Mets.com — With two days remaining in Spring Training, the Mets have finally committed to making Carlos Beltran their Opening Day right fielder.

Beltran is scheduled to play in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals, his first Major League action since starting a game at designated hitter more than three weeks ago. In penciling his name into the lineup card, the Mets will forgo their right to backdate a potential disabled list stay for Beltran, thus displaying confidence that he will be ready to go Friday night in Miami.

"It's what we've been talking about since we arrived in this camp, that we have a good club and we need him in the lineup," manager Terry Collins said. "He's been working very, very hard."

Well I for one am sort of pleased by this. I'm not yet 100% sold on the status of his knees seeing as this is a 162 game schedule and he's played 2 games in a row going just 5 innings each time. However, nethertheless, this is a positive step forward for Carlos. Quite frankly I am unsure if I am glad about this progression for him.

– A) On the one hand, I want this madness to end and just see Carlos on the field. We all know how remarkable of a fielder he once was and how productive and versatile he can be at the plate, all of which when healthy. This is an offense that seriously struggled to produce runs last season, finishing below .500% despite a team-ERA which ranked 7th in Major Leagues. I also believe Collins' presense in the dugout as a no-nonsense guy along with Mookie back at 1B can turn things around, and having a healthy and productive Carlos Beltran will just make things better. 

–  B)  Yet on the other hand, I have always been a fan of Nick Evans due the fact he can play RF and also 1B, making him a good player to have off the bench. He played extremely well this Spring and I wanted to see him get a roster spot because he is younger and Beltran is in his final contract year. If Beltran isn't 100%, I'd rather see what Evans can do for a month. Unfortunately if Evans doesn't make the final roster spot, it seems his time as a Met is over. 

– C)  And lastly, though, Sandy Alderson has gained my trust early on by cutting dead weight such as Oliver Perez & Luis Castillo and fully trust his instincts. If he feels an 80% Carlos Beltran is safe to have on the field for 4 or 5 days a week than having a guy like Nick Evans off the bench with Harris or Hairston starting in RF, then I'm all for it. I just have my doubts, and I'm sure most of you do too.

So they're committing to Beltran now, and all we can do is hope for the best. There's no turning back in terms of the Opening Day roster. Lock and load fellas. 

PS. Check out the new MLB.com team-site designs. I haven't had a chance to look at most other teams but I sure am pleased with the new layout for Mets.com. The previous design just seemed much more clustered and a bit difficult to navigate the home page. 

According to Jon Heyman of SI.com relief pitcher Pedro Beato has been informed he has made the team. Heyman also says that relievers Jason Isringhausen, Blaine Boyer & Manny Acosta are still competing for the final bullpen spot. 

Heyman said on Twitter that Brad Emaus will start at 2nd Base, and Daniel Murphy, Scott Hairston, Willie Harris & Chin-Lung Hu have made the team as reserves, meaning that it appears inevitable OF/1B Nick Evans will not be with the team. I'm not too happy about that decision because I've always liked Nick Evans and I was extremely impressed with his .348/.394/.439 line along with 8 runs and 6 doubles. I think it came down to the fact that Nick only had 4 RBIs and had 0 Home Runs, and maybe the team wants to see players with a little more versatility at the plate who don't strike out as often (4 walks, team-high 13 strikeouts). Also, it's tough to compete with veterans who simply just had better spring training numbers than Evans. Scott Hairston had 2 HR & 8 RBIs posting a .353/.421/.608 line.

Willie Harris made a strong statement to make the team with a solid spring, accumulating 3 Home Runs and 10 RBIs, but more importantly to me he drew 11 walks against 6 strikeouts; his line was .280/.410/.560. 

Mets.com Spring Training Statistics

I like most people am glad that Beato made the team. I like his tenacity on the mound and a lot of people are impressed with the potential this kid has out of the bullpen. I wasn't necessarily blown away by his Spring Training performance, but I do think the team made the right choice. 

The race for the final bullpen spot comes down to Isringhausen, Boyer and Acosta. Isringhausen has been bothered with inflamation in his elbow, however is expected to pitch today in a relief appearance for the Mets and this could be the deciding factor as to whether or not he will make the team. Izzy has stated he will not accept a minor league assignment, which leaves me with the impression that he feels if he cannot make the team and part of it is due to the health of his elbow, he will call it a career and ride off into the sunset. However, the fact that the team has not yet released him already leads me to believe he still is the front-runner for the final spot. Statistical comparison of the final 3 relievers vying for a spot:

As Spring Training narrows to a close in the next week, there are still a few questions up in the air. There are a few options on offense, most notably in Right Field, that could either be waived or optioned to AAA depending on Carlos Beltran's health in the next 5 days. However, more importantly the Mets have a bullpen battle that is coming to an end soon. I think it's great we got a few guys battling it out for the final spots in the bullpen as it brings back an inner-competitive edge to the team, whereas over the last 2 years the club has been very laid back and carefree. 

