When it comes to position players the Mets are pretty much set going into Spring Training. Josh Thole will be the starting catcher with Ronny Paulino getting starts against left handers. Ike Davis at first, David Wright at third, Jose Reyes at short, Jason Bay in left, Carlos Beltran in center… or right, and Angel Pagan in right… or center. Looks like everything is covered – wait a tick. Feel like I'm forgetting something… right, second base. This could be a problem. Let's see who can fill in at this whole.
We have Daniel Murphy, Ruben Tejada, Chin-lung Hu, Russ Adams, Brad Emaus, and… oh yeah Luis Castillo.
I feel like Castillo get a lot of hate for Mets fans. There is a few reasons for this:
- He looks like a 12 year old when he is up at the plate swinging.
- He hits the ball like a 12 year old and is barely able to get the ball out of the infield.
- It's almost painful watching him run, yet he still has decent speed.
- His mobility at second base seems to drop with every pitch.
- He is making $6M a year; a contract given to him by Omar Minaya.
- He comes down with strange injuries that sidelines him for weeks.
People rip on Castillo a lot but the fact of the matter is he is just one year removed from batting .302 with a .387 OBP, and a slugging percentage of .346. Last season he hit .235 with a .337 OBP. The on-base percentage isn't that bad, but for a guy who is only going to get six extra base hits a year, you need to have more singles.
I also think keeping Castillo on this team is a sign of complacency. Fans want a new look for this team. They have a new front office and new coaches, but the players are pretty much the same. Dumping Castillo in favor of someone younger is a step in the right direction.
But let's be fair to Castillo, he hasn't been all terrible. So unlike Oliver Perez, I don't think they should just cut him before Spring Training even starts (although it looks like they are unlikely to do that with Perez).
Right now it should be open contention for the job at second base. There should be no favorites, and whoever plays the best during Spring Training gets the starting job.
Out of all the candidates, I think Murphy is the best hitter and Tejada is the best fielder. If there is anything the Mets need more of, it's offense. So for me, Murphy would be the choice.
The problem with him is that he has no major league experience at second base. His been working on it in the minors and over the winter, but from what I read, he is struggling over there. Then again, that didn't stop the Mets from putting him in left field in 2009.
Brandon. I dont know where you heard that Murphy was struggling at 2nd base. The reports from scouts was that he was doing well and serviciable. Even Terry said that he played good at 2nd base but he did not see him turning any double plays at the time as he did not have the opportunity to turn them at the time.