With Ike Davis all, but assured of a trip to Triple-A Las Vegas, the easy part is done. The difficult part will deciding on how to replace him, in body only, at first base.

On the current roster, we already discussed some of the options available and they range from moving Lucas Duda from left field to first base, moving Daniel Murphy over to first, or giving Justin Turner significant playing time at first as well.

None of those options sound very appealing and each one opens up a new set of problems. Instead, the solution should come from the minors.

The simpleton’s choice would be to turn to Zach Lutz. However, he has struggled of late after getting off to a torrid start and is now batting just .271/.354/.421 in 140 at-bats. Only 12 of his 38 hits were for extra-bases. Scarier still, is the 42 strikeouts. How well do you think those metrics will translate at Citi Field? Not very well I can assure you.

The smart money would be on Josh Satin. Already the starting first baseman for Las Vegas, he is having a very solid 2013 season, batting .299 with six home runs and 24 RBI. His on-base is at .410 and he boasts a .470 slugging percentage. What I love about Satin and why I feel he would be the ideal choice is this… In 164 at-bats he’s struck out just 37 times, but he has also drawn 30 walks. This is someone who is obviously ready for the next challenge.

Additionally, Satin has regularly played first base (198 games) while the position is still relatively new to Lutz who has logged just 42 games at first base in his entire pro career.

Back on May 1, I wrote the following about Josh Satin:

Satin has always been a great and disciplined hitter and one look at his career .397 on-base in six minor league seasons should have the suits in the front office with their tongues hanging out of their mouths, as would his .466 slugging percentage.

I don’t know about you, but I’m growing tired of watching Ike Davis suffocate this offense and have been calling for a reduced role for him since the season began. He’s not suddenly going to magically begin teeing off against lefty pitching as a few lingering fans still believe. That’s a wooden bat he has in his hands, not a magic wand.

Ike Davis is nothing more than the long end of a platoon player at best. I’ve said that before and continue to stand on that position.

Josh Satin deserves a chance to prove he belongs. He’s paid his dues and has nothing left to prove in the minors. Let’s get this done and right a wrong that has gone on for far too long. Let’s give this kid his well-deserved shot.

The worst thing that a team as bad as the Mets could do, is to keep trotting out the same undeserving and underperforming ballplayers while some hidden gems waste away at Triple-A when they should be here instead helping the team score runs.

Before that on April 17, in a post entitled, “Time To Promote Josh Satin and Platoon Ike Davis“, I said:

Satin has been hitting the ground running from the moment he signed his first professional contract and has posted an.865 OPS during his minor league career with the Mets, and has made the Minor League All Star Team as the starting third baseman, first baseman or second baseman every season since 2009. Wow…

I think it’s time to call this and tell it like it is… Ike Davis is nothing more than the long end of a platoon player at best.

Enter Josh Satin, who despite the gaudy stats I already posted, is even better against left-handed pitching. He torches southpaws unmercifully like a demon from Hell. Let’s get this done and right a wrong that has gone on for far too long and give Josh Satin his well-deserved shot. The fact that it’s taking this long is a cardinal sin.

I was called nuts when I wrote that, but who’s nuts now? Some guy from Bayonne who knows baseball and can see things with his eyes, told me I lost my baseball mind and that Ike was fine and I should shut up about this.

Anyway… The choice is pretty clear as to what the Mets should do, but I’m certain it won’t go down that way. After all  we wouldn’t want to risk losing Robert Carson or Collin Cowgill off the 40 Man Roster to make room for someone who could actually help the team, now would we?

After another three-strikeout performance, Davis now has 29 Ks in 82 at-bats and is on pace for over 195 strikeouts.

Back on April 17, I stated that Davis has shown himself to be nothing more than a platoon player at best throughout his major league career. I suggested that the Mets promote Josh Satin from Triple-A at the time and looking at each of their numbers now, almost two weeks later anevat the end of April, everything I wrote back then has been completely validated.

The right-handed hitting Satin can give the Mets what they need desperately right now as his .333/.429/.550 batting line would attest. A product of the PCL? Not on your life. Satin has always been a great and disciplined hitter and one look at his career .397 on-base in six minor league seasons should have the suits in the front office with their tongues hanging out of their mouths, as would his .466 slugging percentage.

