Kevin Kernan of the NY Post sat down to lunch with Terry Collins on Monday and the Mets manager revealed some of his goals and strategy as he gets set to begin his fourth season with the team.
“This is a huge spring training for us. We’ve got a lot of decisions to make. There’s going to be a lot more emphasis on at-bats and innings pitched. We’ve got to come out spring training ready to go. We can’t wait to June.’’
One of his chief concerns is the Mets current predicament at first base which begins much the same way that it ended in 2013, with Ike Davis and Lucas Duda both seeking to win the everyday job. “It’s wide open,’’ Collins said.
“In the past you look to get him 60-70 at-bats,’’ Collins said of Davis. “Well, he’s going to get at least 90. Yeah, he might get a little tired but he’s too big a piece. We have to know what we have there.”
“If the two guys at first get off to a slow start, we have [Murphy] to play first base with Eric Young at second,’’ Collins said. “We have options.’’
Collins has his sights set on one goal.
“We can make the playoffs. We showed in streaks last year that we can compete with anybody and that’s why it was important that we signed a couple of bats and added Bartolo Colon, especially with Matt Harvey sidelined [following Tommy John surgery].’’
It’s not as if Davis and Duda need any additional motivation, but hearing Collins mention Daniel Murphy as an option will certainly lite a fire under both of their asses this Spring. One of these two needs to step up and show the job belongs to them. I want to see some fight and some bravado. I look forward to seeing how this first base situation plays out.
