Mets Depth Chart and Preview

*Expected starters are in bold*

Starting Pitchers

Bartolo Colon: This guy will be 41 in May. He could be the father of a College World Series player right now. While Citi Field is no O.co stadium, don’t expect too much of a jump in HRs as Big Bart likes to throw pitches with movement to the side and down. While he will benefit from facing pitchers in the NL, you have to worry how he will handle the bat, as he has never had to bat regularly in the pro level excluding the stint with Expos. Even then, he struck out in over ½ his ABs and he was 12 years younger. He hasn’t had a hit in 9 years. Not that we expect him to hit, but more importantly, if he ever gets on base, how is he going to run?!?

Jon Niese: Niese is looking to stay healthy all year. We all would like to see a little more of the 2012 Niese when he threw for nearly 200 innings with a good WHIP. If he were able to get back to that level and perhaps improve, you are looking at a perfect #3 pitcher or decent #2 in the Mets case. He’s the same age as Dillon Gee, so it will be nice to see if they can enter their prime with some consistency and slight improvement.

Dillon Gee: Two words: innings eater. He should go past 200+. Considering he had a solid ERA last year and WHIP was maintained from previous year there’s no reason to believe he won’t maintain or improve on that.  Gee will be 28 in April. Don’t expect too much improvement, but some.

Zack Wheeler: For all the talk of wanting to be the ace of the staff this spring, Wheeler is going to have to improve on his control. He simply puts too many men on base with free passes. Has good stuff, but needs to pick his spots on when to throw and not put himself in a hole. With d’Arnaud catching, you’re hoping for a good game call from the bench and some chemistry to develop between the two.

Jenrry Mejia: Look for Jenrry to make the strongest push to start in place of Matt Harvey. Still has time on his side and should benefit from last year’s cup of tea in the majors. It would be a disappointment not to see Jenrry start the year in the 5^th spot.

Daisuke Matsuzaka: Dice-k? Really, Sandy?

John Lannan

Carlos Torres: Fans would much rather see him vie for Long Relief than a SP slot. He is decent in a spot start, but not going to last the full year.

Matt Harvey: Take your time. Don’t rush back to give the team hope only to injure yourself again.

Relief Pitchers

Jeurys Familia

Josh Edgin

Vic Black

Gonzalez Germen

Ryan Reid

Scott Rice: Had a decent showing in his rookie year. He likes to keep the ball on the ground, so you better hope the defense is up to the task. It would be a good story if he stuck around this year, but don’t put too much hope into a 33 year old sophomore.

Bobby Parnell (CL): The real bullpen story here is if Parnell will be healthy all year. While he has returned to throwing, it should be noted that he was dealing with a minor quad injury. Last year was his best and he should continue to improve. Let’s just hope he has more opportunities to save games this year instead of the 26 he has last.

Catchers

Travis d’Arnaud: It seems the Mets have committed their catching duties to d’Arnaud. And why not? He’s a career .286 in the minors. Granted his rookie year was not filled with too many hits, but remember he was coming off a broken foot. Look for him to regain his timing and put up decent numbers offensively. With a solid glove as well, d’Arnaud will probably be the Mets catcher long term.

Anthony Recker: I think Recker’s time has come and gone. He had his shot to be a suitable backup. With Centeno waiting, this is probably Recker’s last year, if he even makes it out of Spring Training.

Juan Centeno: I doubt the Mets use Centeno as the backup to begin the year. He will probably start in AAA for more seasoning. He has a solid .AVG but could really work on his plate discipline. Expect him to come up in September and stick around as the backup for a few years; unless, of course, Sandy trades him for a reliever.

1^st Base

Ike Davis: This poor kid doesn’t know which way is up or down. After a stellar start to 2011, the last two seasons have been the complete opposite. With a hole in his swing bigger than the Grand Canyon, he is too easy of an out. His slugging has dropped egregiously since 2011, with last year being even lower than his rookie campaign. An .OPS of .661 is not going to cut it. You just hope he can tighten up a little bit, draw a few more walks, and rebuild his confidence.

Lucas Duda: Is he a 1^st basemen with an OK bat, or an outfielder with a subpar glove? I am unsure of this as are the Mets. I want the Dude to stick around and figure out a position that maximizes his talent, but Terry Collins has to work that out. And soon.

Josh Satin

Zack Lutz

2^nd Base

Daniel Murphy: Expect some power increase as he enters age 29. Doubles should continue to be there in the 37 – 42 range. Again, this comes down to coaching and team philosophy, but he could definitely stand to improve with seeing more pitches. A .319 OBP was his lowest since 2009. If he can boost it back up to .350+ he is a solid 2^nd basemen.

Wilmer Flores: Either Wilmer or Omar will be the Utility infielder. Neither have significant bat impact, but the youth should win out.

Omar Quintanilla

3^rd Base

David Wright: Do you, David. Keep it real and keep shouldering this team.

Wilmer Flores

Josh Satin

Zach Lutz

Shortstop

Ruben Tejada: Again, really, Sandy? You’re going to let Tejada start at shortstop? Sure, he’s young, but the potential is starting to wear out and soon we’re going to be left with a soft hitting, confused 25 year old. 

Wilfredo Tovar

Omar Quintanilla

Left Field

Curtis Granderson: Do not, I repeat, do not get too hyped up about this guy! Is he better than Jason Bay? I remember when Bay was signed, fresh off a great year with the Red Sox. He got hurt and never panned out. Oh and Bay was younger than Granderson is. The Grandyman has not hit for a decent average in 2 years. His HR totals are impressive, but they were easily countered by his strikeout numbers. With more age, I doubt he puts on a stolen base clinic. I am not going to harp on his health; both injuries last year were absolute freak accidents and shouldn’t take away from whatever skills he has left.

Eric Young, Jr.: Solid 4^th outfielder, but no more. He has a decent glove and an OK bat. If Chris Young doesn’t pan out, expect EYJ to get more reps than planned.

Lucas Duda

Andre Brown

Center Field

Juan Lagares: Look for Lagares to build on a solid rookie year. The defensive presence of Granderson should help his shading and cheating out a little bit. Fans would love to see a jump in the stolen base department, seeing as he should be a little more ready and knowledgeable on pitchers.

Chris Young

Curtis Granderson

Matt den Dekker

Right Field

Chris Young: Sandy is investing in Young to have a Byrd type year. That’s the only logic I could see. He wasn’t particularly good platooning with the Oakland A’s last year. I doubt the Mets will platoon him to start the year, hoping rather for the consistent playing time help him get back to where he was a few years ago.

Andre Brown

Juan Lagares

Matt den Dekker

Realistically, Mets fans should expect nothing, please. Don’t even think of the words Wild Card. If everything fell together for a magical run, then so be it. But stow the optimism for one more year. This club has too many holes and weaknesses, primarily leadoff and shortstop. If only they had kept Jose around for a few more years. I would rather see Harvey come back late this year or next and be 110% than risk any more injury to the golden arm. If Wheeler improves, the rotation looks good, especially with Syndergaard in the minors. Will they be good enough for the playoffs next year? I don’t know for certain, but I would give them the benefit of the doubt in 2015. For now, sit back, relax, enjoy the cheap ticket prices, root for the underdogs, but don’t be full of optimism and hope just yet.