Questions Left to Be Answered...

Many of us look at this Mets team on paper and say that we have a great shot to win it all. Now while I agree with that very much, we still have many unknowns. One of those questions includes the bullpen. Yes that’s right the bullpen. After all the big moves the Mets made this off-season to bolster this bullpen, there is still one big question. Who will be our Left-handed One Out GuY (LOOGY)? The Mets only have one quality left-hander in Billy Wagner and believe me when I say to you he will be too busy this spring racking up saves. Last year Aaron Heilman and Juan Padilla were the only 2 Mets who were able to get left handed hitters out. But with Aaron Heilman looking to earn a job as a starter, and Juan Padilla out for the rest of the season, the Mets are stuck with a bunch of guys who will do whatever it takes to earn a spot on the team. This bunch includes lefties Matt Perisho, Darren Oliver, Royce Ring, Juan Perez, Mike Venafro, and Pedro Feliciano. Of this group I believe Royce Ring will emerge as the LOOGY. Last year in 15 games Ring had an ERA of 1.42. He was once prospected to be the future closer of the Mets, but for now the Mets hope he will step up and take this job as the LOOGY. Another must answer question for the Mets is who will play second base. The candidates for the job include Kaz Matsui, Andy Hernandez, and Jeff Keppenger. Keppenger has shown a great deal of promise both on the field and at the plate. This spring he is batting .316 in 19 ABs, recording 6 hits, 3 runs, and 3 RBIs. Despite this the Mets do not seem to want to give him a real shot. Anderson Hernandez and Kaz Matusi seem to be getting the better opportunity. This spring Andy has batted .296 in 27 ABs, recording 8 hits, 6 runs, and 1 RBI. Matsui has posted a .188 batting average in 32 ABs, 6 hits, 2 runs, and 3 RBIs. Being that Kaz has a contract worth over 5 million dollars the Mets are very reluctant to play him off the bench. He has shown some improvement with his glove and more concentration in his overall game play. So if I had to make a decision right now, Matsui will be the starter on opening day, and if he should falter, Hernandez will gladly step in. The next big question for the Mets is right field. Xavier Nady and Victor Diaz have great upside and either one can step up and take this job. Nady is the better glove of the two, however Diaz seems to have a bit more pop in his bat. This whole scenario can be decided based on what the Mets are looking for. If the Mets want a solid defensive outfielder or if they want to justify the trade for Cameron they will go with Nady. If they are looking for a guy with the potential to hit 20 HRs, and are willing to give up some defense to get it they will take a shot with Diaz. With Diaz playing this will give the Mets a good bench player in Nady, as he can play all 3 outfield positions, 1st base, and 3rd base. This one is a shot in the dark, but if I had to make a guess, and knowing the Mets I would say that Nady will get his shot to start on opening day, all because the Mets have this "need" to justify trades by playing a guy no matter how horrible he plays (Victor Zambrano). However if Diaz can show a sudden improvement in the field, he can and will make a strong case for himself. Speaking of Victor Zambrano, perhaps the biggest question the Mets have is their starting 5. Will Pedro be ready for opening day? They have 1 very open spot, and a semi open spot in the rotation, who will fill these spots? As the rotation stands it is Pedro, Tommy Glavine, Steve Trachsel, Victor Zambrano, and Aaron Heilman. Zambrano is almost a lock for the number 4 spot, but according to Willie Randolph if someone impresses them enough Zambrano will move to the pen. Aaron Heilman has been granted the opportunity to earn a spot. He competes with Brian Bannister, Alay Soler, Jose Lima, Yusaaku Iriki, and John Maine. Of all of these guys we can pretty much eliminate Alay Soler, and John Maine. Iriki, Bannister, and Heilman have all pitched equally well, and Jose Lima is a veteran who brings some more personality, to the Mets. Based on this I think Lima has to start pitching great to earn a spot or he will be sent off. If Iriki remains as good as he is, he will be sent to the bullpen, and given the opportunity to spot start. Heilman just has to continue pitching well in order to solidify his spot. And Bannister has to pitch like Roger Clements (which he has been doing so far) to bump Zambrano into the bullpen. If I had to take a shot in the dark I would say that Zambrano and Heilman gets the 2 spots, and Bannister will start his season in AAA with the Tides and be called up if someone goes down or as a mid-season call up. When it comes to Pedro, I think he will be ready. He is expected to do some live pitching either tomorrow or the next day. He has been working hard to get back to form and I think he will make it to Shea on April 3. If not Glavine will get the nod, and Pedro has assured us that he will pitch on the 5th day.