Below you’ll find a comprehensive list of the 2010 MLB Spring Training Non-roster invitees for all Major League teams, as of February 8, 2010. This information is easy to obtain, but not as easy to compile and format, into one master list so I ask that if you want to take the entire list for whatever purpose you at least cite your source. I’ll cite mine. MLB.com To make things more interesting I also add links to unofficial team blogs for each of the Major League baseball teams and on some players I added links to random blogs pertaining to the player.The information is useful for people looking to obtain autographs through the mail, or you really lucky people who will be going to Arizona or Florida for spring training.

Baltimore Orioles

Pitchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

57 Jake Arrieta R/R 6-4 225 03/06/86
75 Chris George L/L 6-2 185 09/16/79
73 Mike Hinckley R/L 6-3 205 10/05/82
74 Frank Mata R/R 6-0 168 03/11/84
76 Josh Perrault R/R 6-3 205 06/11/82
45 Dennis Sarfate R/R 6-4 225 04/09/81
55 Alfredo Simon R/R 6-4 230 05/08/81
56 Ross Wolf R/R 6-0 180 10/18/82

Catchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

83 Luis Bernardo R/R 6-0 170 01/16/88
79 Adam Donachie R/R 6-1 215 03/03/84
71 Michel Hernandez R/R 6-0 215 08/12/78
72 Caleb Joseph R/R 6-3 180 06/18/86
16 Chad Moeller R/R 6-3 210 02/18/75

Infielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

80 Miguel Abreu R/R 5-11 190 11/14/84
78 Blake Davis L/R 5-11 165 12/22/83
6 Scott Moore L/R 6-2 195 11/17/83

Outfielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

81 Matt Angle L/R 5-10 175 09/10/85
77 Jeff Salazar L/L 6-0 195 11/24/80
82 Jonathan Tucker R/R 5-7 170 07/02/83

Boston Red Sox

Pitchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

61 Randor Bierd R/R 6-4 190 03/14/84
53 Fernando Cabrera R/R 6-4 225 11/16/81
83 Kris Johnson L/L 6-4 170 10/14/84
93 Casey Kelly R/R 6-3 195 10/04/89
82 Adam Mills R/R 5-11 190 11/19/84
84 Edwin Moreno R/R 6-1 220 07/30/80
46 Joe Nelson R/R 6-1 205 10/25/74
55 Brian Shouse L/L 5-10 190 09/26/68
36 Jorge Sosa R/R 6-2 220 04/28/77
97 Kyle Weiland L/R 6-4 195 09/12/86

Catchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

91 Luis Exposito R/R 6-3 210 01/20/87
72 Gustavo Molina R/R 6-1 245 02/24/82

Infielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

78 Lars Anderson L/L 6-4 215 09/25/87
96 Yamaico Navarro R/R 5-11 170 10/31/87
62 Angel Sanchez R/R 6-2 205 09/20/83
60 Gil Velazquez R/R 6-3 190 10/17/79

Outfielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

87 Zach Daeges L/R 6-4 225 11/16/83
92 Ryan Kalish L/L 6-1 205 03/28/88
85 Che-Hsuan Lin R/R 6-0 180 09/21/88
54 Darnell McDonald R/R 5-11 210 11/17/78

Chicago White Sox

Pitchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

65 Greg Aquino R/R 6-1 190 01/11/78
66 Ryan Z. Braun R/R 6-1 220 07/29/80
47 Daniel Cabrera R/R 6-9 260 05/28/81
78 Charles Leesman L/L 6-4 210 03/10/87
68 Erick Threets L/L 6-5 240 11/04/81

Catchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

38 Cole Armstrong L/R 6-3 210 08/24/83
81 Miguel Gonzalez R/R 6-0 200 12/03/90
55 Donny Lucy R/R 6-2 205 08/08/82
79 Josh Phegley R/R 5-10 215 02/12/88

Infielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

67 Freddie Bynum L/R 6-1 185 03/15/80
77 Brent Morel R/R 6-1 220 04/21/87
75 C.J. Retherford R/R 5-10 190 08/14/85

Outfielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

70 Jason Botts S/R 6-5 250 07/26/80
76 Jordan Danks L/R 6-4 210 08/07/86
74 Josh Kroeger L/L 6-3 230 08/31/82
80 Jared Mitchell L/L 6-0 195 10/13/88

Cleveland Indians

Pitchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

20 Mike Gosling L/L 6-2 210 09/23/80
35 Jason Grilli R/R 6-5 225 11/11/76
73 Frank Herrmann L/R 6-4 220 05/30/84
80 Josh Judy R/R 6-4 200 02/09/86
64 Yohan Pino R/R 6-0 190 12/26/83
81 Zach Putnam R/R 6-2 225 07/03/87
27 Anthony Reyes R/R 6-2 230 10/16/81
56 Saul Rivera S/R 5-10 175 12/07/77
79 Alex White R/R 6-3 185 08/29/88

Catchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

65 Damaso Espino R/R 6-1 210 05/08/83

Infielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

9 Brian Buscher L/R 6-0 220 04/18/81
76 Lonnie Chisenhall L/R 6-1 200 10/04/88
12 Mark Grudzielanek R/R 6-1 200 06/30/70
78 Beau Mills L/R 6-3 220 08/15/86
6 Luis Rodriguez S/R 5-9 190 06/27/80
74 Niuman Romero S/R 6-0 160 01/24/85

Outfielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

47 Shelley Duncan R/R 6-5 225 09/29/79
26 Austin Kearns R/R 6-3 245 05/20/80

Detroit Tigers

Pitchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

67 Phil Dumatrait R/L 6-2 205 07/12/81
62 Enrique Gonzalez R/R 5-10 225 07/14/82
64 Josh Rainwater R/R 6-1 220 04/09/85
70 Cody Satterwhite R/R 6-4 205 01/27/87
72 Robbie Weinhardt R/R 6-2 205 12/08/85

Catchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

66 Robinzon Diaz R/R 5-11 215 09/19/83
74 John Murrian R/R 6-1 210 06/15/88
71 Mike Rabelo S/R 6-0 210 01/17/80
75 Eric Roof L/R 6-5 185 11/15/86
63 Max St. Pierre R/R 6-0 175 04/17/80

Infielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

65 Kory Casto L/R 6-0 215 12/08/81
19 Jeff Larish L/R 6-2 200 10/11/82
73 Gustavo Nunez S/R 5-10 150 02/08/88

Kansas City Royals

Pitchers B/T Ht Wt DOB
73 Adam Bostick L/L 6-1 225 03/17/83
62 Bryan Bullington R/R 6-4 210 09/30/80
69 Jorge Campillo R/R 6-1 225 08/10/78
52 Bruce Chen L/L 6-1 215 06/19/77
79 Danny Duffy L/L 6-2 185 12/21/88
77 Matt Herges L/R 6-0 210 04/01/70
59 Philip Humber R/R 6-4 220 12/21/82
67 John Parrish L/L 5-11 190 11/26/77
68 Nelson Payano L/L 6-1 190 11/13/82
66 Francisco Rosario R/R 6-0 195 09/28/80
65 Josh Rupe R/R 6-2 210 08/18/82
57 Brad Thompson R/R 6-1 190 01/31/82

Catchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

63 Edwin Bellorin R/R 5-9 225 02/21/82
74 Cody Clark R/R 6-2 205 09/14/81
70 Steven Lerud L/R 6-1 210 10/13/84
26 Vance Wilson R/R 5-11 215 03/17/73

Infielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

46 Wilson Betemit S/R 6-3 230 11/02/81
72 Irving Falu S/R 5-9 180 06/06/83
71 Ernesto Mejia R/R 6-6 190 12/02/85
76 Mike Moustakas L/R 6-0 195 09/11/88

Outfielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

41 Buck Coats L/R 6-3 200 06/09/82
78 David Lough L/L 6-0 180 01/20/86
75 Derrick Robinson S/L 5-11 170 09/28/87
64 Scott Thorman L/R 6-3 235 01/06/82

Los Angeles Angels

Pitchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Ryan Brasier R/R 6-0 200 08/26/87
– Ryan Chaffee R/R 6-2 190 05/18/88
– Tyler Chatwood R/R 5-11 175 12/16/89
– Travis Chick R/R 6-2 220 06/10/84
– Michael Kohn R/R 6-2 200 06/26/86
– Tommy Mendoza R/R 6-2 195 08/18/87
– Kevin Nabors R/R 6-3 210 08/12/85
– Trevor Reckling L/L 6-1 195 05/22/89
– Francisco Rodriguez R/R 6-3 215 02/26/83
– Will Smith R/L 6-5 235 07/10/89
– Andrew Taylor R/L 6-1 190 08/18/86

Catchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Hank Conger S/R 6-1 220 01/29/88
– Anel De Los Santos R/R 6-3 210 06/19/88
– Alberto Rosario R/R 5-10 190 01/10/87
– Brian Walker L/R 6-0 215 07/16/85

Infielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Alexi Amarista L/R 5-8 150 04/06/89
– Ryan Mount L/R 6-0 190 08/17/86
– Efren Navarro L/L 6-0 200 05/14/86
– Abel Nieves R/R 5-11 175 08/14/85
– Gary Patchett R/R 6-2 180 09/25/78
– Andrew Romine S/R 6-1 190 12/24/85
– Hainley Statia S/R 5-10 160 01/19/86
– Nate Sutton L/R 6-0 195 09/01/82

Outfielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Cory Aldridge L/R 6-1 225 06/13/79
– Bradley Coon L/L 6-0 175 12/11/82
– Jeremy Moore L/R 6-1 190 06/29/87
– Michael Ryan L/R 5-11 220 07/06/77

Minnesota Twins

Pitchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Jose Lugo L/L 6-1 180 04/10/84
– Mike Maroth L/L 6-0 195 08/17/77
– Anthony Slama R/R 6-3 205 01/06/84
– Kyle Waldrop R/R 6-5 215 10/27/85

Catchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Jair Fernandez R/R 6-1 170 12/10/86
– Danny Lehmann R/R 5-11 185 09/05/85
– Daniel Rams R/R 6-2 205 12/19/88

Infielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Brian Dinkelman L/R 5-11 195 11/10/83
– Chris Parmelee L/L 6-1 223 02/24/88
– Brock Peterson R/R 6-3 230 11/20/83
– Steve Singleton L/R 5-11 180 09/12/85

Outfielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Juan Portes R/R 5-11 170 11/26/85
– Ben Revere L/R 5-9 166 05/03/88
– Rene Tosoni L/R 6-0 195 07/02/86

New York Yankees

Pitchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Zack Segovia R/R 6-2 245 04/11/83

Catchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Mike Rivera R/R 6-1 235 09/08/76

Outfielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Reid Gorecki R/R 6-1 200 12/22/80

Oakland Athletics

Pitchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

57 Cedrick Bowers R/L 6-2 220 02/10/78
70 Sam Demel R/R 6-0 200 10/23/85
52 Lenny DiNardo L/L 6-2 220 09/19/79
36 Fernando Hernandez R/R 5-11 190 07/31/84
45 Marcus McBeth R/R 6-2 185 08/23/80
66 Tyson Ross R/R 6-5 215 04/22/87
59 Matt Wright R/R 6-4 270 03/13/82

Catchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

71 Josh Donaldson R/R 6-1 215 12/08/85
72 Joel Galarraga R/R 6-0 155 03/20/82
19 Anthony Recker R/R 6-2 240 08/29/83
68 Max Stassi R/R 5-10 205 03/15/91

Infielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

61 Adrian Cardenas L/R 6-0 185 10/10/87
76 Grant Green R/R 6-3 180 09/27/87
18 Dallas McPherson L/R 6-4 225 07/23/80
28 Eric Sogard L/R 5-10 180 05/22/86
73 Jemile Weeks S/R 5-10 175 01/26/87
75 Matthew Whitney R/R 6-3 215 02/13/84

Outfielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

25 Matt Carson R/R 6-2 200 07/01/81
23 Michael Taylor R/R 6-6 250 12/19/85
67 Corey Wimberly S/R 5-8 180 10/26/83

Seattle Mariners

Pitchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Chad Cordero R/R 6-0 225 03/18/82

Catchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Eliezer Alfonzo R/R 5-11 220 02/07/79
– Josh Bard S/R 6-3 225 03/30/78

Infielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

59 Tommy Everidge R/R 6-0 240 04/20/83
– Brad Nelson L/R 6-2 265 12/23/82
16 Josh Wilson R/R 6-0 175 03/26/81
6 Chris Woodward R/R 6-0 190 06/27/76

Outfielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Corey Patterson L/R 5-10 175 08/13/79

Tampa Bay Rays

Pitchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

49 Winston Abreu R/R 6-2 170 04/05/77
73 Joe Bateman R/R 6-1 185 05/06/80
47 Jeff Bennett R/R 6-3 200 06/10/80
74 Jason Cromer R/L 6-4 225 12/11/80
72 Richard De Los Santos R/R 6-1 175 06/01/84
52 Carlos Hernandez S/L 5-11 205 04/22/80
– Heath Phillips L/L 6-3 280 03/24/82
68 R.J. Swindle L/L 6-3 190 07/07/83

Catchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Alvin Colina R/R 6-3 210 12/26/81

Infielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

26 Joe Dillon R/R 6-2 215 08/02/75
32 Chris Richard L/L 6-2 210 06/07/74
43 Ryan Shealy R/R 6-5 240 08/29/79

Texas Rangers

Pitchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

55 Willie Eyre R/R 6-2 205 07/21/78
44 Geoff Geary R/R 6-0 180 08/26/76
47 Kasey Kiker L/L 5-10 170 11/19/87
59 Clay Rapada R/L 6-5 200 03/09/81
22 Tanner Scheppers R/R 6-4 170 01/17/87

Catchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

72 Emerson Frostad L/R 6-1 210 01/13/83
11 Toby Hall R/R 6-3 240 10/21/75
61 Kevin Richardson R/R 6-3 230 09/12/80

Infielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

71 Matthew Brown R/R 6-0 200 08/08/82
6 Esteban German R/R 5-9 195 01/26/78
15 Ray Olmedo S/R 5-11 175 05/31/81
12 Justin Smoak S/L 6-4 220 12/05/86

Outfielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

18 Mitch Moreland L/L 6-2 230 09/06/85
74 Chad Tracy R/R 6-3 205 07/04/85

Toronto Blue Jays

Pitchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

36 Lance Broadway R/R 6-3 195 08/20/83
67 Willie Collazo L/L 5-8 180 11/07/79
4 Kyle Drabek R/R 6-0 185 12/08/87
72 Daniel Farquhar R/R 5-10 170 02/17/87
71 Shawn Hill R/R 6-2 225 04/28/81
33 Zach Jackson L/L 6-5 220 05/13/83
64 Chad Jenkins R/R 6-4 225 12/22/87
66 Rommie Lewis L/L 6-5 230 09/02/82
69 Steven Register R/R 6-1 180 05/16/83
73 Zachary Stewart R/R 6-2 205 09/28/86

Catchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

9 J.P. Arencibia R/R 6-0 215 01/05/86
13 Raul Chavez R/R 5-11 240 03/17/73
62 Travis D’Arnaud R/R 6-2 195 02/10/89
12 Brian Jeroloman L/R 5-11 200 05/10/85
75 Matt Liuzza R/R 5-11 225 02/03/84
31 Kyle Phillips L/R 6-1 225 04/03/84

Infielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

76 David Cooper L/L 6-0 200 02/12/87
77 Brad Emaus R/R 5-11 210 03/28/86
68 Jesus Merchan R/R 6-0 185 03/26/81
46 Brett Wallace L/R 6-2 205 08/26/86

Outfielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

1 Joey Gathright L/R 5-10 185 04/27/81
20 Adam Loewen L/L 6-6 235 04/09/84
70 Chris Lubanski L/L 6-3 210 03/24/85
63 Jorge Padilla R/R 6-1 215 08/11/79
7 Jeremy Reed L/L 6-0 210 06/15/81

Arizona Diamondbacks

Pitchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

41 T.J. Beam R/R 6-6 200 08/28/80
75 Josh Ellis R/R 6-1 215 08/07/84
70 Barry Enright R/R 6-3 220 03/30/86
74 Tom Layne L/L 6-3 185 11/02/84
13 Rodrigo Lopez R/R 6-1 185 12/14/75
61 Kyler Newby R/R 6-4 225 02/22/85
72 Wes Roemer R/R 6-0 205 10/07/86
76 Bryan Shaw S/R 5-10 205 11/08/87
73 Matt Torra R/R 6-3 225 06/29/84

Catchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

37 Carlos Corporan S/R 6-2 220 01/07/84
77 Sean Coughlin L/R 6-1 205 05/14/85
79 Konrad Schmidt R/R 6-0 225 08/02/84

Infielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

21 Jeff Bailey R/R 6-2 200 11/19/78
60 Mark Hallberg R/R 5-11 170 12/09/85

Outfielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

78 Collin Cowgill R/L 5-9 195 05/22/86
71 Evan Frey L/L 6-0 170 06/07/86
12 Drew Macias L/L 6-3 200 03/07/83

Atlanta Braves

Pitchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Mariano Gomez L/L 6-6 240 09/12/82
– Scott Proctor R/R 6-0 190 01/02/77

Catchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

– J.C. Boscan R/R 6-2 215 12/26/79
– Orlando Mercado R/R 5-9 210 03/13/85

Infielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Joe Thurston L/R 5-11 210 09/29/79

Outfielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Brent Clevlen R/R 6-2 190 10/27/83
– Mitch Jones R/R 6-0 215 10/15/77

Chicago Cubs

Pitchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

70 Andrew Cashner R/R 6-6 210 09/11/86
– Casey Coleman L/R 6-1 180 07/03/87
20 Thomas Diamond R/R 6-3 230 04/06/83
78 Jeff Kennard R/R 6-2 220 07/26/81
68 J.R. Mathes L/L 6-3 210 11/09/81
53 Vince Perkins L/R 6-5 240 09/27/81
76 James Russell L/L 6-4 205 01/08/86

Catchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

71 Robinson Chirinos R/R 6-1 185 06/05/84
– Steve Clevenger L/R 6-0 195 04/05/86
75 Chris Robinson R/R 6-0 200 05/12/84

Infielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Darwin Barney R/R 5-10 180 11/08/85
67 Starlin Castro R/R 6-1 160 03/24/90
73 Blake Lalli L/R 6-1 210 05/12/83
– Kevin Millar R/R 6-0 215 09/24/71
9 Chad Tracy L/R 6-2 215 05/22/80
61 Josh Vitters R/R 6-3 200 08/27/89

Outfielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

57 Matt Camp L/R 6-0 175 05/29/84
59 Brett Jackson L/R 6-2 210 08/02/88
4 Bryan LaHair L/R 6-5 220 11/05/82
15 Bobby Scales S/R 6-0 185 10/04/77
– Brad Snyder L/L 6-3 200 05/25/82

Cincinnati Reds

Pitchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

81 Jon Adkins L/R 6-0 210 08/30/77
79 Jose Arredondo R/R 6-0 175 03/30/84
76 Mike Leake R/R 6-1 190 11/12/87
62 Justin Lehr R/R 6-2 215 08/03/77
69 Alexander Smit L/L 6-3 215 10/02/85

Catchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

26 Wilkin Castillo S/R 6-0 200 06/01/84
75 Chris Denove R/R 6-1 215 12/09/82
78 Devin Mesoraco R/R 6-1 220 06/19/88
37 Corky Miller R/R 6-1 245 03/18/76
74 Brandon Yarbrough L/R 6-2 180 11/09/84

Infielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

16 Chris Burke R/R 5-11 195 03/11/80
43 Miguel Cairo R/R 6-1 210 05/04/74
73 Zack Cozart R/R 6-1 185 08/12/85

Outfielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

58 Josh Anderson L/R 6-2 195 08/10/82
80 Daniel Dorn L/L 6-2 190 07/20/84
70 Todd Frazier R/R 6-3 220 02/12/86
17 Laynce Nix L/L 6-1 220 10/30/80

Colorado Rockies

Pitchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Jimmy Gobble L/L 6-3 210 07/19/81
– Tim Redding R/R 5-11 230 02/12/78
– Justin Speier R/R 6-3 205 11/06/73

Catchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Paul Lo Duca R/R 5-9 215 04/12/72
39 Paul Phillips R/R 5-11 205 04/15/77

Outfielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Jay Payton R/R 5-10 205 11/22/72

Florida Marlins

Pitchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Clay Hensley R/R 5-11 190 08/31/79
– Daniel Jennings L/L 6-3 190 04/17/87
– Seth McClung L/R 6-6 260 02/07/81
– Kasey Olenberger R/R 6-4 235 03/18/78
– Matt Peterson R/R 6-5 220 02/11/82
– Chris Schroder R/R 6-1 210 08/20/78
– Scott Strickland R/R 5-10 220 04/26/76
– Derrick Turnbow R/R 6-3 210 01/25/78
– Jose Veras R/R 6-5 235 10/20/80
– Jay Voss L/L 6-4 195 04/22/87

Catchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Brad Davis R/R 6-1 190 12/29/82
– Chris Hatcher R/R 6-2 190 01/12/85
– Vinny Rottino R/R 6-1 220 04/07/80

Infielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Brian Barden R/R 5-11 200 04/02/81
– Matt Dominguez R/R 6-1 210 08/28/89
– Hector Luna R/R 6-0 225 02/01/80
– Osvaldo Martinez R/R 5-10 170 05/07/88
– Logan Morrison L/L 6-3 245 08/25/87
– Donnie Murphy R/R 5-10 185 03/10/83
– Danny Richar L/R 6-1 195 06/09/83

Outfielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Bryan Petersen L/R 6-0 200 04/09/86
– Mike Stanton R/R 6-5 240 11/08/89

Houston Astros

Pitchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Josh Banks R/R 6-3 210 07/18/82
– Gustavo Chacin L/L 5-11 205 11/04/80
– Roy Corcoran R/R 5-10 185 05/11/80
– Casey Daigle R/R 6-5 240 04/04/81
– Chia-Jen Lo R/R 5-11 180 04/07/86
– Shane Loux R/R 6-2 235 08/31/79
– Gary Majewski R/R 6-2 215 02/26/80

Catchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Kevin Cash R/R 6-0 200 12/06/77
– Jason Castro L/R 6-3 210 06/18/87
– Brian Esposito R/R 6-1 190 02/24/79
– Lou Santangelo R/R 6-1 205 03/16/83

Infielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Drew Meyer L/R 5-10 200 08/29/81
– Oswaldo Navarro R/R 6-0 155 10/02/84
– Chris Shelton R/R 6-0 215 06/26/80

Outfielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Jason Bourgeois R/R 5-9 190 01/04/82
– Alex Romero L/R 6-0 200 09/09/83
– Cory Sullivan L/L 6-0 200 08/20/79

Los Angeles Dodgers

Pitchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

26 Luis Ayala R/R 6-2 190 01/12/78
88 Scott Dohmann R/R 6-1 200 02/13/78
79 Francisco Felix R/R 5-11 205 07/28/83
70 Josh Lindblom R/R 6-5 240 06/15/87
45 Justin Miller R/R 6-2 200 08/27/77
35 Ramon Ortiz R/R 6-0 175 05/23/73
48 Russ Ortiz R/R 6-1 215 06/05/74
78 Juan Perez R/L 6-0 180 09/03/78
28 Josh Towers R/R 6-1 185 02/26/77
36 Jeff Weaver R/R 6-5 200 08/22/76

Catchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

77 JD Closser S/R 5-10 200 01/15/80
81 Gabriel Gutierrez R/R 5-11 190 11/24/83
82 Justin Knoedler R/R 6-2 215 07/17/80

Infielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

30 Angel Berroa R/R 6-0 195 01/27/78
21 Nick Green R/R 6-0 180 09/10/78
76 John Lindsey R/R 6-1 245 01/30/77
13 Doug Mientkiewicz L/R 6-0 210 06/19/74
72 Russ Mitchell R/R 6-1 182 02/15/85
63 Argenis Reyes S/R 5-10 165 09/25/82

Outfielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Alfredo Amezaga S/R 5-10 180 01/16/78
66 Brian Barton R/R 6-3 190 04/25/82
– Brian Giles L/L 5-10 205 01/20/71
61 Prentice Redman R/R 6-3 185 08/23/79
2 Michael Restovich R/R 6-6 240 01/03/79

Milwaukee Brewers

Pitchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

67 Eric Arnett R/R 6-5 230 01/25/88
70 Zach Braddock L/L 6-4 230 08/23/87
39 Chris Capuano L/L 6-2 225 08/19/78
48 Tim Dillard R/R 6-4 225 07/19/83
50 John Halama L/L 6-5 215 02/22/72
68 Kyle Heckathorn R/R 6-6 240 06/17/88
73 Kameron Loe R/R 6-7 240 09/10/81
76 A.J. Murray S/L 6-3 220 03/17/82
52 Chris Smith R/R 6-2 200 04/09/81

Catchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

87 Jonathan Lucroy R/R 6-0 185 06/13/86
79 Martin Maldonado R/R 6-1 210 08/16/86
20 Matt Treanor R/R 6-0 210 03/03/76

Outfielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

15 Jim Edmonds L/L 6-1 210 06/27/70
65 Trent Oeltjen L/L 6-1 190 02/28/83
66 Logan Schafer L/L 6-1 180 09/08/86
63 Adam Stern L/R 5-11 185 02/12/80

New York Mets

Pitchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Travis Blackley L/L 6-3 200 11/04/82
64 Elmer Dessens R/R 5-11 200 01/13/71
– R.A. Dickey R/R 6-2 215 10/29/74
– Josh Fogg R/R 6-0 205 12/13/76
– Bobby Livingston L/L 6-3 205 09/03/82
– Carlos Muniz R/R 6-1 190 03/12/81
– Eric Niesen L/L 6-1 180 09/04/85

Catchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Francisco Pena R/R 6-2 230 10/12/89

Infielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Russ Adams L/R 6-0 200 08/30/80
– Jolbert Cabrera R/R 6-1 215 12/08/72
– Mike Cervenak R/R 5-11 200 08/17/76
– Ike Davis L/L 6-5 195 03/22/87
29 Andy Green R/R 5-10 180 07/07/77
– Luis Hernandez S/R 5-10 180 06/26/84
– Mike Hessman R/R 6-5 215 03/05/78
– Ruben Tejada R/R 5-11 165 09/01/89

Outfielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Jesus Feliciano L/L 6-0 174 06/06/79
– Kirk Nieuwenhuis L/R 6-3 210 08/07/87

Philadelphia Phillies

Pitchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Phillippe Aumont L/R 6-7 220 01/07/89
– B.J. Rosenberg R/R 6-2 215 09/17/85
– Joe Savery L/L 6-3 215 11/04/85
– Ryan Vogelsong R/R 6-3 215 07/22/77
– Ehren Wassermann S/R 6-0 190 12/06/80
– Bill White L/L 6-3 225 11/20/78

Catchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Tuffy Gosewisch R/R 5-11 190 08/17/83
24 Paul Hoover R/R 6-1 210 04/14/76
– Kevin Nelson R/R 6-3 215 04/08/81
– Dane Sardinha R/R 6-0 215 04/08/79
– John Suomi L/R 5-11 200 10/05/80

Infielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Ozzie Chavez S/R 6-1 160 07/13/83
– Freddy Galvis S/R 5-10 170 11/14/89
– Cody Ransom R/R 6-2 190 02/17/76
33 Andy Tracy L/R 6-3 240 12/11/73
– Wilson Valdez R/R 5-11 170 05/20/78

Outfielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Domonic Brown L/L 6-5 204 09/03/87
– Chris Duffy L/L 5-9 185 04/20/80
– Tyson Gillies L/R 6-2 190 10/31/88
– Dewayne Wise L/L 6-1 190 02/24/78

Pittsburgh Pirates

Pitchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

66 Jimmy Barthmaier R/R 6-5 215 01/06/84
74 Brian Bass R/R 6-2 215 01/06/82
71 Brian Burres L/L 6-2 175 04/08/81
77 D.J. Carrasco R/R 6-3 220 04/12/77
23 Vinnie Chulk R/R 6-2 195 12/19/78
78 Anthony Claggett S/R 6-3 195 07/15/84
72 Neal Cotts L/L 6-1 200 03/25/80
38 Craig Hansen R/R 6-6 225 11/15/83
79 Steven Jackson R/R 6-5 230 03/15/82
27 Jeff Karstens R/R 6-3 185 09/24/82
36 Wilfredo Ledezma L/L 6-4 225 01/21/81
68 Jean Machi R/R 5-11 245 02/01/82
69 Jeremy Powell R/R 6-5 230 06/18/76
70 Jack Taschner L/L 6-3 205 04/21/78
65 Justin Thomas L/L 6-3 220 01/18/84
50 Virgil Vasquez R/R 6-3 205 06/07/82
30 Tyler Yates R/R 6-4 250 08/07/77

Catchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

75 Luke Carlin S/R 5-11 185 12/20/80
81 Hector Gimenez S/R 5-10 210 09/28/82
67 Erik Kratz R/R 6-4 250 06/15/80
55 Tony Sanchez R/R 6-0 220 05/20/88

Infielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

82 Doug Bernier R/R 5-11 175 06/24/80
80 Brian Friday R/R 5-11 180 12/16/85

Outfielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

76 Brian Myrow L/R 5-11 210 09/04/76
61 Jonathan Van Every L/L 6-1 190 11/27/79

San Diego Padres

Pitchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

41 Mark Worrell R/R 6-1 215 03/08/83

Outfielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Chris Denorfia R/R 6-0 205 07/15/80
– Matt Stairs L/R 5-9 215 02/27/68

San Francisco Giants

Pitchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Denny Bautista R/R 6-5 195 08/23/80
– Santiago Casilla R/R 6-0 200 07/25/80
– Craig Clark L/L 6-2 200 07/09/84
– Rafael Cova R/R 6-2 175 03/05/82
– Steve Edlefsen S/R 6-2 180 06/27/85
– Eric Hacker S/R 6-1 210 03/26/83
– Osiris Matos R/R 6-1 200 08/06/84
– Tony Pena R/R 6-2 180 03/23/81
– Felix Romero R/R 6-2 200 06/18/80
– Clayton Tanner R/L 6-1 202 12/05/87
– Daniel Turpen R/R 6-4 230 08/17/86
– Craig Whitaker R/R 6-4 210 11/19/84

Catchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Steve Holm R/R 6-0 210 10/21/79
– Johnny Monell L/R 5-11 205 03/27/86
– Hector Sanchez S/R 6-0 185 11/17/89
– Jackson Williams R/R 5-11 200 05/14/86

Infielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Ehire Adrianza S/R 6-1 155 08/21/89
– Brandon Crawford L/R 6-2 200 01/21/87
– Nick Noonan L/R 6-0 180 05/04/89

Outfielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Wendell Fairley L/R 6-2 195 03/17/88
– Roger Kieschnick L/R 6-3 200 01/21/87
– Thomas Neal R/R 6-1 205 08/17/87

