Weaknesses

I know I have said, just recently, that I am excited for the start of the baseball season and I have high hopes for the Mets. That is still true. I do, however, think, we have seen the Mets’ Achilles Heel this spring.

As a fan, the concern has to do with injuries. Brian Schneider has missed a few games due to a hamstring and now backup Ramon Castro is out for a few games with the same type of injury. They do not even have anyone down on the farm to fill the gap, at least that is how it appears now.

Carlos Delgado has been a concern, due to health problems. The Mets do not have a backup at first base. Marlon Anderson, Jose Valentin (if that is a possibility), even Ruben Gotay, are not first basemen. The Mets do not even have an outfielder that plays first base.

I think one option, but this is crazy, is to take David Wright and move him to first base, with the thinking that third basemen often are able to play first and are moved to that position (Steve Garvey and Tony Perez come to mind). Take Ruben Gotay and put him at third (again, the belief that a middle infielder can play third). I would not do this on a regular basis, but in a pinch.

Moises Alou is out for a couple of months. You would think that an outfield position would be easy to fill but even this is not so easy. Assuming that Fernando Martinez is starting the season in AAA (and that is a safe assumption), then what do you have in the outfield beyond Angel Pagan and Ryan Church (to go with Carlos Beltran)? You have one backup outfielder in Endy Chavez (also returning from injury).

Hopefully the Mets will get healthy and stay healthy. Considering how they have fallen short the past two years (last year’s collapse of epic proportions and not making it to the World Series two years ago when they were the best team in the NL) and considering the money they just spent on Johan Santana, this has got to be their year!