Collins is playing favorites. You see, Ike Davis is gritty so he gets to play and avoids the same kind of treatment that Lucas Duda got when he was sent to Triple-A last season. After all. we wouldn’t want to piss Ike off… Him and Wright are besties…

I’ve now gone from clamoring for a platoon at first base to now sending Davis back to the Minors. Yes, Ike, that’s where hackers like you belong.

We’ll miss your occasional bomb that you sandwich in between a dozen or so strikeouts, but we won’t miss you .159 batting average which has sucked the life out of our offense. I know many a Met fan who wasn’t this patient with Jeff Francoeur despite his gaudy defense. So what’s the big holdup here?

Right now Davis is a negative impact player.

It’s time to release the Kraken.

After last night’s invigorating 2-0 shutout victory over the Nationals. Terry Collins said  he would not move Lucas Duda from the No. 6 slot to the cleanup spot in the batting order.

Despite Ike Davis’ Feats of Strength (I thought Festivus was in December) on Friday night when he and Duda each slugged a pair of home runs, the first baseman has gone 0-for-8 with four more strikeouts since, and continues to kill the team batting cleanup and posting a .167/.214/.323 slash in 60 at-bats. To put that into perspective, Marlon Byrd, Collin Cowgill and Jon Niese all have better slugging percentages. Get the picture? He’s even worse against lefthanded pitching which begs the question, when will the Mets realize he’s just a platoon player at best?

Back to Duda, remember all through spring and even just last week I spoke about what a huge role confidence is playing in the left fielder’s metamorphosis?

Here is what I wrote on Saturday:

Duda has been a revelation so far even though it’s still early. Knowing that Duda is so sensitive and shies away from any interview requests, I believe that he’s too tough on himself. He lacks the confidence that a big guy like himself should have. Once he starts to taste a little of that confidence, it takes a hold of him and his play improves dramatically.

We got to see him and spoke to Wally Backman about him last season after he was demoted. Duda was isolated from his teammates and would sit and sulk before and after games. He took the demotion hard and for a guy who had little confidence in himself to begin with, the fact that the team lost confidence him too sent him reeling.

However something happened this winter. When he hurt himself lifting furniture, it led to him reporting to St. Lucie a month early to work exclusively with Dave Hudgens. 30 days of exclusive one-on-one training and confidence boosting. When camp officially broke, Duda was transformed and bursting with confidence again. Duda was doing interviews, laughing, and having fun. He has reinvented himself and I credit the Mets hitting coach for what we are seeing so far.

Here is what Terry Collins had to say about Duda after the game:

“This game is all about confidence,” Collins said. “Lucas Duda is feeling pretty good. I don’t want to change that. One thing I don’t want to do right now is put him in a situation where he thinks he’s got to do more than he’s doing at this particular moment.

Collins gets it. Yes, Duda is leading the league with a .475 on-base percentage. And yes, his .659 slugging percentage is second only to John Buck. And yes, his 1.135 OPS leads the Mets. If it were anyone else, but Duda I’d say put him in the cleanup spot. But it is Duda, and we should leave well enough alone – at least for the time being. Let him keep building up that confidence, and let’s check back at the end of May.

The Opening Day Lineup will look like this:

1. Collin Cowgill, CF
2. Daniel Murphy, 2B
3. David Wright, 3B
4. Ike Davis, 1B
5. Marlon Byrd, RF
6. Lucas Duda, LF
7. John Buck, C
8. Ruben Tejada, SS
9. Jon Niese, LHP

Niese will oppose San Diego Padres right-hander Edinson Volquez at 1:10 PM at Citi Field.

Collins said that center fielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis has officially made the Mets active roster as the fourth outfielder along with Mike Baxter.

He also admitted that Cowgill will not be platooned and will be there every day even against righthanded pitching.

Lucas Duda will man left field on a regular basis and Marlon Byrd will start everyday in right field.

So expect to see Duda, Cowgill and Byrd start every game this season unless something changes. That is essentially the 2013 outfield for the season going forward.

Nieuwenhuis is expected to be the defensive replacement for Duda late in games, while Baxter will give Byrd an occasional break now and then to keep the 35-year old fresh.

