Expanding on: Is Marlon Anderson obsolete?

Marlon Anderson had a miserable 2008 season. Due to injuries, he only tallied 151 plate appearances and came away with a .210 batting average.

He showed up to spring training 17 pounds lighter in an attempt to show his dedication to the team and help improve his play. In 34 at bats so far this spring, Anderson has hit .265 with three RBIs and one run scored.

Anderson, in regards to time in the field, will likely only serve as a backup first baseman. At the plate, he'll be the Mets go-to guy for pinch hitting duties. That is, if he makes the team.

With Nick Evans and Fernando Tatis, flashing the glove at first base, along with Jeremy Reed, it seems Anderson has more competition than he anticipated. Is it worth it to the Mets to keep on a second string backup purely for pinch hitting duties?

Year	As Starter (H/PA)	As Sub/PH	Total
2008	.221 (17/82)	.197 (12/69)	.210 (29/151)
2007	.304 (14/53)	.286 (14/53)	.295 (28/106)
2006	.317 (64/224)	.247 (19/88)	.287 (83/312)
2005	.251 (42/180)	.294 (20/80)	.264 (62/260)

As his playing time diminishes, due to either ability or injuries, Anderson's batting average drops.

I asked the Twitter-audience a simple question: Is Marlon Anderson obsolete? Here's what I got...

• @letsgoduke: let me put it this way: yes. nick evans instead!
• @fscker: i hate to say, yes
• @samtpage: Marlon Anderson sucks, if that's what you mean.

Pretty telling answer from the fans.

With players able to fill his role on the field, the Mets may be able to sacrifice his "pinch hitting abilities" in favor of someone else.

Garcia assigned to minor league camp

OK, Mets...just make the announcement already. Livan Hernandez is the No. 5 starter, but they haven't said it yet.

Freddy Garcia has be assigned to minor league camp, and contrary to previous reports Garcia will stick with the team.

Assistant GM John Ricco had this to say, as quoted by Peter Botte:

"He still has a ways to go," Ricco said, "but I'm glad he's going to stay with us and try to work things out."

Garcia must know he's looked rough this spring. I'm sure we'll see him on the Mets sometime this summer.

Random thoughts and questions

I have a lot of thoughts running through my head right now, so I'll just leave them here for you to pick apart, answer or ponder.

• Is Marlon Anderson obselete? With enough younger guys on the bench, is there any reason to carry him on the team?
• Is John Maine actually healthy?
• Who is going to make the bullpen?
• Is Daniel Murphy really all that? Have I been sipping the kool aid?
• Who will be the first major injury? Who will fill in for that injury?
• Why is the bullpen called the bullpen?
• How will Citi Field play?
• Is the Mets rotation set up correctly (Santana, Pelfrey, Perez, Maine, Hernandez(?))?
• Where do I stand between new age stats and the tried and true ones?
• Will Nick Evans get a shot with the Mets this year?
• Who will be the first young arm to impact the team in '09?
• Is Jerry Manuel the coach this team needs, or is he still basking in the afterglow of Willie Randolph's firing?
• Will Luis Castillo get run out of town? Is Alex Cora a competent backup?
• Will Carlos Delgado play like he's gunning for another contract?

Have at it.

Murphy makes top 10 list

Buster Olney broke down the top 10 players to watch in MLB this year, and the Mets own Daniel Murphy ranked in at No. 3.

3. Daniel Murphy, Mets: Everybody who sees his at-bats walks away thinking they've just seen one of the most savvy young hitters in the sport.

Pretty high praise for Murphy.

The more I read about the young guy, the more I'm excited to see him on the team for a full year. He's like the second coming of David Wright, just with less pop. And who would deny another David Wright?

Is it time to worry about John Maine?

John Maine, coming back from shoulder surgery that cost him part of the 2008 season, is currently sporting a 10.38 ERA in 13 innings of work.

Some days he's confident about the pitches he was throwing, other days he complains that his pitches were missing and he doesn't know what's wrong. It must be disheartening for a pitcher to go out there and hit all your spots one day and miss them all the next.

Mets officials are also starting to take note.

According to Steve Popper, Omar Minaya and Jerry Manuel met for 10 minutes after Maine's five run drubbing on Saturday.

Popper quoted Manuel as saying: "I though the ball was coming out of his hand better than at any time this spring," he said. "His command just needs to be a little better."

