Spring Training officially started today even though it feels like almost the entire organization has already reported to camp.
What makes the position battles different this year than last year is this year, when a player doesn’t win the position outright, they have a legitimate chance to win a position at another position on the field based on how others perform. First, the depth chart for position, which is my opinion:
First Base:
– Ike Davis
– Lucas Duda
– Josh Satin (Slips to #2 depending on who wins #1)
– Daniel Murphy (Rises to 1 if Davis/Duda fail AND Eric Young needs to play)
– Wilmer Flores (Davis/Duda Fail, decide to keep Murphy at Second)
Second Base:
– Daniel Murphy
– Eric Young (Only considered if he can’t break the OF, Davis/Duda fail and force Murphy to move)
– Wilmer Flores (If spring training shows his bat is necessary, can’t handle SS and Davis/Duda fail)
Shortstop:
– Ruben Tejada
– Wilmer Flores (If he can show that he can field SS)
Outfield:
– Curtis Granderson (Lock)
– Juan Lagares (Should be a lock, needs to hit)
– Chris Young (If he can hit, he’s in)
– Eric Young Jr (They want him in badly somewhere in this lineup)
– Lucas Duda (Davis and Duda equally perform well and Duda does considerably better than someone above him on this list)
Stating Rotation, 5th Spot:
– Jenrry Mejia
– Jon Lannan (Can opt out if he doesn’t make Major League Roster)
– Daisuke Matsuzaka (Can opt out if he doesn’t make Major League Roster)
Set-Up Man:
– Vic Black
– Jose Valverde
– Kyle Farnsworth (Most likely one one of Farnsworth or Valverde makes the roster because they are both on Minor League Deals)
Commentary:
For the position battles, this comes down to the Davis and Duda. If only one of them is successful, it makes first base easier to forecast and takes one out of the outfield race. If both bomb, really bomb, which I don’t think would happen, then Murphy slides over to first and Eric Young to second, making the outfield really simple.
I am biased when it comes to the outfield because I want a Lagares/Granderson/Chris Young outfield for the defense. Because of that, I really want Lagares to perform well this spring. He has the least developed bat out of the group and it looks like this will become a contest of offense. He also has minor league options which can hurt him. At the same time, it is really difficult to deny his defense.
Wilmer Flores probably starts the year in the minors. He needs to find a place on the Mets to play. Second is blocked by Murphy and Third by Wright. He could play first, and should get some reps there this spring but also should be tried at short stop. Same problem with Eric Young Jr. he needs as a place to play on the field to get in the lineup. If one of Young Jr or Flores could play SS, then a lot of this goes away.
As for the rotation, Mejia is the most exciting choice and should be his to lose outright. Lannan and Dice-K have an advantage because they need to make the major league roster for the Mets to keep them (well not need to, but they could easily go some place else if they have a strong spring and don’t make the team). This also impacts Farnsworth and Valverde since they are also both on minor league deals. To get two or more out of the four on the roster will be tough.
