If you want to get a better sense of where the Mets are heading, here’s what Joel Sherman of the New York Post sees as the Mets 2014 Opening Day Lineup after meeting with team officials, rival executives and agents over the last few days.
- Norichika Aoki, LF
- Daniel Murphy, 2B
- David Wright, 3B
- Andre Ethier, RF
- Jhonny Peralta, SS
- Lucas Duda, 1B
- Travis d’Arnaud, C
- Juan Lagares, CF
Now that’s different…
L.A. Times beat writer recently wrote this about Ethier, who is entering the second year of his 5-year, $85 million dollar deal…
The Good: Had 30 or more doubles for his seventh consecutive year, a first for a Dodger. He was tied for third on the team in RBI and fourth in homers. Hit .311 on the road and .294 vs. right-handers. Led the club with 61 walks. Made himself more valuable by playing all three outfield positions, moving from right to center when Matt Kemp went down to injury, and playing it extremely well.
The Bad: His home run and RBI numbers were down for him. Was hitting just .229 on June 8 before turning his season around offensively (.320 over his next 74 games). Hit .229 at home and .221 against left-handers. Season went downhill after injuring ankle in Colorado on Sept. 4. Was 4-for-28 in his last nine games, missed most of the division series against Atlanta and went 3-for-20 in league championship series vs. St. Louis. Also suffered a calf injury in early August.
Getting back to Sherman, he says to forget Shin-Soo Choo or Jacoby Ellsbury, says that Ike Davis is as good as gone, and that the Mets really like Peralta.
Sherman also says the Mets could go after a lot of depth players that could include: Jose Molina as a backup for d’Arnaud, utility player Nick Punto, and take a gamble on first baseman Corey Hart. If Mets fail to re-sign LaTroy Hawkins, they could target an Edward Mujica or Kevin Gregg.
Just another take, but an interesting one at that…
