Glimmers of Hope

Let me take a moment to briefly interrupt Mack's excellent coverage of the Mets' draft picks earlier this week to talk about the major league team. It seems fitting that last night's thriller was won largely on the backs of home-grown talent plucked from the amateur draft - a 26-year-old starter and a 23-year-old first baseman.

Both were former first-round draft picks, sparking the same interest and curiosity as UNC's Matt Harvey is doing today. So as we sit, wondering if Harvey will be a starter or a reliever when he arrives in New York and lamenting the decision the Mets made in picking Cory Vaughn instead of James Paxton in the fourth round, let's pay tribute to two players who have made it all the way to The Show.

One could say that last night's win over the Padres was the best win the Mets have had this season. Mike Pelfrey was brilliant, needing just 103 pitches to get through nine innings of five-hit, one-run ball.

Could Pelfrey have gone out and pitched the tenth inning, considering the fact that he was due to lead off in the bottom of the tenth? Absolutely. He was pitching on six days' rest and had gotten through the ninth without incident. He was still pitching efficiently, having thrown only 28 pitches across the eighth and ninth innings.

Instead, Jerry Manuel double-switched after the ninth inning ended and brought in Francisco Rodriguez, who needed only 13 pitches to dispatch of the Padres in the tenth. Then, despite the manuever that should've allowed Rodriguez to stay in the game, K-Rod was gone once the 11th inning began. Jerry Manuel is a very nice man who will not be with the Mets in 2011, not if they harbor any serious championship aspirations.

Ike Davis, however, is very much a part of the Mets' future. Davis stepped to the plate in the 11th inning and put an end to Manuel's usual shenanigans. He took an Edward Mujica pitch deep into the night, finally landing halfway up the Pepsi Porch about 15 minutes after he crossed home plate. It reminded you of some of the majestic home runs Mike Piazza used to hit - crushing blows that seemed to take ages before they fell to earth.

Pelfrey and Davis, the stars of the night. Two former first-round picks, two players who sparked the same excitement and interest as Harvey and some of the other Met picks have been doing this week. This is the type of stuff you dream of when your team picks a player in the draft.

Pelfrey has blossomed into a staff ace. Davis is a middle-of-the-pack National League first baseman right now, with room to grow into one of the better ones in the league. And let's not forget about Jon Niese, who was picked in the seventh round of the same draft that the Mets chose Pelfrey in. Niese is back from the disabled list and is being viewed as the #3 starter in the rotation right now. Saturday's performance against Florida is another sign that he could fill that role for years to come.

Sure, there are still holes on this team. Pelfrey, Davis and Niese are filling three holes that were there when Spring Training ended.

Today, there is hope for this franchise. Hope in the form of three young men who were once picked from thousands of amateur baseball players across the United States and given the chance to be New York Mets. How many players picked by the Mets in 2010 will have a chance to be their teammates one day?