Yeah, it’s only spring training too soon to get too excited or too worried but there have been some positive notes and one potentially negative one for the Mets.
On the up side:
John Niese working with mostly with his cut fastball had a strong outing pitching 2 2/3 innings and striking out five. A solid Niese really helps the Mets this year.
In the same game Jenrry Mejia made his spring debut. Daryl Strawberry compared the much touted rookie to Mario, high praise indeed. Mejia was perfect for the 7 batters he faced looking quite strong and confident as he struck out 4 of them throwing around 95-96 MPH the entire time. An impressive debut for sure. Can the 20 year old, righty pitcher who has barely been above A-ball (4-6 in the minors with a 3.14 ERA) head north with the Mets? The Mets have enough holes in their pitching staff where Mejia will be on the big club sooner rather than later. If he keeps pitching like this they will have a hard time keeping him in Buffalo.
The Mets’ other potential number 5 starter Nelson Fugueroa also looked strong in his outing during a split squad game with the Cardinals. That game wasn’t televised but Figgy pitched 4 innings, struck out 5 and only gave up 1 hit. I’ve always like Figueroa I hope he goes north with the club.
Jason Bay also had his first hit with the Mets. And David Wright seems more comfortable at the plate this year. Bay should prove to be nice protection for him.
First base prospect Ike Davis continues to impress. He will be hanging his spikes in a locker in City Field sooner rather than later.
On the Down side:
Jose Reyes has a thyroid imbalance so he is sidelined until they get it under control. Hopefully this is something they will be able to treat soon. Thyroids are tricky but usually manageable. Let’s hope for the best.
On a weird non Mets note:
Barry Zito hit Prince Fielder in retaliation for a homerun (and victory “dance”) from LAST year. From the outside this may seem excessive or even trite, but as an ex-pitcher (a poor one even at the college level) I can say we do have long memories. Fielder took it in stride as it is all part of the game.
