There was quite a bit of Mets news and notes from Port St. Lucie today especially considering it was a Sunday. Here’s what we’ve learned.
1. With the Grapefruit League schedule kicking off on Wednesday, don’t expect to see David Wright, Daniel Murphy, Michael Cuddyer and Curtis Granderson until next weekend. Terry Collins reiterated that all four will sit out the first two games and will not make their spring debuts until Friday. The Mets open the spring docket on the road and Collins is allowing his veterans to skip the road trips.
2. Terry Collins also said he’s now leaning toward using Michael Cuddyer in left field and Curtis Granderson in right field. It’s a switch from his earlier position. Collins said that after considering the matter further he likes Granderson’s ability to cover ground and his comfort with the wall in right field, and that it overrides any concerns with his lack of arm strength.
3. When confronted with the new outfield configuration plan, Cuddyer said that though he is deaf in his left ear since childhood, it won’t be an issue playing left field and hearing Juan Lagares call for the ball.
4. Speaking of Juan Lagares, he will bat leadoff on Wednesday when the Mets play against the Braves. “Get ready for it,” Terry Collins said. The Mets manager also added that the team still has some concerns with Lagares’ elbow, the one that shelved him last season, and that they will be monitoring it all spring long.
5. Lucas Duda is still a week away from swinging a bat in a game due to his left intercostal strain. But Collins said he will get some swings in this week off a tee. The hope is that he can participate in batting practice next week.
6. Get ready to see both Matt Harvey and Noah Syndergaard make their Spring debut on Friday in a game that will be televised on SNY. That should be a big treat.
7. Terry Collins says everyone but Matt Harvey is being considered to start on Opening Day. He says that Zack Wheeler is getting strong consideration because he deserves it. Before the weekend, Adam Rubin had two team sources tell him that Bartolo Colon is also a serious candidate for the Opening Day assignment.
8. Finally I’ll leave you with this little tidbit from Terry Collins this afternoon. The Mets manager says he wants this team to have some swagger this year. “They need to start showing it, swagger.”
As a convenience, here are the pitching assignments for week one of the Grapefruit League season.
March 4: Dillon Gee, Jon Velasquez in relief
March 5: Bartolo Colon, Gabriel Ynoa in relief
March 6: Matt Harvey, Noah Syndergaard in relief
March 7 (SS): Jacob deGrom, Matt Bowman in relief
March 7 (SS): Steven Matz, Rafael Montero in relief
March 8: Jon Niese, Tyler Pill in relief
March 9: Zack Wheeler, Carlos Torres in relief