It was later learned that the reason Jordany Valdespin was not considered for playing time in the outfield was because the Mets were not comfortable with his fielding. Spin was one of the top hitters in camp this spring, but for now all he’s earned was a spot on the back of the bench to pinch-hit against right-handers.

Quote of the Day

“You look up and down our roster, you’re not going to see a lot of household names, you’re not going to see a lot of flash or that sexiness per se, but I think you got a room full of guys that don’t have those egos, that know how to play team baseball. We practiced that this spring, playing that winning, team baseball and unselfishness. I think the teams that do well are the teams that have bought into that team concept where it’s that win at all costs, who cares who gets the big hit, who cares how many hits you get. Bottom line is wins and I think we have a group of guys that have bought into that.” – David Wright

MMO will have about ten writers at Citi Field and we’ll be Live Blogging the event from the press box as well as featuring tweets, images and thoughts from the rest of the staff in attendance.

Stick with us for all the action and Lets Go Mets!

Clayton – Jordany Valdespin, I see Cowgill getting a hot start then hitting a wall. Valdespin however I could see being the best run producer in the outfield in 2013.

Adam – Collin Cowgill because he’s a better defender and has better plate discipline/selection at the plate. Valdespin will hit for more power and be a question mark on defense, while Cowgill will produce better on-base numbers to go along with decent defense.

XtreemIcon – Jordany has the higher ceiling and more talent. Given equal playing time, he should outperform Cowgill. But the key phrase is “equal playing time.” We’ve seen how Valdy has not endeared himself to management, for a variety of reasons. However, production makes everything better.

Joe S. - JV1 as long as he protects himself from his own over-inflated ego and Justin Verlander fastballs.

Satish – Valdespin, but I have to admit, I am really starting to like what I see out of Cowgill. Something about Valdespin’s approach at the plate, in a small sample size of course, seems a little more mature so far and I would like to hope he worked out some of the kinks in his free-swinging ways. My only experience watching Cowgill has been his time here in Spring Training, and while I do like it, I am hesitant to completely jump on the bandwagon yet. I always thought Valdespin could work out to be a poor man’s Brandon Phillips – lite.

Craig L. – I think ‘Spin is a flash in the pan having a great spring. Cowgill will be more consistent have his coming out party in 2013.

Jessica – I think Cowgill will because he’ll get more of a chance than Valdespin. Cowgill has pretty much locked his spot on the Opening Day roster and Terry Collins will keep him around, not only because he’s an outfielder, but he’s an outfielder that hits the ball.

Dan V. – Jordany Valdespin hands down. Attitude aside, Valdespin is probably the most talented overall player on the Mets roster right now. If he keeps his mind right, he will steal a starting job, possibly in center, and lead the team in stolen bases and triples.

Paul Z. - If Valdespin, has his head on straight, and it seems he does, he has all the potential.

Daniel N. – ‘Spin, ‘Spin, ‘Spin! That’s no slight to Cowgill whose been having a great spring, but I think Valdespin can be used in more situations, which will give him better numbers. ‘Spin has quickness and power. He can hit almost anywhere in the lineup and can platoon in more positions.

Gregg – Tough choice between Valdespin & Cowgill, but Cowgill could become an icon here, if he plays well. After all who couldn’t use some more Cowgill?

Elliot – Jordany Valdespin. He worked a lot on plate patience in the off-season and it will pay off big time.

There’s been a lot of talk this spring about turning points. How this season may become a watershed campaign, kind of like the Mets of the early 80′s when it became obvious the team was on the ups. Baseball itself is a game of turning points. Who knows, the season may feature it’s own change in fortune if things break right when d’Arnaud and Wheeler get the call. It got me reminiscing 27 years back to what was probably the biggest turning point in the life of a kid from Queens who had no idea what the hell he was doing with himself.

August 28, 1986

My father was not the sort to write letters. He was a practical man of few words, and he didn’t show affection through greeting cards or other such soppy drivel as he’d say, that was Mom’s domain. That was why I was surprised one Thursday evening as I sat polishing my boots at about the conclusion of my third week in boot-camp when I was called up to receive a letter from my Dad. It was a neatly penned response to a letter I’d mailed home the previous week where I’d mentioned that there were times when I felt discouraged, times when I wanted to quit, times when I couldn’t believe how I’d gotten myself into the messes that led me to up and enlist.

