Photo of the Day: Martinez

19-year-old prospect Fernando Martinez tries to out run the rain and onto the Mets 25-man roster. It's a long shot at best.
It's still weird to be sitting on my couch writing about this kid, who is 3 months my junior, while he tries to make the major league squad.
(AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)

The first cuts of the spring

Six players are heading to minor league camp as part of the first cuts of spring training.

Bobby Parnell, Brant Rustich, Ivan Maldonado, Adam Bostick, Mike Nickeas and popular name, Jon Niese will report to the minor league camp at neighboring fields for the rest of the spring, reports Adam Rubin.

Niese has quickly become one of the most talked about names recently, quickly jumping up the ranks of the pitching prospect ladder for the Mets since Philip Humber and Kevin Mulvey packed their bags for Minnesota. We'll hear a lot about Niese over the next few years, if he stays on track.

Game cancelled

Pedro Martinez, and any possible injury that would probably occur to him, will have to wait to make his first start of the spring.

Tonights game against the Nationals has been called due to rain.

Pedro will have to be put on the waiting list to see when he'll make that first start of the year. He might face some live batters in the care instead of in a game, but we shall see.

Update: Lisa Kennelly reports that Pedro will pitch two simulated innings tomorrow.

Also, if there was a game, Damion Easley was penciled in at DH and Marlon Anderson was going to start in LF.

What I'm more interested in is who was going to start at first? Brady Clark?

Poll results: Pelfrey by a longshot

Who will pitch in more games for the Mets this season?

Mike Pelfrey - 27 votes (71%)
Jorge Sosa - 7 votes (18%)
Orlando Hernandez - 4 votes (10%)

It looks like readers feel Pelfrey's going to get his shot this year. Sosa might work out of the bullpen, so he might get to pitch more than El Duque, especially at the rate Duque is working these days.

New poll: Who will play more games in left field?

Interview with Keith

Head over to Matt Tracy's blog to check out his interview with Keith Hernandez, among others (David Wright, Moises Alou) from his trip down to Port St. Lucie.

From Tracy:

He even told me that the Mets are the best team in the NL East. Speaking of the NL East, I asked him about his opinion on the comments made earlier in Spring Training by Mets Outfielder Carlos Beltran.

“I don’t know if it was smart, but I don’t mind it. I liked it,” said Hernandez. “I like the fact that he said that, especially coming from him.”

He's one of my buddies in the blogsphere, and he was pretty lucky to get down to PSL for another year of interviews and press passes. Good stuff, so check it out.

Two players cleared for action

The injured starters remain injured, but two bench players have been cleared to play in the game tonight in Florida.

Marlon Anderson and Damion Easley have both been green lighted by the medical staff and will make the trip to Viera, Fla. tonight to take on the Washington Nationals, reports John Delcos.

Well it's about time we got some good news around these parts. Glad to see both of these players back after being part of some pretty horrific injuries. Easley is coming back after that gruesome ankle injury last year, and Anderson was involved in the collision with Ryan Church last Saturday.

Is it Pedro's day to get hurt?

With the recent onslaught of injuries, is it really smart for the Mets to even allow Pedro Martinez to make his first start of the spring tonight against the Nationals?

If you read my "padded room" article, I now think Pedro should be one of the guys wearing all the pads too. Just wrap their entire bodies in bubble wrap, until they're barely able to move, just like Randy from "A Christmas Story."

I am pretty excited to see Pedro go tonight, though he probably wont be throwing for strikes or outs, just to get some solid work in against live batters in a game situation. Still, the idea of Pedro and Johan Santana, back to back, is just drool-worthy.

Protect Wright and Reyes at all costs

With the New York Mets dropping like flies left and right, I think it's time to put David Wright and Jose Reyes on the pine.

The latest casualty on the Mets is 41-year-old Moises Alou, who will miss the start of the season due to a hernia operation. The only two starters who are not injured at this time are Wright and Reyes.

Omar Minaya needs to have a padded room constructed in Port St. Lucie, and quick. Just get a trailer, coat the inside in bubble wrap, add a few cots and there you have it. An injury-free, protective cave for anyone you hold dear to make the Mets.

Put these two young studs in there, seal it up, and don't let them out until the season is ready to start. It's either that, or have them running around with full pads, a la a young child on rollerblades, complete with helmet, knee pads and hand protectors.

Oh, and while you're at it, toss Johan Santana in there too. And some food I guess.

Photo of the Day: Santana

Johan Santana made his second start of spring training, allowing one run on two hits, while striking out 4.

(AP Photo/Nati Harnik)

Fantasy baseball draft I (enemy edition)

I was asked to participate in a Yankee blogger league, and I accepted. My goal was to be the lone Mets blogger to take down the "evil empire" and their bloggers.

We drafted earlier tonight, and here is my lineup, dissect it, if you must:

Catchers:
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, TEX (10th round, 92nd overall pick)
Brian Schneider, NYM (18th,172nd)

Infielders:
Mark Teixera, ATL (3rd, 29th)
Casey Kotchman, LAA (20th, 192nd)

Placido Polanco, DET (9th, 89th)
Orlando Hudson, ARI (19th,189th)

Ryan Braun, MIL (2nd, 12th)
Evan Longoria, TB (16th, 152nd)

Miguel Tejada, HOU (5th, 49th)

Outfielders:
Chris Young, ARI (4th, 32nd)
Jason Bay, PIT (8th, 72nd)
Kosuke Fukudome, CHC (14th, 132nd)

Starters:
Johan Santana, NYM (1st, 9th)
Roy Halladay, TOR (7th, 69th)
John Maine, NYM (11th, 109th)
Dontrelle Willis, DET (12th, 112th)
Chad Billingsley, LAD (12th, 122nd)

Relievers:
J.J. Putz, SEA (6th, 52nd)
Jonathan Broxton, LAD (15th, 149th)

My starters are listed first of their grouping.
I'm not 100% sure who my starter is going to be at second base, guess I'll base it on hot streaks. Also, Longoria might not even make the Tampa team this year, but I had to take him to spite my roommate.