IT’S BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD
With Harvey out, 2014 camp will be a real beach for Mets
THIS WAS SUPPOSED to be the spring the Mets finally got out from under the dark clouds. The financial constraints of long-term contracts were gone, the rebuilding process would be complete and the team would be ready to compete. The Mets come into spring training having spent more than $87 million on free agent outfielders Curtis Granderson and Chris Young and starter Bartolo Colon, but they can’t quite shake all the dark clouds yet.
While Granderson and Colon have created some excitement, and the Mets have their largest contingent of homegrown prospects in the past three years coming into big league camp, outside expectations for the team remain low. Manager Terry Collins and the Mets will be without ace Matt Harvey, who is recovering from having Tommy John surgery in October, and they have questions at first base, shortstop and the bullpen.
Here are five of the issues the 2014 Mets will be facing this spring:
1 WHO’S ON FIRST, DAVIS OR DUDA?
After shopping Ike Davis around all offseason, the Mets now bring the soon-to-be 27-year-old first baseman into spring training in an open competition for the spot with Lucas Duda.
Davis had a horrendous 2013, hitting .205 with 33 RBI in 377 plate appearances. He was demoted after his second straight awful start to the season, and then suffered a season-ending oblique injury when he got back. Unlike 2012, when he finished the year with 32 home runs and 90 RBI despite a terrible start, Davis never got going last year.
That power and production are potentially what the Mets think Duda can provide at first, but he has yet to deliver. Duda, 28, is a career .246/.342/.424 hitter with 44 career home runs.
Going into camp, Collins said that Davis will get every chance to prove himself, with extra at-bats, and he’d like to see Duda continue his experiment in the outfield.
2 WHO STARTS OPENING DAY?
With the signing of righthanded pitcher Bartolo Colon in December, the Mets have a solid rotation, one-through-four, with lefty Jonathon Niese and righties Colon, Dillon Gee and Zack Wheeler. While they will battle for the honor of Opening Day starter, there will be an interesting competition for the fifth spot. The Mets signed veterans Daisuke Matsuzaka and John Lannan to compete with tantalizing prospect Jenrry Mejia and possibly righthanders Jacob deGrom and Rafael Montero for that spot.
The winner, however, is likely just keeping the spot warm for top prospect Noah Syndergaard, expected to step into the rotation before the All-Star break.
3 HOW WILL THEY FIX THE BULLPEN?
The bullpen is very much a work in progress. Bobby Parnell earned the right to continue as the team’s closer, but coming off of neck surgery, the Mets are looking for alternatives just in case. They signed Kyle Farnsworth to give them a veteran presence in the pen, one with some closing experience, and seem to like what they saw last season from young righties Vic Black, Gonzalez Germen, Carlos Torres and Jeurys Familia and lefthander Scott Rice.
The Mets feel they are at a “critical mass,” with their young arms needing to make the jump to the big leagues. Like the Cardinals and Rangers have done, the Mets will be looking at prospects who can help fill out the bullpen over the course of the season. They are willing to promote their young starters to the major league bullpen this season to get them to big leagues and see how they respond.
4 WILL RUBEN TEJADA
REMAIN THE SS?
Like first base, the Mets went into the offseason eager to make an upgrade at shortstop and then came up empty on the free-agent and trade market. While still talking to and considering free agent shortstop Stephen Drew, the Mets privately said they were comfortable heading into camp with Ruben Tejada getting a second chance.
Tejada, 24, who ended last season with a broken leg, spent much of his offseason in Michigan working on his fitness and nutrition. He hit .202 with a .259 OBP in 227 at-bats last season. However, the Mets are hoping that a slimmer Tejada will be more like the guy they had in 2012, when he hit .289 with a .333 OBP.
If Tejada struggles again in spring training, the Mets may have to quickly look for an upgrade. Heading into the weekend, they were still considering Drew, who hit .253 with 13 homers and an .777 OPS. With a strong free agent class at that position next season, however, the Mets are reluctant to give a stopgap at shortstop the multi-year deal he is looking for.
5 WHO WILL BE THE NEXT
BIG THING?
The Mets are excited that they have a bunch of prospects coming into big league camp this season. While few will have a real chance to make the club, the front office will be watching to see how they respond to playing with and against major leaguers.
Noah Syndergaard, rated the top prospect in the system by Baseball America, is expected to make his major league debut shortly after the Super-2 deadline passes this season. He will get his chance to face major league hitters this spring.
But beyond the well-known Syndergaard, there will be a bunch of other kids trying to make an impression. Among the most interesting prospects to get an invite are righthanders Rafael Montero, Jacob deGrom, Logan Verrett and Cory Mazzoni as well as lefties Jack Leathersich and Steven Matz. Also getting his first taste of big league camp is outfielder Brandon Nimmo, the Mets’ firstround pick in 2011.