Pitching

First off it is an honor to be a blogger on this site. Spring training has begun, and I believe the Mets have something great going on. It is competition for the 5th spot in the rotation. You have at least 5 guys going for 1 position, three veterans in Tim Redding, non roster invites in Freddy Garcia and Livan Hernandez, then 2 younger guys in Bobby Parnell and Jonathon Niese. Though I would like to see a younger guy win the position, I think it might be a veteran who gets the position. Freddy Garcia after several surgeries in past years seems confident in himself for the position. If he can pitch like he did several years, the rotation would be extremely strong. If Garcia does not get the position, I believe he will look at another major league team that is looking to fill a starting position. If both Hernandez and Redding do not get the starting position, I think those can be two decent pitchers to be used in long relief. The two younger guys I still think need some work in the minors, at the new facilities in Buffalo.
In the bullpen you have potentially dangerous 8th and 9th inning pitchers in JJ Putz and Francisco Rodriguez. But you need other guys to fill innings to get to the last 2 innings of a game with a lead. With the addition of Sean Green (not the same guy who played right field for the Mets 2 years) and returning guys Pedro Feliciano and Duaner Sanchez, I think the Mets have made their bullpen a lot stronger. In August many people will be in shock if last year’s closer Billy Wagner is healthy enough, he can be a great addition, but we can’t look that far into the season. I also would like to see some younger guys get a shot to make the bullpen, possibly Eddie Kunz and Calos Muniz.