The Mets currently have 26 non-roster invitees in camp, according to mets.com. The list consists of 15 pitchers, 2 catchers, 6 infielders, and 3 outfielders.
It’s not too often that players with very high numbers in camp end up making the team, so let’s sort the non-roster invitees by the numbers so we can watch them over the spring to see if they break the usual high-number trend and make the team or get cut from camp.
Will the higher the number translate to an earlier cut from camp?
82 – Matt Clark – IF
81 – Jack Leathersich – P
80 – Logan Verrett – P
79 – John Church – P
77 – Brandon Nimmo – OF
76 – Chasen Bradford – P
75 – Cory Mazzoni – P
74 – Cory Vaughn – OF
73 – Adam Kolarek – P
72 – Kevin Plawecki – C
68 – Eric Campbell – IF
67 – Dustin Lawley – OF
64 – Daniel Muno – IF
61 – Miguel Socolovich – P
60 – Brandon Allen – IF
55 – Noah Syndergaard – P
53 – Jeremy Hefner – P (Out for season, recovering from Tommy John surgery)
50 – Rafael Montero – P
47 – Jose Valverde – P
44 – Kyle Farnsworth – P
34 – Joel Carreno – P
32 – John Lannan – P
23 – Taylor Teagarden – C
16 – Daisuke Matsuzaka – P
2 – Anthony Seratelli – IF
0 – Omar Quintanilla – IF
The Mets now have 38 players on the 40 man roster giving them two open spots to play with. If any more than two non-roster players end up going north for Opening Day, the Mets will have to designate some players for assignment.
Thoughts…
Of the 26 players noted, I count 15 players that have absolutely no chance of making the team out of spring training. Going by the uniform numbers, it appears the Mets are not expecting Adam Kolarek or Jack Leathersich to make it through the bullpen competition.
There are 10 non-roster invitees to keep an eye on.
Pitchers:
Noah Syndergaard – He’s not making opening day. Mid season call up if he performs in Las Vegas.
Rafael Montero – Mid season callup, unless there are injuries. He’s not on the 40 and could get this year’s Harvey/Wheeler treatment.
Jose Valverde – Good shot at making the pen.
Kyle Farnsworth – Good shot at making the pen.
Joel Carreno – Pitched well for AAA Buffalo last year, but hasn’t been in the majors since 2012. Not jumping over Valverde & Farnsworth barring a major letdown.
John Lannan – In a battle for the 5 spot. An injury in the rotation bodes well for him if he throws well.
Daisuke Matsuzaka – In a battle for the 5 spot just like Lannan.
Catcher:
Taylor Teagarden – He’s not going to make the team. He’ll have to leapfrog over Anthony Recker and Juan Centeno for the backup job and they’re not going to burn a spot on the 40 man for a backup catcher when they have two already.
Infield:
Anthony Seratelli – He’s 31 years old. He’s never played in the majors, but he has a low number and he has a few things going for him. He has some pop in his bat. He draws walks. He’s versatile and can play anywhere in the infield as well and in the outfield. He’s never done it at the MLB level, but he’ll do whatever is asked of him and he’ll play cheap. The low number shows he’s being given a serious chance and as long as another shortstop doesn’t come into the fold from outside of the organization, he’s likely to make Opening Day unless he falls flat on his face.
Omar Quintanilla – We know what we have with Omar. He’s destined for AAA again if Tejada shows anything. He’s there to give Tejada some competition and let him know that there’s someone there that will produce at least as much as him if he falters.
Outfield:
The only guys with any chance of making the Opening Day roster are already on the 40. Aside from Granderson and both Youngs, the other players already on the 40 (including Juan Lagares, who I think should be playing regularly) will be fighting for the 4th and 5th outfielder spots.
