Pitchers and Catchers report in 22 days. Only three more weeks until until all of our players proclaim they are in the best shapes of their life. What do you think will be some of the more interesting battles in Mets camp this spring?
XtreemIcon – If the current roster goes to Spring Training, I’d say the 5th starter job, though the Mets keep saying they’ll bring someone in for that role. And those guys always keep their promises. Seriously, I actually hope there is no real battle for the outfield. I wanted Duda, Valdy and Kirk to play left to right starting August because I feel that’s the best in-house option. That didn’t happen. Instead, they let Hairston play almost every day to get his 20th homer and price himself out of the Mets plans. But I digress. I still feel that way and think it should be their jobs to lose as opposed to everyone trying to win a job.
Clare – We have seen the Mets sign a lot of people to minor league deals, so let’s see what comes out of that. I think the team is pretty well set so I don’t know how many battles will be coming out of spring training. I guess they need to decide where to finally put Lucas Duda – is he really an outfielder? Our pitching is pretty well set also so we’ll see about the middle relief and whether the Mets actually go out and sign a closer.
Joe S. – Without a doubt the outfield which was cast right out of the movie Major League, will be “the” subject of Spring. Although it would be an upgrade if we had Willie ”Mays” Hayes patrolling center, and I wouldn’t object to sacrificing a chicken now and then to have Pedro Cerrano in right field.
Gregg – Looking ahead to spring in Port St. Lucie, I think the fun battles will be in the outfield, and in the bullpen. For a team that most people are expecting very little from in 2013, the Mets have very few mysteries. The infield is set. John Buck will probably be the opening day catcher. The rotation is pretty set. So the outfield and pen are up for grabs.
Tie Dyed – The biggest battle in camp will be to see if Terry Collins can keep his sanity.
Craig – Unless something happens in the next couple of weeks, the biggest battle will be between Jeremy Hefner, Jenrry Mejia, Jeurys Familia and Collin McHugh for the fifth starter. The outfield seems to be set with just Valdespin, Cowgill and Brown battling for two utility spots. It will be quite a boring Spring.
Jessica – During spring training, I always like to watch the younger pitchers. Only in spring training would managers even consider putting in guys like Harvey and Wheeler, just to see what they’ve got. I think this year, with seemingly two vacant outfield spots, the battle for the starting/reserve jobs will be interesting. With the absence of David Wright due to the WBC, I also look forward to seeing some more of the younger infielders get some playing time.
Jessep – Well, I think everybody has their eyes on the outfield naturally. But I am real interested in the bullpen. The Mets have a lot of young arms who could prove to be worthy bullpen arms in 2013 if they have a solid spring. So I’ll be looking at those battles to see who can contribute to the Mets bullpen.
Daniel N. – I think the catching position will be a focal point going into spring training. It’s essentially going to be between John Buck and Travis d’Arnaud. If d’Arnaud is completely healthy, I think he gets the start. I’m not saying that 2013 is a complete wash, but it’s definitely a year to bring up the young talent and see what the Mets have to work with. They did just trade the NL Cy Young winner for d’Arnaud so let the young guy get his reps in this season. Buck is a stopgap catcher. He’s an average backup at best. It will be a tough choice up until the start of the season, but I think the Mets should commit to d’Arnaud if he’s healthy.