St. Louis Cardinals

Pitchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Rich Hill L/L 6-5 205 03/11/80
70 Lance Lynn R/R 6-5 250 05/12/87
76 Evan MacLane L/L 6-2 185 11/04/82
77 Pete Parise R/R 6-1 185 12/05/84
78 Oneli Perez R/R 6-2 200 05/26/83
72 Fernando Salas R/R 6-2 200 05/30/85
79 Eduardo Sanchez R/R 5-11 155 02/16/89
99 Charlie Zink R/R 6-1 190 08/26/79

Catchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

80 Tony Cruz R/R 5-11 205 08/18/86
81 Charles Cutler L/R 6-0 200 07/29/86
82 Steven Hill R/R 5-11 200 03/14/85
86 Robert Stock L/R 6-0 175 11/21/89

Infielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

87 Daniel Descalso L/R 5-10 190 10/19/86
3 Ruben Gotay S/R 5-11 190 12/25/82
88 Peter Kozma R/R 6-0 170 04/11/88
89 Donovan Solano R/R 5-10 165 12/17/87

Outfielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

74 Tyler Henley L/L 5-10 200 06/10/85

Washington Nationals

Pitchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Miguel Batista R/R 6-1 210 02/19/71
68 Victor Garate L/L 6-2 210 09/25/84
18 Eddie Guardado R/L 6-0 225 10/02/70
41 Logan Kensing R/R 6-1 190 07/03/82
52 Joel Peralta R/R 5-11 195 03/23/76
46 Ryan Speier R/R 6-7 210 07/24/79
58 Drew Storen S/R 6-2 180 08/11/87

Catchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

56 Jamie Burke R/R 6-0 225 09/24/71
62 Derek Norris R/R 6-0 210 02/14/89

Infielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

10 Eric Bruntlett R/R 6-0 200 03/29/78
24 Pete Orr L/R 6-1 195 06/08/79
59 Josh Whitesell L/L 6-1 225 04/14/82

Outfielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

38 Chris Duncan L/R 6-5 230 05/05/81
– Kevin Mench R/R 6-0 215 01/07/78
3 Jerry Owens L/L 6-3 195 02/16/81

As far as NRI’s go, this one is worth a mini-fist pump, even if it’s at the price of looking like a nerd. Gotay is some decent F.A.T. Freely Available Talent, that is.

Gotay played 3B for the Diamondbacks’ Triple-A affiliate and hit .272/.429/.450. He had more walks (102!) than strikeouts (69) and hits (101). Gotay also showed some decent power — 42% of his hits went for extra bags. His MLE line was a nifty .258/.391/.402. He’s primarily played 2B in the majors; and is a -8 UZR per 150 games. For what it’s worth, he was a +1 as a 3B for Reno according to his Total Zone stats on MLSplits.

I adjusted his CHONE projection to St. Louis, it shakes out to a .363 OBA/.381 SLG. Not shabby at all.

I’m not saying he’s the savior at 3B, but he’s free extra depth and is David Freese’s age, the David Freese who is currently on the top of the 3B depth chart. At worst he makes Memphis a little more interesting.

To this day, I still have a soft spot for Ruben Gotay. Bitter is actually a more apt. description.

On a personal level, it has always irked me that Luis Castillo is wearing a Mets uniform at the expense of a promising youngster cheated out of a big league career. Nothing against Castillo, other than being a toxic asset on the Mets payroll, but any time an athlete is denied a well-deserved opportunity to succeed at any level it is somewhat depressing.

I thought Gotay deserved a chance before the Mets traded for Castillo at the deadline in 2007.  When the Mets denied him a spot on the 25-man roster  before heading north in 2008, and were thus forced to place him on waivers, I thought it underscored the ignorance of the organization like nothing else; only the Mets would rid themselves of a 25 year-old .800+ OPS. infielder for absolutely nothing.

Looking back more closely now, however, I probably overlooked a few red flags. Even than, Gotay was an egregious fielder, and his BABIP was a concern. So I decided to analyze the deal a little further.

The Trade:

On July 31st, 2007, the Mets sent prospects Drew Butera and Dustin Martin to Minnesota for Luis Castillo. Butera and Martin were barely C-Level prospects at the time, and have yet to play in the big leagues since, but Minnesota was able to avoid paying the money owed to Castillo the rest of his contract year.

Gotay was hitting an excellent .350/.382/.504 with a .391 wOBA at the time of the deal. His high OBP. however, was mostly a function of his batting average. as he walked in just 5.26% of his PA. That is a significant problem when your BABIP is .411. I did not think much of his BABIP at the time, partly because he had a very high LD% (around 29%). If we regress his production toward a more reasonable .320-.330 BABIP, his line was about .284/.322/.409 with a .330 wOBA.*

That does not sound like too bad of a drop-off, but if Gotay did regress all the way to a .325 BABIP over the next two months, he would have put up something like a .275 wOBA  and a .580 OPS. down the stretch.

From the Mets perspective, the consensus was (correctly), that Gotay was a promising, if risky venture, and they decided to acquire the dependable veteran in Castillo. Castillo joined the Mets with a .709 OPS. and gave them a .742 OPS. Overall, he gave them a solid 3.1 UZR/150, an exorbitant improvement over Gotay’s -18.9 UZR/150 in 37 games that year.

The point is Gotay would likely have experienced a severe drop-off in his production, and that was a risk the Mets undoubtedly could not afford, even if it hindered Gotay’s development, and I have to admit that.

Post 2007:

If Gotay could have sustained his 2007 production before Castillo arrived over a full season, he would have given the Mets slightly below average offense at second, and left a lot to be desired defensively (career -7.7 UZR/150). That is sill worth 1.5-2 wins, or around $7-$9 million, if he played everyday. In contrast, Castillo, whom the Mets signed to a four-year, $24 million dollar contract before the 2008 season, has been worth an average of 1.1 wins the last two years, due to his decline in range since.

Of course, we have to be wary of sample size error- we are talking about less than 150 plate appearances. But Gotay also offered vast potential for improvement at the plate with his quick bat (I loved his wrist-flicking action), and on the diamond with his quick feet.  Not to mention the Mets would have had his cost under control for years.