Yesterday reliever Tim Byrdak was added to the 40-man Roster and Mike O'Conner was optioned to the Minors, officially ending the lefty-specialist competition. However there are still two spots open in the Bullpen and the competition is now boiling down to Jason Isringhausen, Pedro Beato and Blaine Boyer. As expected, Beato is currently the favorite to land a spot due to being a Rule 5 draft pick. if he doesn't make the 25-man roster the Mets will have to send him back to the Orioles.

Righty Blaine Boyer has been fairly impressive this spring as well, appearing in 8 games with a 1.00 ERA thus far. 

Isringhausen appeared to be in good position to make the team about one week ago, however he has been dealing with inflamation in the same arm he received Tommy John surgery on in 2009, and has stated he will not accept a Minor League assignment if he does not make the team. 

David Lennon of Newsday stated that the "locks" in the bullpen thus far are K-Rod, Bobby Parnell, Tim Byrdak and D.J. Carrasco. 

Lastly, in a conference call with bloggers on Thursday, GM Sandy Alderson said that righty Pedro Beato was very likely to make the 25-man roster. 

This is something that I really just don't understand, and it really devalues the whole 'competition' process. I truly feel bad for Murphy because he's worked very hard to learn how to play second base and has improved at the plate as well. We know he's not much of a power hitter, but his offensive numbers so far in Spring Training have been very good, and certainly stand out over Turner, Castillo and Emaus. He is obviously the proven candidate for the job. It's actually pretty obvious why. In my opinion, it's either start at 2B or have him in AAA. No point in having him come off the bench because clearly if he has any future in New York it's as our second baseman, so having him on the bench will not help him improve both offensively and defensively. However, lately we've learned that manager Terry Collins prefers Luis Hernandez to be the second base starter, despite Hernandez having played only 7 games with 13 at bats this Spring. 

Now let's take a quick run through the numbers here to determine what exactly makes Hernandez a better candidate at 2B than the 4 "competitors". 

Obviously Murphy is the player who stands out amongst the rest. He hits doubles, hits for average, doesn't draw too many walks but makes up for that with his ability to drive in runs. That is exactly what we need. A player who can drive in runs because it is obviously something we were unable to accomplish in 2010. In the limited time we have seen Hernandez, he clearly is better than the other 4 candidates and is certainly better defensively than Murphy, however he only has played in 7 games racking up just 13 at bats He draws more walks but I just want to see more at bats before declaring him the winner. 

To me it seems like Terry wasted our time and it appears inevitable that Murphy will end up rotting on the bench. That's too bad, because I was extremely interested in seeing him prove something out there and I certainly thought he improved extremely well considering the numerous position changes this club has put him through. Maybe he'll get his chance if Hernandez struggles out the gate or suffers an injury. Nothing is set in stone yet but all indications are pointing to Hernandez stealing the job. 

One thing is for certain though, Emaus and Turner haven't done anything to prove they will win the spot. So it's basically down to Hernandez, Murphy & Castillo. 

Still to this point nobody truly stands out above the rest at Second Base where the Mets have an open competition. It could be the fact that they don't know what they prefer, whether it be an offensive bat that can't turn a double play or a defensive glove that can't hit the ball out of the infield. 

Right now it appears that Luis Castillo might in fact be in last in the competition, as he has not given manager Terry Collins a good first impression. Luis has reportedly been moping around, angry that he has to compete for the position. I guess he was just handed stuff as a kid. What further ticks off Collins is his laziness, going as far as refusing to take part in pre-game ground ball practices in a game he was the Designated Hitter, because as we all know it was the laziness around the clubhouse that tore this team apart the last 3 seasons. 

Most believe that Murphy is the leading candidate to be the starting second baseman on Opening Day due to his offensive ability and his upside. However, it's the defensive aspect that worries Terry Collins. "He's shown he has the range to play there," said Collins, "but he hasn't had a chance to turn a double play (in games), and I've got to see him make that pivot with somebody sliding in on him."

Justin Turner has been very productive this pre-season, however he is the only member of the "competing four" who has a minor league option that does not expose him to Waivers. 

What is for sure is that the competition will probably only last one-to-two more weeks, leaving time for the second base option to build up chemistry with SS Jose Reyes. That is certainly a necessity in order to utilize the middle-infield to its fullest potential. Most likely the competition will be narrowed down to two by Wednesday or Thursday, and I have a feeling those two will be Justin Turner & Daniel Murphy. Castillo hasn't showed any improvement at the plate. While he has drawn a few walks here and there, he is batting a disappointing 3-14 (.214 AVG). And by the way, not one of those hits was for extra bases.