I’m a little worried about where our power will come from in 2009.
We can easily count on Carlos Beltran to hit at least twenty-five homers and most likely thirty, but then what?
The Mets don’t have that prototypical power hitting corner outfielder in left field or right.
The most homeruns that right-fielder Ryan Church ever hit in a season was fifteen, and at 30-years old, he isn’t getting any younger or better.
Who knows what we can expect from the platoon of Dan Murphy and Fernando Tatis?
Murphy is not a power hitter. The most homeruns in his professional carer was thirteen which he did last season between the minors and the Mets, and in 2007 with AA Binghamton.
Tatis… Well, he’s the wildcard… He hit eleven homers in about half a season, while striking out at an incredible rate. The thing is that being the righthanded component in the platoon projects to about 225 at-bats if you throw in a dozen or two pinch hitting appearances.
In a best case scenario, I see about 50 homers from our current outfield, but it could be far less in what is expected to be a death valley for power hitters in Citi Field.
When you throw in the feeble efforts that the Mets will receive behind the plate and at second base, the pressure will be on David Wright and Carlos Delgado to pound the ball at least as good as they did last season if not better.
Don’t look for any pop on the bench either… Of course the bench hasn’t been set in stone yet, but when your choices are Marlon Anderson, Jeremy Reed, Cory Sullivan, Alex Cora, Argenis Reyes and Rob Mackowiak, you have to be a little worried.
The Mets are banking their post season hopes on this platoon. I hope they know what they’re doing.