In the absence of better options, Gotay could have stepped up and platooned in 2008, or the Mets could have found a stop-gap option (Castillo on a one-year deal?), and given Gotay 250-300 at-bats off the bench, include some time in the outfield, to prove himself. They certainly could have used him instead of Damion Easley or Argenis Reyes at second when Castillo was on the DL. Yes, Easley was coming off a very good year, but he was 38 and the Mets should have seen his swift decline coming. Add Brady Clark’s 7 at-bats to the mix too, whom the Mets decided to initially carry at the expense of waiving Gotay.

Conclusion:

While the deadline deal, in hindsight, was a solid move on Omar’s part, it was beyond foolish to have cut ties with Gotay entering 2008. I am willing to cut Omar some slack, since Castillo went from a solid defensive second baseman in 2007 to an absolute butcher the last two years

Chances are, Gotay was no Rod Carew in the making, but he could have been busy carving out a nice little big league career the last two years. The Mets could try and make up for that this off-season.

* I did not use his overall season line, since Gotay played sparingly after July 31st. If I recall, he did not play completely regularly beforehand either, but I think we get a much better idea of his production.

Dan Szymborski has posted over 30 years of minor league MLEs (hat tip Erik Manning at FanGraphs). That’s a crazy amount of work. Here are some of the players Manning highlights from 2009 and what our projections have to say about them:

Ruben Gotay, 2B (AAA)
zMLE: .258/.390/.402
Correlation: .257/.374/.423

Shelley Duncan, 1B (AAA)
zMLE: .262/.346/.508
Correlation: .258/.340/.477

Allen Craig, 2B (AAA)
zMLE: .277/.327/.455
Correlation: .271/.332/.444

Sean Rodriguez, SS (AAA)
zMLE: .239/.329/.456
Correlation: .264/.344/.496

John Bowker, 1B (AAA)
zMLE: .283/.385/.460
Correlation: .276/.372/.461

Not too bad, considering the simplicity of the math I used; no wrangling with park or league factors, just straight scatterplots and correlation. Of course, you’ll notice how much Dan’s system hates certain parks in the PCL, looking at Rodriguez’ MLE.

AJC is reporting that Braves IF Martin Prado was placed on the 15-day DL today and is expected to miss up to eight weeks.

Within that same piece, word that the Braves have acquired IF/OF Greg Norton for a player to be named later or cash considerations. Norton, along with Ruben Gotay, will help fill the void on the bench left by Prado’s absence.

Prado was diagnosed with a left thumb sprain after injuring himself sliding into first base yesterday.

“Prado’s not okay,” said Bobby Cox. “He’s got a pretty damaged thumb.”

For the season, Prado is hitting .282 with 6 RBIs and 2 triples. He can play every infield position, which makes this injury a concern for the Braves.

Bart Hubbuch’s New York Post Met Notes give us this wonderfully reassuring news about second baseman Luis Castillo:

Castillo, who landed a controversial four-year deal worth $25 million from the Mets in the offseason despite arthroscopic knee surgery, said his right knee continues to cause him problems.

Asked if he needs some time off, Castillo said: “Sometimes, I do. When I play three or four games in a row, maybe I can get a day off. I’m going to talk to Willie about it.”

Teflon GM Omar Minaya and his manager Willie Randolph, who both heart the veterans, will hopefully give Castillo all the time off he needs this season while the Mets try to win a championship. The Mets won’t miss Castillo’s bat too much since he is hitting below the Mendoza Line.

Meanwhile, Cincinnati Reds 2B Jeff Keppinger is following up his 2007 campaign where he batted .332 with a 2008 .327 avg and a salary of #402,500. Keppinger was traded by the Mets to the Royals for Ruben Gotay, who was later released by the Mets for not having the sort of fielding skills that the Mets already should have known he didn’t have.

Luis Castillo will be 36 years old by the end of his current contract.

The 25 man roster has been announced and there’s a few surprises…

El Duque is on the 15 day DL (retrocative to 3/29) for the first of what I can only assume is several 2008 stints. In fact, Metsie wants to go on record as being the first to rename the DL the Duque List.

The biggest news on the 25 man is that in Duque’s place is none other than The Big Pelf, Mike Pelfrey!

In a somewhat surprising move, Willie, Omar, and The Jacket gave Pelfrey the # 5 starting spot. I thought Nelson Figueroa was going to get the nod, if Duque wasn’t deemed ready to go…and after Friday afternoon’s Duque performance of 4 hits & 1 earned run over 5 innings, I kinda thought Duque was ready to go.

Lets hope that Pelfrey can use this opportunity to step it up and finally become the major league quality starter we all hope/expect him to be. He has too much talent but needs to find the major league pitcher in himself. Pelfrey seemed to be on the right track last September, giving the Mets several good starts after being sent down to New Orleans to work on his game but he had a disapointing 2008 Spring Training.

Pelfrey is still young but at some point, the Mets will give up on him and the clock is ticking.

Figueroa has been sent to minor league camp, an assignment I am sure he will accept. Given Duque’s fragile octogenarian body and Pelfrey’s inconsistency, Nelson could get the call to pitch in Flushing at any time. Its hard for me not to root for Figueroa. Not only is he from Brooklyn (graduated from Lincoln High), but he went to the Jewish (but secular) Brandeis University.

Joe Smith once again will start the season with the big club, beating out Figueroa, Ricardo Rincon, & Matt Stokes for the bullpen spot that will (hopefully) be soon occupied by Duaner Sanchez, who is beginning the season on the 15 day DL (reteroactive to 3/27). Rincon was sent to the minors while Stokes was DFA’d.

Smith had a good spring and his hoping he can be more that the early 2007 flash-in-the-pan who spent the second half of the year at AAA.

Brady Clark, in a bit of a surprise, beat out Fernando Tatis, for the final spot on the bench. After the departure of Ruben Gotay via waivers, it seemed likely that Tatis was going to get the nod since he’s is a RH hitter and can (allegedly) play a bunch of positions. I’ve had my fill of Omar Minaya cronies who should be retired on this team (I’m looking at you, Julio Franco) and I am glad the Mets did the right thing here.

Ramon Castro is on the 15 day DL (retro to 3/21) and Raul Cassanova is on the roster in his place.

The Atlanta Braves claimed Ruben Gotay off claimers today. Gotay batted .295 for the New York Mets last year in 98 games. He had 4 homers and 24 RBIs. To make room for him on the roster, Scott Thorman was sent to AAA ball.

