As I write this, the Mets are in the middle of a doubleheader, hosting the Colorado Rockies. The team just lost the first game of the doubleheader, and the team’s record stands at 4-8.
That’s pretty terrible – but it’s also early in the season.
While a small sample size means that we can’t take much seriously in the way of statistics, there are certainly a couple of trends that could be spotted, and items to watch for as the season continues.
#1 – The Rise and Fall of Chris Young. While Young has been extraordinarily effective in his first two starts, I still remain worried about his continued effectiveness through the season. While I would be thrilled if he maintains half of this effectiveness throughout the season (and keeps limiting homers), he won’t. It’s not possible. Even worse, Chris Young is already a bit injured, and is forced to put off his next start in favor of DJ Carrasco. I worry that we’ll start very soon to hear “oh no, why isn’t CY effective any more?” murmurs, or worse, “what body part is injured” screams.
#2 – The 2nd Base Platoon. Terry Collins seems to be moving towards using Daniel Murphy and Brad Emaus in a straight platoon at second base. Honestly? I like it. Neither Emaus or Murphy is going to be a world-beater this year. Give your team the best chance to win, every single night. And while Murph still looks a little like a work-in-progress at 2B, Emaus’s defense has looked fine to me. I think we have a cheap, workable solution here.
#3 – Minor League Arms. While it is still too early to get too excited, Jenrry Mejia and Matt Harvey have started off the season doing excellent work in the minors. While both must improve secondary pitches, it is not out of the realm of possibility that Jenrry can take a spot in the rotation in 2012, and Harvey in 2013. A pipeline of young, effective starters is something that any team, but especially this team, needs to be successful. It’s great to feel that we could have that going forward now.
#4 – The Citi Field Factor. The team would drastically benefit from a left-handed pull power-hitter in the lineup. Watching the difference between David Wright and Scott Hairston banging balls off the left field fence and Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez taking the ball over the right field wall is enlightening. Ike’s got some raw power – but Carlos Beltran is probably out by November at the latest – and Wright and Bay are right-handed hitters. Whether it’s Lucas Duda (hint, it’s not) or someone else, the team would really benefit from a left-handed bopper.
So who would fit? There’s one guy who I’m sure that no one has really considered seriously, who might be a good fit on a short-term contract – provided the Mets could afford him.
Carlos Pena.
No, this isn’t a joke. No, I don’t advocate dropping Ike Davis.
What I advocate is moving Ike to right field, if it means that we can upgrade the roster in a different place. Ike Davis is blessed with a wicked throwing arm, and I was always a little confused why the Mets put him at 1B, rather than RF in the minors. While Ike is a good defensive 1B, he’d probably make a pretty good defensive RF as well. And this off-season, given the dearth of good offensive options available via free agency in the outfield, I don’t see why the Mets couldn’t at least consider moving Ike as an option.
With power hitters like Carlos Pena and Prince Fielder becoming available, and unable to play other positions, it might be worth considering seeing if these players could come in and play at their natural position. It’s just a thought – there’s only so many ways that the team can be upgraded.
The Extra Base 