover that same skill that won him those awards. The outfield is strong, with Jason Bay (at some point), Angel Pagan and Carlos Beltran patrolling the vastness known as Citi Field. The effort is even shown on defense by the fill ins, with Lucas Duda, all 6’4″, 230 of himself throwing himself to the grass in Florida on Sunday – and he isn’t even considered a good defender, and he made a play some right fielders fail to make 9 out of 10 times. The effort is there both on the bat side, and the glove side.

So now the ideologies of the manager have allowed the players to go out their and play with fire, and push their bodies to the limit, executing a plan as a team. If hard-nosed, grinding players aren’t a good foundation for success, then what else could be?

Check in tomorrow, when the third article in this series is spoken about.

This weekend, I ventured down to Port St. Lucie to catch two late-March Spring Training games. It’s been a routine trip I make each year, typically toward the end of March, that way I can catch as close to the Opening Day lineup as possible.

The Mets beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 16-3, Thursday, March 24, behind home runs from Angel Pagan, Matt den Dekker, David Wright, Brad Emaus and Josh Thole.

Thole blasted a shot to right field and over the fence at Digital Domain Park — and yes, it probably would have been gone at Citi Field, too.

Then, on Saturday, March 26, I saw the Mets beat the Atlanta Braves, 8-2, behind a solid start from Mike Pelfrey (5 2/3 innings, two earned runs, seven hits and finishing with a 5.63 ERA this spring). Also, Brad Emaus doubled and scored a run.

Throughout the spring, I’ve heard Emaus’ playing style compared to Dan Uggla. Essentially, that means he’s more offensive-minded and an average defensive player. Basically, from what I saw this weekend, I don’t see why the 25-year-old Emaus won’t get the nod to start the season at second base. Sure, anything can happen over the course of the season, but I think the best bet for the team is to have Emaus at second and let Daniel Murphy play that “super utility” role.

And I know it’s only Spring Training, but it was pretty cool to see the Mets win two games while I was down there watching. That all plays in to the mentality I have as the season is about to begin: There’s no pressure for the Mets. Most — if not all — of the pressure is on the Phillies. If the Mets can play, and, as David Wright says, have “swagger,” perhaps they can surprise some people.

Only time will tell, though, right?

In the meantime, who do you think the starting second baseman should be?

Luis Castillo- .235/.337/.267, 0 HR, 17 RBI, 6.7 UZR/150, 0. 6 WAR, $6 million, 35 years old

Daniel Murphy- .266/.313/.427, 12 HR, 63 RBI, 1.0 WAR, $400K, 26 years old

Brad Emaus- .290/.397/.476, 15 HR, 75 RBI (between AA and AAA), $400K, 25 years old

The Underdog:

Justin Turner- .316/.374/.487, 12 HR, 43 RBI (at AAA), $400K, 26 years old

The Long Shots:

Ruben Tejada- .213/.305/.282, 1 HR, 15 RBI, 1.2 UZR/150, -0.4 WAR, $400K, 21 years old

Chin-lung Hu- .317/.339/.436, 4 HR, 37 RBI (at AAA), $400K, 27 years old

Normally, a team will have two or three players competing for a position in Spring Training. The Mets, who have had a hole at second base for the past few years, will have as many as six different players competing for the second base job. Each player has his strengths and weaknesses and will have a chance to win the job.

Luis Castillo has been the Mets starting second baseman since the middle of the 2007 season. Castillo has had knee problems and is no longer an elite defender. As a result of his injury issues, 2009 is the only year in which he played over 100 games with the Mets. Castillo did hit .302 that season, but has struggled offensively during the rest of his tenure. One reason that Castillo has stuck around is because of his contract although new GM Sandy Alderson has said that he is not afraid to cut players with money remaining on their deals.

Daniel Murphy exploded onto the scene as a 23 year old in 2008 hitting .313 in 131 at-bats. This was enough to win Murphy the first base job for 2009. Murphy was hurt entering 2010 and had to begin the season in the minors. His minor league season was cut short after he tore his MCL while playing second base. Murphy has a lot of potentially offensively and he is still young.

Brad Emaus is an unknown. The Mets claimed him in the Rule V Draft this offseason. Emaus played most of last season in Las Vegas with the Blue Jays’ Triple-A affiliate. It has been known that their home park does inflate offensive numbers. Emaus did not have an error in his 33 games played as a second baseman. His defensive abilities have been called in to question however.

Justin Turner impressed the management of the Mets organization with his ability to get on base and his power. Turner is a career .309 hitter in his minor league career. He has the ability to play multiple positions for the Mets which does help his chances of making the team.