Gotay was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the 31st round of the 2000 amateur draft. He can play shortstop and third base, but he is chiefly a second baseman. In seven seasons in the minors, he has a total average of .276. He hit 12 homers in 2006, his most ever. His uncle is former major leaguer Julio Gotay. His MLB debut was in August 2004 against the White Sox. He went 1-3 with an RBI. In 2005, he made the Royals opening day roster, but he only played in about 80 games, and his average was just .227.

Gotay is an insurance player. He could end up seeing playing time at third because of oft-injured Chipper Jones.

–Dan[BravesNuWorld]

Speaking on WFAN’s Benigno & Roberts show this morning, Mets Beat Reporter Ed Coleman is reporting that the Mets have placed 2B Ruben Gotay & Rule V Draft pick up RHP Steven Register on waivers. Though Coleman has not not confirmed this. Register has performed well this spring in 8+ innings, he has allowed 4 runs and 12 hits while walking none and picking up 6 Ks.

Coleman said that Ruben Gotay is on waivers due to the roster constraints and the Mets’ desire to have Anderson Hernandez and his superior glove as the middle infield backup.

I hope Gotay doesn’t go, his bat more than compensates for his average defensive ability. Hopefully his ankle injury will get Gotay through wavers.

This is yet another Omar Minaya head scratching move. Why did he trade Jeff Keppinger for Gotay only to wave Gotay less than 2 year later? Gotay already had a good bat, so-so glove reputation when the Mets traded for him and now this is the reason why he is being let go?

In 67 games in 2007, Keppinger hit .332 for the Reds.

UPDATE: Gotay played in this afternoon’s game vs. Atlanta so, he is obviously not on waivers (yet).

Ok, so its technically not the midpoint, but the All-Star Break is close enough to the middle of the season and it seems like a good time to reflect back on the first 3 months of the season and look forward to the last 3.

High Point:
On May 31st, the Mets defeated the San Francisco Giants to complete the month of May at 19-9. The victory also brought their season record to 34-18, 16 games over .500 and a .654 winning percentage. The Mets’ record has not been that good since.

Low Point:
Two series stick out in my mind as being particularly horrid. The first was June 11-13 in Los Angeles, where the Mets were swept by the Dodgers, getting outscored 18-4. In the process, John Maine gave up 3 straight HRs to the 7, 8, and 9 hitters in the Dodgers lineup. Unbelievably, the Mets managed to play an even worse series in Colorado, again being swept, and this time being outscored 34-12.

Most Valuable Player:
Jose Reyes. Despite a few thin stretches, the shortstop and leadoff hitter finished the 1st half with very impressive statistics (.307 BA, .387 OBP, 4 HR, 35 RBI, 46 SB, 17 2B, 9 3B, 61 R), and the Mets are just better when Reyes is consistently getting on base.

Runner-up: David Wright who responded after a slow start to bat: .292, 16 HR, 51 RBI, 18 SB

Least Valuable Player:
Carlos Delgado. The first-baseman was supposed to be the anchor of the Mets’ lineup in the clean-up spot. Instead he’s been a below average hitter who has struggle with consistency and dropped to 5th in the order. His stats: .242 BA, .305 OBP, .435 SLG, 14 HR, 49 RBI

Runner-up: Jose Valentin. Last year’s surprise has been injured for most of this year and has struggled at the plate since returning from the DL (.242, 3 HR, 17 RBI).

Best Surprise:
Jorge Sosa. Not expected to be part of the rotation, Sosa has filled in admirably for the ineffective Mike Pelfry. He became the first Met in history to win 6 of his first 7 starts with the team and finished the 1st half at 7-3 with a 3.92 ERA.

Runner-up: Ruben Gotay and Damion Easley. The infield combo has filled in for the injured and ineffective Jose Valentin, combining to bat .284 with 11 HR and 32 RBI.

Biggest Disappointment:
Carlos Delgado. See above.

Runner-up: Scott Schoeneweis – Brought in to bolster the bullpen, the reliever has been dreadful, especially at home. His BAA (.288), SO to BB ration (20-23), and ERA (5.24) are not what the Mets expected when the signed him to a 3-year deal.

Most Important Players Returning from Prolonged Injuries:

1. Pedro Martinez. If the right-hander can return at anything close to 100%, he will give the Mets the ace starter they desperately need. Although Maine and Perez have the potential to be stoppers who raise their performance for the big game, they are still unproven. Glavine and El Duque are too old and inconsistent to be considered aces.
2. Moises Alou. Having Alou in the lineup gives Willie Randolph more options, such as batting Beltran in the two-hole since Alou can protect Delgado. Batting Valentin or LoDuca in between Delgado and Green presents a very weak bottom of the order.
3. Endy Chavez. The Mets have sorely missed the speed, defense, and lineup flexibility that one of the best 4th outfielders in the game provides.
4. Lastings Milledge. The one time star prospect can contribute either as a spare outfielder or as a chip in a trade for a pitcher.
5. Carlos Gomez. Gomez showed potential in his time with the major league team, but his lack of experience and inability to hit consistently doesn’t make him as important as Alou, Chavez, and Milledge.

Moves to Make:

1. Trade for a pitcher. If the Mets are confidant in Pedro returning and pitching well, then the priority is in the bullpen. If they aren’t, the priority is to get another starting pitcher. The fewer games pitched by the Vargases and Williamses, the better.
2. Cut Julio Franco. The oldest man in baseball can no longer contribute. His legs are slow and his bat is even slower. The Mets have enough veteran leadership that they don’t need Franco. Ledee, Alomar, or Newhan would be better players off the bench than Franco.
3. Unless Alou and/or Milledge can return and shore up the corner-outfield situation, the Mets need to go out and get another bat for the outfield.
4. Trade for Baltimore’s Brian Roberts to replace Valentin at second base.

Best Case Scenario:
Pedro and Alou return to bolster the rotation and lineup respectively, while Beltran and Delgado begin to hit consistently. With the best offense/pitching combo in the division, the Mets pull away from Atlanta and Philly and win their second straight NL East title.

Worst Case Scenario:
Pedro and Alou struggle to come back and play consistently. Beltran and Delgado never get it together. The rotation fails to pitch into the 7th and 8th innings consistently, leading to the bullpen faltering from overuse. Atlanta trades for Griffey or another big bat and reassert their division dominance, and due to their June/July struggles and the strength of the NL West, the Mets miss out on the wildcard.