Spring Training's Almost Over - Bring on the Season

Boston and Oakland open the season tomorrow night!! Bring it on.

Yesterday my wife and I spent the day watching the Diamondbacks and Brewers at beautiful Maryvale Park in Phoenix. We managed to get 2nd row seats behind home plate for $20 each the day before the game. Nice. We had a great time.

I was surprised by how thin Eric Byrnes was and how BIG Chris Snyder is. I knew Snyder was big, but he was rather large. Made Prince Fielder look positively small.

Funniest Picture EVER

I don't know HOW I avoided this picture till today, but I guess I did.

God Bless Children. So innocent. So Pure. So Wise beyond their years.

Fernando Martinez the "Anti-Milledge"

Walter Villa over at SI.com wrote a great piece on Fernando Martinez. You can check it out at this link.

I REALLY hope Martinez pans out to be half the prospect the Mets are predicting. Its been a LONG time - like since Darryl Strawberry - since the Mets had a big time outfield prospect that really panned out.

Think of the clunkers we thought we going to be huge: Jay Payton, Alex Escobar, Roger Cedeno... It would be really nice to have a homegrown outfielder with big talent.

I hate to say it, but the Yankees built those great late nineties teams on a homegrown core (Jeter, Posada, Bernie Williams, Pettite, Rivera) and a few quality free-agents (David Wells, Paul O'Neill, David Justice). I feel like the Mets are almost to that same stage. Wright & Reyes are a great home-grown start. In Pelfrey, Joe Smith, and Fernando Martinez pan out, that will give us a base like the Yanks had in '96. You add quality free agents with a good number of years left in 'em (Beltran, Delgado, Santana, Oliver Perez) and the Mets could be as dominant as those Yankees teams.

That's a lot of "ifs", but as all Mets fans, I'm hopefully pessimistic. Inwardly, I always think THIS is the year. Outwardly, I tell everyone that we'll lose. That's our culture! Hopeful pessimism or Cautious Optimism.

Walking Wounded...

So the Mets are hurting. Literally.

Delgado is back in New York working on his hip. Ryan Church has a concussion. Also injured: Luis Castillo, Carlos Beltran, Orlando Hernandez, and (surprise surprise) Moises Alou.

I like Moises Alou. I thought it was a great idea when they signed him last off-season. I think this is a guy who can produce at a high level for the team. He just won't stay healthy.

My buddy Russ complained to high heaven when they signed Alou. "He's always hurt, he's too old." "Yeah but when he plays he hits well and he's fairly clutch." I'm starting to come over to his way of thinking. It's upsetting. But I don't know that Alou's body can hold up for another season.

If Fernando Martinez was a little further along in his development, I wouldn't be as concerned. But by Baseball America's estimation, Martinez won't be up till 2010. I've heard estimates as close as July 08. Everytime I look at a spring box score he's gotten a hit and scored. I haven't gotten to SEE him play though. I don't know how to judge his readiness.

There's a rumor about the Mets trying to get Marcus Thames. I think it would be a fabulous pick up, but I don't think we've got enough pieces to get him. Is there anyone on the free agent market to fit the Right-Hand Hitting, First Base Backup/5th Outfielder mold we need? I don't think so. If it was 3 years ago, I'd say Kevin Millar. But whatever that guy had I think he's lost by now.

There's nothing we can do but wait, I guess...