Fans, media and coaches spend a lot of time during spring training debating what will be the best 25-man roster for their team. Although everyone would like to get the best 25 players in their clubhouse for the whole season, this is merely a pipe dream. Due to injuries and poor performances, there will be a long rotation of players changing lockers. In order to make the playoffs over the course of a 162-game season, you will need about 35-40 different men in uniform making positive contributions.
This is one of the many ways that the new administration for the Mets is set to do better than the last. Sandy Alderson and his associates understand this concept and they seem to be putting together the best team for now and the best team for the future.
Take the second base competition. None of the candidates had truly established themselves as the best available. However, they were not all on the same playing field. I will set aside Daniel Murphy since he would have made the team as a utility man regardless. But Brad Emaus is a Rule V pick, which means if he does not stay on the team, he must be offered back to the Toronto Blue Jays.
This should, and does make him a priority for the opening day roster. Justin Turner still has minor league options remaining, which allows him to remain under team control in Triple A and the ability to call him up to the majors at any time. Therefore, after a month or so into the season, if Emaus is batting below .200 and is not fielding well, there are still more options with the team.
The Mets seem to be making the same smart decisions with the bullpen, which as many know is a crap shoot to begin with. They are poised to keep fellow Rule V pick Pedro Beato in the majors, while sending Mike O’Connor and Ryota Igarashi to the minors as insurance policies.
So how is this different than the Omar Minaya era? Like many of the contracts he signed, the roster was not set with the future in mind. In 2009, the Mets allowed Rule V pick Darren O’Day to get away to the Texas Rangers in order to clear room for Nelson Figueroa for a spot start. O’Day went on to have a 1.84 ERA that season, followed by a 2.03 last season and a pivotal piece for an American League Championship winning team.
One season later, Figueroa was out of minor league options. Unfortunately, this did not stop the Mets from releasing him to waivers where he found a place with the rival Phillies. Between the Phillies and Astros, he's had a 3.29 ERA last season with seven victories as a spot starter and long man out of the bullpen. The Mets sure could have used that help when John Maine and Oliver Perez showed they were ineffective.
This year, the Mets also included Blaine Boyer out of the bullpen instead of Jason Isringhausen. This changed recently when the news came out that Boyer has an out of his contract before the season started. While he had really impressed the team this spring, he was unlikely to make the team because he was on a minor league contract. Although Izzy is a great story with returning home, he is too much of a risk after all of the years and all of the surgeries the 38-year-old has had.
The hope is that he stays in Port St. Lucie in extended spring training until a position opens up for him.
The bench for this team looks like this:
Scott Hairston
Willie Harris
Daniel Murphy
Chin-lung Hu
Mike Nickeas (until Ronny Paulino is able to play)
This creates much more versatility than last years bench, especially towards the end of the year. Hairston will most likely be the first right-handed hitter off of the bench, while Murphy will get the bulk of the at-bats from the left side of the plate. I also believe Murphy will get his share of starts at second base, especially in April against right-handed pitchers.
Willie Harris and Chin-ling Hu will provide very good late-inning defense, and once Paulino returns from his suspension, he will provide experience behind the plate to help the young Josh Thole.
Overall, the team is structured to provide depth for the duration of the year. The Mets are already calling upon Lucas Duda to take over left field while Jason Bay in on the disabled list. There are also plenty of other young position players to call upon if needed in Fernando Martinez, Justin Turner and Jason Pridie.
With Nick Evans, Pat Misch and Luis Hernandez all clearing waivers, the New York Mets retained even more options in the minors. Money should not play a role on deciding a roster. However, roster flexibility should, and because of that the team seems to be in better shape now than it was a year ago at this time.
Kerry Suseck FSU Cowgirls Abbie Cornish Krista Allen Hayden Panettiere
No comments:
Post a Comment