Terry Collins pretty much ruled out any chance of Rafael Montero winning a job in the bullpen if Dillon Gee goes untraded.
“I’m not sure where Raffy would fit in that bullpen coming out of spring training. If Dillon is there, we’ve only got one more spot left, and you might go with a little more experienced guy at the start of the season.”
As it stands now, Jenrry Mejia, Jeurys Familia, Vic Black, Carlos Torres, Josh Edgin and Dillon Gee would occupy six slots with the last spot going to a second left-hander. For now Rule 5 selection Sean Gilmartin seems to have a leg up on the job.
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Not sure what to make of this, but after Terry Collins began raving about Ruben Tejada for the third straight day, he was asked to explain why he kept bringing him up everyday. Here’s what he said:
“I’ve been sitting here supporting Ruben Tejada pretty much every day since last year. And if he wouldn’t have shown up until today, Wilmer Flores would have been the shortstop, pretty much.”
“Look, he did what I asked him to do — ‘All right, you’ve lived up to your side of the bargain, I’ll live up to mine.”
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Collins lamented on Tuesday that the Mets will miss Eric Young Jr., who signed a minor-league contract with the Atlanta Braves late in the offseason.
Referring to Young’s speed, Collins said, “We don’t have anybody to make up for that. We’ve just got to do a better job of running the bases, taking those extra bases — first to third, those types of things — that help you score extra runs.”
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Hindered by his wild throwing to bases, the Mets will work hard with reliever Jeurys Familia this spring. The Mets also want Familia to throw more four-seam fastballs, which gives hitters something else to consider.
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Reliever Bobby Parnell is scheduled to throw in the bullpen and pitch to hitters this weekend. As with Matt Harvey, Parnell is coming back from Tommy John surgery. Parnell could throw to hitters on Thursday.
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Position players will take physicals today and will not work out. Pitchers are scheduled for a light day and all action at Mets camp is expected to wrap up early.