He was strangely eloquent. He said he missed me in the evenings when we sometimes went over the standings. Mentioned how he had a habit of not eating things in the fridge he knew I enjoyed even though I wasn’t around, how he felt sad every time he walked past my bike. He shared that he and my mom weren’t doing a lot of cooking these days, and he told me not to quit and not to get down on myself. He said things would get better and easier, and he closed with “by the way the Mets are in the midst of laying the rest of the National League to waste.”

I was stunned. My dad had always peppered me with “you’ll never amount to anything if you keep on … ” (completed with whatever activity of mine he’d taken exception with), but In this letter his tone was supportive, kind, fatherly. He had a sense that this was important, he knew this could fix a lot of things for me. But even more stunning was the last line, not because of the content — I knew the Mets were awfully good — but because it was so unlike my Dad, who was the ultimate cynic when it came to the Mets. He was the guy who’d slap me back to earth with cold hard facts whenever I’d walk around thinking the Mets were World Series bound. He had a knack for articulating how and why they sucked, and not always in gentle terms … probably because he was as upset as anyone. No, what was shocking was the language, that they were “laying the rest of the league to waste.” Beyond giving me a huge morale boost, it was unusual because as long as I’d known him I don’t think I’d ever heard him brag about anything. How good must they be, I thought, that he’d tack that line to the end of the only letter he’d ever written me? Suddenly I realized I couldn’t quit — I didn’t want to do anything that might jinx the Mets season.

We spent many sweltering hours on the parade deck marching back and forth, up and down. The place used to be an airfield and so the wide stretches heated up in the afternoon sun and made the soles of our boots stick to the gummy asphalt. Clouds of sand fleas periodically descended on our ranks, feeding on our blood and we could not so much as swat them without breaking formation and risking all manner of physical torment.

After a while the chants and cadence from our DI’s would ring in our ears even when we weren’t marching. Still, my mind would often wander to the Mets, wondering who was starting that evening, who they were playing, who might hit one out. The goal of drill was to mold us into a unit that moved and responded as a single body. Each step a single massive footfall. Each slap of our rifle’s charging handle would ring out not as 57 pitter-pattering pops, but as a single thunderous clap. At first I thought it was kind of silly but as we got better I started thinking it was pretty darned cool.

Many other hours were spent in classes, learning about the magnificent history of our beloved Corps, about first aid, squad tactics, self defense, how to fold our underwear properly, how to tie a tie or iron our covers (hats) with a roll of toilet paper, how to brush our teeth, walk, talk, breath. They were re-inventing us. I kept my dad’s letter in my Guidebook and read it from time to time when I needed a boost. The summer wore on and we progressed to the rifle range where they took us from novices to expert marksmen in the space of two weeks. Back at home the Mets were closing in fast on their first pennant in 13 years.

The rifle range was a turning point. My lackadaisical demeanor grated on my DI’s and as promised, if I wasn’t motivated they’d make sure I’d at least be strong. It didn’t help that I was from NY, lots of “you think your tough? You think your bad?” Those comments often emphasized with a finger pointed a half inch from my eyeball. They thought that for a guy with my test scores I was showing little in terms of leadership, and boy did they let me know it. The rifle range was the last big test. They knew that if my focus failed me there I’d be recycled and they’d never have to see my “NY face” again, but I ended up shooting high expert on my first qualifying round. I was in, there was no doubt. Even my hard to impress Drill Instructors liked the competition points I racked up hitting 9 out of 10 man-size targets dead center from 500 meters. I loved the smell of the gunpowder and the jolt of the m-16’s recoil. I was a damned good shot.

After the rifle range I skated through the next few weeks even serving as squad leader on occasion. Then, during mail-call one evening as I was polishing something or other I heard my name and it didn’t sound good.

I was called into the Lead Drill Instructor’s office. The only times a recruit was allowed into the Drill Instructor’s office was if they were being recycled to a platoon at an earlier phase in training or if something dreadful had happened back home.