Maine, on the other hand, had this to say: "I"m trying to keep things in perspective," he said. "I'm working on things right now. Even though the numbers weren't there, it seems two or three pitches could've made a difference. Ball are dropping in."

You can count me in the growing group of fans that are worried about John Maine. He's the No. 4 starter, but he just can't seem to find his groove after the surgery. Maine has a very bright future in front of him if he can stay healthy and re-find his pitches.

Update - 10:21 p.m.: Here's an update from camp, via David Lennon:

Maine threw roughly 50 pitches in the bullpen under Warthen's supervision and both were pleased with the session. He added about another eight inches to his stride, changed the grip on his slider and overall simplified his delivery. Warthen believes that Maine had been "babying" his arm and shoulder since the surgery. Now, with the longer stride, he should have more velocity on his pitches and better command.

"That's still a golden arm," Warthen said.

Lineup coming into view

It's been confirmed that the Jose Reyes experiment is over, and when the regular season begins, he will be batting lead off for the New York Mets. That leads to the next question, who's going to be batting behind Reyes?

Adam Rubin is reporting that the young Daniel Murphy will be the patient hitter the Mets tab to hit behind Reyes.

In 131 at bats last season, Murphy posted a .313 batting average and a .397 on base percentage, highest among first year players.

This bumps last year's No. 2 hitter, Luis Castillo, down to 8th in the order. This weakens the bottom of the order, but obviously strengthens the top of it.

Here's how a lineup might look with Murphy in left field:

1. Jose Reyes -- S
   
2. Daniel Murphy -- L
   
3. Carlos Beltran -- S
   
4. Carlos Delgado -- L
   
5. David Wright -- R
   
6. Ryan Church -- L
   
7. Brian Schneider -- L
   
8. Luis Castillo -- S
   
9. Pitcher

I think this might be the best lineup the Mets can put out. I like the way it's structured with a switch hitting in the first, third and eighth spot. It is a little left-heavy, but if the switch hitters flip to the right side of the plate, they should be all right.

Tom Martin released

The Mets have released Tom Martin, along with his broken wrist and mounted hog head.

Martin, a left handed reliever likely bound for Buffalo, fell down a flight of stairs at his rented home in Florida, breaking his wrist 10 days ago.

For lack of a better phrase, this is a "tough break" for Martin.

Alexi Panos taking over for Julie Alexandria; Mets Weekly debuts today

We're just about five minutes into the debut of Mets Weekly with new host Julie Alexandria of Beer Money fame. Good luck to Julie in her new endeavor. As a Mets fan, I'm sure she'll do very well on the show.

So...who's going to be taking over for Julie? Neil Best rumors that it will be Alexi Panos. Panos looks so much like Alexandria, she might just be her sister. I guess someone at SNY has a "type."

Livan Hernandez and Steve Somers: A match made in heaven

Thanks to Jeremy for this link.

If you are in need of a chuckle, go listen to Steve Somers chat with likely fifth starter Livan Hernandez.

Listen for the insertion of random syllables and grumbles on Livan's part. It made me laugh.

Game Recap: Mets 4 -- Orioles 0

Five pitchers combined to shut out the Baltimore Orioles on their spring training turf today, as the Mets cruised to a 4-0 victory.

On The Mound

Oliver Perez made his first start of the spring, pitching only three innings. He allowed only one hit, a double, and walked two batters.

A good, quick showing for Perez, who will be dialed back after throwing 85 pitches in his last World Baseball Classic appearance.

Bobby Parnell followed Perez, going 2 2-3 innings and scattering five hits. Parnell struck out two. Darren O'Day was next in line and allowed one walk and one strikeout in 1 1-3 innings.

Parnell is still around while Jon Niese heads to the minor league because Parnell still has a chance to stick in the bullpen. It's an outside shot, but a shot just the same.

Brian Stokes and Elmer Dessens each allowed one hit in their inning of work.

At The Plate

Daniel Murphy continued his hot spring, going 2-4, with a triple. He drove in two RBIs and scored one run.

I can't wait to see him get a full season under his belt.

Ike Davis also picked up two hits, including a double, in his first spring training action. He drove in one run.

Nice to see from the young guy.

Alex Cora picked up the Mets other RBI.

On Deck

The Mets will travel to Orlando to take on the Atlanta Braves in a 1 p.m. game on Saturday. The game is not on TV.