Catchers (2)
Travis d’Arnaud, Kevin Plawecki
This one is pretty easy as general manager Sandy Alderson has been pretty insistent that he was committed to the tandem of Plawecki and d’Arnaud since the end of last season. The only question that remains is how the playing time will be divided by both right-handed hitters. Both catchers ended last season strong and they are each having solid springs.
Infielders (6)
Adrian Gonzalez, Asdrubal Cabrera, Amed Rosario, Todd Frazier, Wilmer Flores, Jose Reyes
Despite a very slow start, Gonzalez has started to come around in Grapefruit League action, and on Thursday, Mickey Callaway gave him a huge vote of confidence. It’s not clear what exactly Gonzalez has left in the tank, but the team is committed to him and top prospect Dominic Smith is ticketed for Triple-A after failing to impress last season and injuring his quad in camp.
Asdrubal Cabrera was initially slotted to start at third base, but that all changed after the Mets signed Todd Frazier. Cabby is now the starting second baseman and he’ll pair off with shortstop Amed Rosario up the middle.
Todd Frazier should give the Mets a significant defensive upgrade at third while providing some pop somewhere in the middle of the lineup.
Both Jose Reyes and Wilmer Flores will return in their similar utility roles and they’ll also provide either some speed or power off the bench.
Outfielders (5)
Jay Bruce, Yoenis Cespedes, Juan Lagares, Brandon Nimmo, Ty Kelly
Ty Kelly will likely hold down the fort until Michael Conforto returns from the DL in mid-April or sooner. The Mets could also opt to go with an extra reliever instead of a five-man bench, but with all the early off days I’m not so sure they will. The team could also opt for Matt den Dekker instead of Kelly, but given the latter’s versatility I give him the edge.
Yoenis Cespedes and Jay Bruce have left and right field on lockdown. Meanwhile Brandon Nimmo is having an impressive spring and could steal some early starts in center field from the struggling Juan Lagares, who has yet to do anything with his newly reconfigured swing and launch angle.
Starting Rotation (5)
Noah Syndergaard, Jacob deGrom, Jason Vargas, Matt Harvey, Zack Wheeler
Noah Syndergaard has already been named the Opening Day starter and following him will be Jacob deGrom against the St. Louis Cardinals. And you can bet your bottom dollar that newly acquired left-hander Jason Vargas will hold down the number three slot.
As far I’m concerned, the nicest surprise in Mets camp this spring has been the performance of Matt Harvey. Not only is his fastball velocity back at 96-98 mph, but his slider and changeup have looked very good. He struck out five straight batters to end his outing against the Marlins on Thursday, and four of the five strikeouts came swinging. More importantly, Harvey is pain free and you can see his confidence growing. At this point, Harvey is a lock for the fourth spot in the rotation.
The biggest battle in Mets camp this spring, is without a doubt the one for fifth starter. One of Steven Matz or Zack Wheeler is the favorite to win the job and if I had to choose a winner right now, I’m going with Zack Wheeler but I would keep him on a very short leash. That would likely mean that Matz begins the year in Triple-A where he will remain stretched out and on call at the first hint of trouble. Robert Gsellman will also head to Vegas to begin the season, while Seth Lugo pitches in long relief out of the pen.
Bullpen (7)
Jeurys Familia, AJ Ramos, Jerry Blevins, Anthony Swarzak, Seth Lugo, Paul Sewald, Jacob Rhame
While Mickey Callaway has been pretty steadfast in his decision not to have a regular closer and that saves will be split between Familia, Ramos, Blevins and Swarzak, I’m pretty certain that if he remains healthy, Familia will get the bulk of save opportunities because to put it simply, he’s the best they’ve got in that pen.
I don’t really trust Ramos in a big spot because he walks way too many batters, but in a setup role he’s a nice fit. My favorite acquisition of the offseason was Anthony Swarzak and he could very well become the heir apparent in Familia bolts for free agency after the season. Blevins has become a mainstay as the team’s lefty specialist, and all told the Mets have four pretty reliable relievers in that backend of the bullpen.
It gets a little tricky trying to fill out the last three spots in that bullpen, but if I had my druthers I bring Seth Lugo up north as my long reliever and spot starter. Lugo is having himself the best spring among all the relievers in camp.
Last spring I tabbed Paul Sewald as my sleeper pick for 2017, and he did not disappoint me, appearing in 57 games for the Mets while posting a 1.201 WHIP and a 9.5 strikeout rate. He’s following that up with a spectacular spring and I’m calling him a lock for the opening day roster.
My last spot goes to righty Jacob Rhame who has a solid track record versus left-handed hitters and with Blevins as the sole lefty in the pen, the Mets could use someone with Rhame’s talent. The prospect we got in return for Curtis Granderson, Rhame had the stuff to become a nice weapon for the Mets in the near future.
Now if the Mets do decide to run with an eight-man pen, then you can pencil Robert Gsellman in for that final spot, as Steven Matz is not cut out to be a reliever.
You may have noticed that neither Hansel Robles or Rafael Montero made the grade in my bullpen projection. But if Callaway was serious when he said “only the best pitchers are coming up north” then neither of those two have any business being on the opening day roster.
So there you have it, my take on our projected opening day roster. Let me know what you think.