So I was locked up at attention in front of his desk as all this was running through my mind. He let me sweat for a while looking thoroughly irritated. Finally, he pulled out a piece of paper. “I’m only doing this because I have to” he said as he looked down at the paper. “I have a telegram here for you” … more panic, what happened? I thought. “It is from someone named Markella … is that your sister”? “Yes Sir.” I croaked nervously. “The note is signed ‘Dad’ so I guess she sent it for your father?” Again, louder this time “Yes Sir.”

METS WIN WORLD SERIES IN SEVEN – stop

WHAT A GAME – stop

Dad – stop

I had to do ten push-ups for every word in that telegram but they were the sweetest one-hundred push-ups I’d ever knocked out. Had to do a boatload of mountain climbers too because of the indelible smirk on my face.

In a letter received later that week it was explained to me that my sister sent the telegram on behalf of my dad and that the “what a game” comment was really meant for game 6 where the Mets were 1 out from elimination and mounted an amazing comeback culminating with Mookie Wilson‘s easy grounder that skirted between Bill Buckner‘s wobbly knees, but they didn’t want to make the message too long, and I was certainly grateful. It had been one of the most exciting fall classics in recent history as the Mets came back and pounded the Red Sox in Game 7 at Shea.

Even hundreds of miles away in an otherworldly land of tarmac and swamps in South Carolina I felt an effusive swell of pride. We were champions, winners, we’d taken it all, and somehow I didn’t feel particularly sad at missing it. While I would have loved to have been there for it all, I knew that this was how it had to happen.

I somehow knew that my coming to Parris Island, my taking control of my life and turning things around had to coincide with the Mets taking the baseball world by storm, flattening everything in their path. I knew I needed to learn not to take certain things in this life for granted. I knew it had to happen this way.

It was great to see Scott Hairston hit a home run yesterday to reach the 20-home run plateau in a Mets victory on the final day of the season.

Hairston was a consistent performer this season as he set a new career-high in games played with 134.

He hit extremely well against left-handed pitching so he earned time as a platoon player, but based on the Mets lackluster offense, Hairston found himself in the lineup often regardless of the opposing pitcher.

As the Mets begin their search for outfield help, where does Hairston fit in the mix?

Yes, he had a nice season, but he’s really not an everyday player at this point in his career. He will be 33 next May, and his .239/.281/.457 line against right-handers in 188 at-bats isn’t too impressive.

He would definitely be a cheap option, since it seems the Mets won’t be pursuing B.J. Upton, Michael Bourn or Shane Victorino (who would even want Victorino anyway?).

But he’s not an everyday center fielder, which is really what the Mets needs.

Here’s a scenario to consider. The problem is Jason Bay will be on this team Opening Day and will be given every chance to succeed (or fail miserably). The team still appears to have hope for Lucas Duda as well.

It seems as though Bay and Duda will platoon in left field to start the season. If the Mets do decide to bring back Hairston as a platoon player, maybe a Hairston/Mike Baxter platoon in right field could work. Baxter isn’t exactly Roberto Clemente in right field, but he can be a decent complimentary player if given the chance. Before he made that stellar catch in Johan Santana’s no-hitter, he was hitting well and playing great defense.

Of course, having two platoons going on in the outfield with basically the same cast of characters may not be considered a he upgrade. But if everyone involved understands their roles and the Mets somehow bring in a good center fielder, maybe it all can work.

As of this moment, it looks like Andres Torres is long gone, leaving Kirk Nieuwenhuis as the only somewhat-MLB-ready candidate to take over in center. It’s looking like Jordany Valdespin will be looked at as solely an infielder from now on.

This team has so many needs and not enough funds to fill all those needs, so as Sandy Alderson has been saying, the team needs to be creative. Maybe they can pull off a trade with the Red Sox for Jacoby Ellsbury or (more of a long-shot) Justin Upton. But for now, we need to be thinking of cost-effective options that can get the job done.

Duda/Bay and Hairston/Baxter platoons are certainly not ideal, but if they can all settle into their platoon roles and the Mets bring in a new center fielder, maybe it can all work out.

Hairston may not be the sole solution to be an everyday corner outfielder, but he can be part of the overall solution, especially if the Mets can improve in other areas.