Mets baseball is finally here! The Mets play two split-squad games today that are more like a doubleheader with one starting at 1 PM and the second one starting at 6 PM.
First up for the Mets this afternoon are the Houston Astros. Like every spring, the teams on the East coast of Florida play each other frequently and this is the first six games against the Astros the Mets will play over the next four weeks.
Mets Lineup:
- Luis Guillorme – SS
- Tim Locastro – LF
- Brett Baty – 3B
- Mark Vientos – 1B
- Omar Narváez – DH
- DJ Stewart – RF
- Jonathan Araúz – 2B
- Michael Pérez – C
- Alex Ramírez
SP – Denyi Reyes
Three Things To Watch For:
- Denyi Reyes: Reyes made his major league debut with the Orioles briefly last season where he allowed only two runs from eight hits and a walk over 7 2/3 innings. His numbers last year in the minors weren’t great (7.17 ERA, 1.519 WHIP) but he had a low walk rate (3.3%) which was also seen in the majors. He has a low to mid-90’s mph fastball, a mid-80’s changeup and mid-70’s curveball. Reyes’ upside makes him one of the more interesting pitchers the Mets have brought to camp this year.
- Mets Young Hitters: One of the major stories we’ll be following all spring is who is going to be the Mets Opening Day third basemen. After the Carlos Correa deal fell through all eyes turned to Baty and Escobar. Baty made an immediate first impression yesterday with two hits including a double in the Mets intrasquad game. Mark Vientos is looking to make a splash somewhere with the Mets. There are players in front of him all over the depth chart. That being said, the Mets are thin at first base which is where he is starting today.
- Omar Narváez: Narváez joins a crowded Mets catching field that includes Nido and a couple of top Mets prospects. How Narváez and Nido play this spring could determine their playing time split before Álvarez arrives full time.
- Bonus – Pitch Clocks: This is the first real game the Mets will have with pitch clocks. Both games yesterday were right around two hours and thirty minutes. If the Mets are going to have any problems adjusting to the clock it will probably happen during the first two weeks of spring.
Let’s Go Mets!
