PART 2 Next Mets - The OF: CF

Now that I've pinpointed two LH corner OF for the Mets to target (Choo and Gordon), I'll take a look at the CF options for the team.

In-house, there are 3 players that come to mind that could potentially play CF full-time for the big league club.  The first is Jordanny Valdespin.  Valdy has the talent to play any position on the diamond save pitcher or catcher.  However, his work ethic and character have always been in question.  Even if he gets his act together, I would look to capitalize on his trade value rather than take a long-term chance on him.  The other two options are Matt den Dekker and Kirk Nieuwenhuis.  While both seem to be serviceable MLB players, both come with their flaws.  The difficult part is that both might not be able to get enough full-time AB's at the major league level to work on those flaws.  MDD is the superior defensive player and has already been wowing people with his glove this spring.  His limited exposure in AA last year was successful but his jump to AAA was not.  He'll likely start the year there and see how he progresses.  He very well may improve and warrant a late-season look and become the long-term answer for the Next Mets.  Likewise, this could be the year that Capt. Kirk continues the progression he mirrored at every stop of his minor league career - get promoted, struggle mightily, figure things out, and then go on a tear.  Both of these players have it in them to be the CF of the future, there are just too many questions about both right now to expect either of them to wind up as more than back-up players.

Looking outside the organization, there are limited options as well.  Drew Stubbs of the Indians plays a great defensive CF and has a unique power/speed combination.  Unfortunately he can't get on-base at a rate that a contending team would need him to.  Peter Bourjos already has gold glove-level defense but his offensive production in the minors has not yet translated to success in the bigs.  Mikie Mahtook is in the Rays system and could prove to be a long-term option for the Mets if they could make a deal.  Mahtook will likely make the majors when rosters expand later this year.  He has the tools to play CF and could be a part of the Next Mets young and cheap nucleus, but he has a lot of development in front of him and now would be too early to pencil him in.

The last two prospects out there that I'd like to see the Mets go after are Anthony Gose of Toronto and Gary Brown of the Giants.  Both are true CF with gold glove potential, both have speed and base stealing ability, and both have some pop with the potential for 15HR each.  The differences between them are that Brown hits RH and Gose LH and Brown strikes out a lot less.  Of all the options out there for the Mets to pursue, Gose and Brown are the two I'd like to see them chase after.  While I would be happier with either, it's Brown's contact rate that makes him the more attractive player.  Both should be available at some point this year as the Blue Jays and Giants should be in the thick of the playoff hunt at some point and might line up with the Mets for a playoff-push trade.  If it's Brown, building on the last acquisition of Alex Gordon pushes the lineup to:

1.  CF Brown
2.  LF Gordon
3.  3B Wright
4.
5.  1B Davis
6.  Ca d'Arnaud
7.
8.  SS Tejada