Ruben Tejada was the third youngest player in the National League last season. He showed that even at age 20, he could hold his own defensively. Tejada is the best defensive player out of the group of candidates. However, the problem is that Tejada’s bat is not major league ready. Tejada struggled and looked overmatched at the plate. There has also been talk that Tejada may replace Reyes at short should he leave via free agency after the season.

Chin-lung Hu was acquired from the Dodgers this offseason for minor league pitcher Michael Antonini. Hu has had four stints in the majors with the Dodgers, and in his longest stint, he failed to prove himself, hitting just .181 in 116 at bats in 2008. It is not as if Hu has not shown the ability to produce offensively. He has a career .299 average in the minors. Hu has struggled a bit defensively at times. This is evident from his 109 errors in 712 games at second base in the minors.

If Daniel Murphy is able to show that he is healthy, he should be able to make the Mets major league roster out of Spring Training. In regards to whether or not he starts at second, it will depend on if he can show that he can handle the position defensively. That may only leave one more roster spot for a player listed above.

The competition will likely come down to Castillo, Emaus, and Turner. The one advantage Castillo has over the others is his large contract. Emaus is a Rule V Draft pick and if he is not on the major league roster, he would need to either be returned to the Blue Jays or the Mets would need to work out a trade for him. Turner is the only one in the group that has experience at shortstop. This is an advantage because he would be able to spell Jose Reyes.

For now, it appears that the advantage might go to Justin Turner because he can fill in at both middle infield positions. There is a decent chance that unless he has a strong Spring Training, Luis Castillo will be cut. Emaus’ chance at winning a roster spot might have more to do with Oliver Perez than anything else. If the Mets decide not to cut Perez they will carry 13 pitchers. If Sandy Alderson does decide that it is time to part ways with Oliver Perez, then an extra bench spot will be available. Emaus would likely be fighting with Nick Evans for that last spot.

I love when MLB analysts, bloggers and fans release their picks for a team’s projected lineup heading into the season.

In many cases, educated baseball fans arrive somewhere in the “ballpark” (no pun intended) of what the Opening Day lineup will look like.

Since Terry Collins has given everyone a preview of at least two-thirds of the order, there really is no guessing game associated with what the lineup will be this year.

As of now, the batting order should resemble the following:

1. Jose Reyes, SS

2. Angel Pagan, RF/CF

3. David Wright, 3B

4. Carlos Beltran, CF/RF

5. Jason Bay, LF

6. Ike Davis, 1B

From here, it looks like Josh Thole will do the bulk of the catching and will assume one of the final two spots in the order.

That, of course, leaves second base.

As I have begun reading other fans lineup predictions, many have already slated Brad Emaus into the starting second baseman’s role.

Granted, many have not, but still I feel I should be asking why so many fans have a pre-spring training love fest for Emaus.

I’ll start with the positives.

Emaus has put up solid numbers the last few seasons in Toronto’s minor league system. Last year, he hit .290 with 15 HR, 75 RBI, 32 2B and even 13 SB in 125 games between Double-A and Triple-A.

Ike Davis and Josh Thole are left-handed, so the right-handed hitting Emaus could split up the lefties and provide a little punch at the bottom of the order. As shown in this clip, Emaus has a fluid stroke with a Fred McGriff-like over the top finish.

Emaus also showed a great eye at the plate, drawing a walk in almost 15 percent of his at-bats.

Seems like a good fit, right?

Well, before we all start jumping on the Brad Emaus bandwagon like some fans have, let’s consider a few things.

Emaus plays adequate defense, at least according to scouting reports from the minors. Some reports claim his defense isn’t good enough to play second base and his offense is good enough to play third base.

Davis has shown some range at first base, so I’m not too worried about the second baseman’s defense, except of course in turning the double-play.

One main question pops into my mind when thinking about Emaus: Why would the Blue Jays leave this guy unprotected in the Rule-5 Draft?

Yes, I know, Aaron Hill is distinguishing himself as a premier second baseman in this league, but Emaus is only 24 and could have provided some insurance.

Other reports have claimed that Emaus sometimes does not give 100 percent on the field. This will be a year where every single Met on the 25-man roster will need to give 100 percent for the team to compete.

Finally, some fans have been writing off Daniel Murphy already as the starting second baseman. He may still be in the process of learning a new position, but there’s one thing certain about Murphy: No one ever questions his work ethic.

There were stories that he used to hit so much before games that he sometimes wore himself out. I’m not saying this is a good thing, but it shows the determination this guy has in getting better.

In the end, I believe both players will make roster and split time at second base. I’m not sold on a platoon just yet, but I could see each player getting ample time at the position.

I was concerned that so many fans were already penciling Emaus into the batting order before even seeing him take a swing in spring training.

I like these fans’ enthusiasm, but as has been the plan all along, several players will get the chance to duke it out at spring training.

Follow me on Twitter @JMMancari.