Q and A - 2014 Pitchers

Ernest Dove asked –

Hey Mack, with all the damn 35 something relievers brought into camp, what happens to prospects? Does everyone (like mazzoni, degrom, walters, etc) all quietly get shipped to the desert in Vegas so Terry Collins can have his veterans?

Also, if 5th spot goes to Dice K or Lannon, does that mean Mejia, and all that talent he has, also end up in the PCL?.................all just doesn't seem right, unless management sees playoffs and wants the veterans to help make it happen.

            Mack – Ernest, they’ve really lost me with what they are doing this pre-season. It seems if you’ve pitched in Asia the past season and have a lifetime minor league ERA of +5.00, you too can get a minor league invite by the Mets.

Here’s the facts…

                        There will be eight hitters in the starting lineup.

You’ll have a backup catcher (Recker), a fourth and fifth outfielder (my guess: Lagares and den Dekker), a backup 1B/3B (Satin), and a backup 2B/SS (Tejada).

You’ll have a five man rotation.

That’s 18 ballpayers, leaving seven more to complete the 25-man squad. 

The Mets could go with only six relievers, but my guess that they will open up carrying seven, which will include a Bobby Parnell at around 90%.

That leaves you four right handers and two left handers.

The only locks I see are the names of the guys that will battle in camp for the two lefties… Josh Edgin, Jack Leathersich, Scott Rice, or (possibly) John Lannan.

Past that, we all know how much Terry Collins love old guys and he is the field general. I sometimes get confused trying to figure out just who is in charge of this team. I know that the Wilpons actually seem to hand more day-to-day decision making to Sandy Alderson and have learned to stay away from the microphones most of the time. It’s just that it seems to me that Alderson’s plan to create this new exciting, young, talented team always seems to be derailed when Collins picks a couple of guys with liver spots on their necks.

Any names I would throw out right now as part of the pen (past Parnell) would just be guessing. I think they are all to be determined in camp this spring.

Now on to Mejia…  let me first tell you, I still don’t think Ike Davis will be the first baseman, nor do I expect either Wilmer Flores or Ruben Tejada to start at short. My guess is we are still far away from the finished product here.

My money is on Lucas Duda opening up with the Mets on first with Davis wearing a Pittsburgh Pirates uniform (in exchange for RHP prospect Nick Kingham). I also bet even money that Stephen Drew will be the Mets shortstop, Tejada will play utility middle infielder, and Flores will play every day in Las Vegas.

Rotation wise, I believe Dice-K will get the nod here as the SP5. The Mets simply love him. Why I don’t know. He was once a great SP1 which probably means he still is a great SP5.

It’s going to be very hard to hold back Rafael Montero who is major league ready right now, so I can’t see anything for Mejia other than a return to the pen, a trade elsewhere, or it’s back to Las Vegas for another year of being in the AAA rotation.