Right handed pitcher Brian Stokes was designated for assignment. I think the Mets may have called this one wrong. Even if you really believed that Joe Smith would out-produce Stokes, something that was not even debatable, why not keep Smith in the minors for the first month and see if Brian Stokes was as good as he looked?
He had all the things you would look for in a solid reliever and had a great knack for changing speeds and making batters look silly at the plate. Unfortunately, I’m certain that Stokes will be immediately picked up another team, but don’t worry… Mets Merized will closely watch the performances of both Stokes and Smith so we can see how this one worked out.
Willie Randolph was pleased to announce his Opening Day lineup for tomorrow’s 4:10 p.m. start against the pesky Marlins. Here it is…
SS Jose Reyes
2B Luis Castillo
3B David Wright
CF Carlos Beltran
1B Carlos Delgado
LF Angel Pagan
RF Ryan Church
C Brian Schneider
P Johan Santana
As I expected, the Marlins are going to test the Mets lineup from the 5 spot down to the 8 spot in the order by throwing a lefthander at us on Opening Day. Mark Hendrickson is far from the best the Marlins got to offer, but he’s left handed and as I have stated numerous times already, I see lefty pitching as an Achilles heel for the Mets.
Let’s all watch and see how Delgado, Church and Schneider respond to the 12 or so at-bats they get tomorrow. It will tell the tale for the rest of the season. That’s it for now…
LETS GO METS!
