MEET THE METS - THE BENCH

The Mets bench in 2008 will look an awful lot like it did in 2007. In addition to Endy Chavez, there's Damion Easley, Ruben Gotay, Ramon Castro, and whoever else fills in that last role.

The backup catcher is Ramon Castro, and he could play a pivotal role. Paul Lo Duca missed a lot of time last year, and Castro proved his worth as an everyday player. While Castro is not an everyday player (I maintain he loses his effectiveness the more he plays - I just think he's more apt to wear down, and is more effective off the bench), he could be a short-to-long-term solution if Brian Schneider is hurting the Mets at the plate more than he's helping them in the field.

You might notice that there aren't many alternatives in the outfield for the Mets. I wrote about Endy Chavez yesterday, and he's a left-handed hitter, as is Ryan Church (the starter in right for now). There's no real right-handed bat off the bench for the Mets who can play the outfield. There's a possibility the last bench spot will go to Angel Pagan, who the Mets acquired in the off-season, and he's a switch-hitter. But there's also a real chance he'll be in the minors. There are non-roster invitees Ben Johnson or Brady Clark, but there's also a reason those guys are non-roster invitees. (Jose Valentin was also invited back, and though he's a switch-hitter, he won't be seeing time in the outfield...if he makes the team.)

The Mets are going to be giving Damion Easley plenty of time in the outfield this spring, and if I recall correctly, he played a little outfield last year. Primarily, though, Easley is a middle infielder. So is Ruben Gotay, and Gotay figures to be the backup shortstop, as Willie Randolph wants to get Jose Reyes more rest this season.

The easy solution to the outfield problem is twofold - 1) the people in the lineup who aren't Ryan Church produce, taking off some of the pressure that's on him to hit lefties. 2) Ryan Church hits lefties, and the issue is moot.

One more factor to watch is 19-year-old Fernando Martinez. He already predicted that he will be in the majors at some point this year (which would make him the youngest Met to make the pros since Dwight Gooden). But Martinez definitely factors into the Mets' plans for the future, and there is a chance we could see him at Shea even before September call-ups.

There are a lot of question marks surrounding the Mets bench. This is an issue that will need to be revisited as the regular season draws near, and the final spots on the team are awarded.

MEET THE METS - ENDY CHAVEZ

A preview of the 2008 Mets, presented in the expected batting order, followed by pitching rotation, followed by impact bullpen/bench players. Today we focus on outfielder Endy Chavez.

2007: .287 avg, 1 HR, 17 RBI, 20 runs, .325 OBP in 71 games

Quite possibly the worst thing to happen to the Mets last year was the injury to Endy Chavez. Or, rather, the biggest contribution to the worst thing to happen to the Mets last year (missing the playoffs) was the injury to Endy Chavez.

Chavez suffered a left hamstring injury early last year, resulting in him playing in just 9 games in June, July, and August, and overall, in less games than Moises Alou. For the Mets to have as much success as they hope to have in 2008, Chavez needs to appear in more games than Alou, and he needs to stay healthy.

The chances of that looked like they took a hit in December, when Chavez had to have an MRI after a slide into home during winter ball resulted in an ankle injury and an injury to his right hamstring. Luckily, Chavez reported to spring training in good shape, and that injury isn't expected to be a problem.
Chavez is the entire package - for a guy whose role is to fill in. He's fast, so he serves as a pinch-runner. He's an excellent defender (and suffers the most of any of the Mets for the 2006 playoffs loss - his catch in Game 7 of the NLCS was outstanding, and was recognized as such, but it has been de-valued by the Mets going on to lose that game). He's a good hitter...and an excellent bunter. And he's comfortable with his role.

Chavez doesn't complain about not being a starter, and he knows that his chances will come, with Moises Alou aging in left, Carlos Beltran needing rest every so often in center, and Ryan Church a big question mark in right. Come playoff time (fingers crossed), Chavez's role becomes even more pronounced, as we saw in 2006. He's a late-innings defensive replacement, but when that role puts him in a position to hit, the Mets don't suffer.

Chavez's patience might be put to the test if the Mets' outfielders stay healthy . Will he start asking for more playing time if Moises Alou doesn't suffer a long-term injury? (That's probably a bad example, since Chavez will get plenty of fill-in time for Alou to rest.) Hopefully, though, playing time for Chavez won't be an issue until 2009, when Alou's contract is up, and the left field job is expected to be inherited by phenom Fernando Martinez (who could make an appearance there this year, at age 19). But that's well over a year away. Hopefully, in Chavez's stat line, that's still about 130 games away, plus another 15 or so in October.