Oliver Perez
Perez is making his first Grapefruit League appearance today again the Orioles after returning from the World Baseball Classic. Perez struggled through the WBC, going 0-1 with a 9.45 ERA in 6.2 innings. Perez also expressed that he was feeling "fatigued" after the performance.
Jerry Manuel said he would "dial-back" Perez during spring training action. Expect only a few innings out of Perez today.
Nick Evans
Evans will start in right field today as the Mets try and find a position for the young righty. He leads the team in spring training at bats, likely due to the WBC. Evans is a young guy that should be getting regular playing time, so a bench position may not be what the Mets want for him. Wrestiling away a starting job may be his only chance at making the Opening Day roster, but I don't see that happening.
Ike Davis
The Mets picked Davis 18th overall in the 2008 draft, and he will be starting at first base today.
Adam Rubin posted the write up he completed on Davis on draft day:
Too bad this game isn't on TV.Davis, unlike his father a lefty thrower and hitter, pitched his freshman year, then played right field his sophomore year and first base as a junior. He is hitting .394 with 16 homers and 73 RBI in 49 games for ASU, entering a matchup with Fresno State this weekend for a berth in the College World Series.
"I've played first longer, so I'm probably a lot better at that," he said.