Daniel Murphy is the No. 2 option to lead things off each night, but as the article mentions, Muphy is not a “traditional” lead off hitter.  Muphy does bring a better OBP which is more important than speed and stolen bases in some people’s eyes, but for others it is tough to go against the mold and Muphy does not fit the prototypical mold of a lead off hitter.  I am still a little bit torn when it comes to building a batting order.  On one hand I do like to have the speed at the top of the order.  At the same time the lead off hitter is only guaranteed to lead off the first inning so perhaps some of the traits we have grown to covet out of lead-off hitters are overrated.

That is a bigger discussion to have on a different day.  For now, I think the Mets will be making a good decision to slot Torres into the first spot in the batting order to start things off.  As long as he’s closer to the player that he was in 2010 and in limited action in 2009 (.343 OBP) he should have no trouble holding down the lead off spot in 2012.

Not only is it important for Murphy to secure the job for his own interests (first base and third base will be occupied by Ike Davis and David Wright, respectively), but it would be a huge boost for the Mets to get such a solid bat in the lineup at a position that is typically weak with the wood.  Even though I am pessimistic about what lies in the immediate future for the Mets, a lineup that can trot out Murphy, Davis, Lucas Duda and a rejuvenated (hopefully) Wright and Jason Bay would at least cause headaches throughout the division.

Defensive proficiency is the main focus for Daniel Murphy right now, but his ability to serve as the New York Mets’ second baseman throughout the season will depend as much on his ability to stay healthy. Unfortunately injuries have been too large a part of Murphy’s game and often times there really isn’t much you can do about them.  We’ll just have to hope for a little luck moving forward.  The Mets have nothing to lose in 2012 and aside from time on the DL and just utterly brutal defense, I don’t see any reason why the Mets should not be extraordinarily patient with Murphy handling work in the middle infield.

The scout referenced above also mentions the tough spot the Mets are in as they try to stack up against four strong teams in their division.  Look at the deep pitching staffs the Mets have to brush up against.  You have Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels leading the Philadelphia Phillies.  Tommy Hanson, Tim Hudson, Brandon Beachy, Mike Minor and Jair Jurrjens round out a front five that has a number of young, but high end youngsters vying for a spot in the Atlanta Braves’ rotation.  The Washington Nationals arguably have the second best pitching staff and maybe even the best team in the division on paper with Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmermann, Gio Gonzalez and Edwin Jackson leading the rotation.  I think the Miami Marlins, a team that will head into the season significantly more talented than the Mets, could easily wind up in fourth place in the division – despite having a formidable duo of Josh Johnson and Anibal Sanchez atop their rotation.

The Mets, unfortunately, will probably head into most games at a disadvantage.  I mean, is it a stretch to say that the Mets will trot out a starting pitcher inferior to his counterpart in 40% of their games? 50%? 60-70%?  The high end seems a bit harsh, but look at what the Mets are working with.  Knuckleballer R.A. Dickey is probably the Mets best starting pitcher; Johan Santana, if he even makes it back by the start of the season, will only be a shell of his former self; Dillon Gee and Jon Niese carry a shred of promise for Mets fans but really are nothing to be overly excited about; and oh yeah, you have Mike Pelfrey serving as the poster-boy for what Matt Harvey, Zack Wheeler and Jeurys Familar should NOT become.  Games where the Mets have a starting pitching advantage are going to be few and far between.

Maybe the aforementioned trio of prospects (most likely just Harvey and Familia) along with Jenrry Mejia (recovering from Tommy John surgery) get some Major League action in 2012.  That will definitely be exciting, but it still is not going to brighten the immediate outlook.

The New York Mets, even with improved production from David Wright and Jason Bay (highly questionable) in the middle of the lineup, just don’t have enough to compete with the juggernauts in their division and the other tough competition that they will face on a nightly basis.  While expecting a 100-loss season from the Mets this season is extreme, I would not be surprised if the number of tallies in the right-hand column of their record flirted with triple digits.

As I mentioned, Flores’ offensive production remains a more pressing concern at this point.  Not that there is any particular hurry, but it would just be nice to see some explicit tangible evidence of the immense talent that he possesses.  Scouting reports continue to provide glowing assessments of his raw ability – particularly his bat speed and his ability to barrel balls.  He’s even garnered comparisons to Miguel Cabrera.  Obviously that is reckless territory to enter when you’re discussing an 17-18 year old (the comparison came from Baseball America’s 2009 Prospect Handbook) but it still gives you an idea of the type of raw tools Flores has in his shed.

Flores put up an encouraging performance in the Venezuelan Winter League posting a .301/.382/.391 line while getting more exposure to third base.  It would be nice to see the slugging take a big step forward, but we can’t ignore the +81 OBP he posted.  Fully tapping into one’s power potential is dependent on him learning how to handle the strike zone and even though Flores’ “career high” OBP was achieved during 41 games and 133 at-bats in winter league ball, I’m still encouraged.  2012 will be an interesting year as Flores figures to get his first taste of Double-A at some point.  Things might not be going too great in Queens, but Wilmer Flores is one of a handful of prospects currently on the farm and a player who could eventually bring a few more wins to the New York Mets.

OR…

It isn’t out of the realm of possibilities that Duda could be on the trading block.  This is really just me thinking out loud versus any sort of educated guess or hunch so it is probably unlikely.  Not only was Duda one of the few bright spots with the Mets last season, but he is also young enough to figure into the team’s future plans.  Like I said, that suggestion was just a case of me typing up one of the thoughts that crossed my mind.  It will be interesting to see who the Mets decide on if they do bring in another outfielder.

Update: The Philadelphia Phillies signed Juan Pierre to a minor league deal which takes him out of consideration for the Mets.  This is perfectly okay with me as I’m not a Pierre fan anyway.

Gary Carters daughter Kimmy Bloomers was the one who wrote on the family website.  In recent weeks his condition has visibly worsened.  He was complaining of severe headaches, fatigue and balance problems and he fell on Christmas and tore his rotator cuff.  The worst part is it sounds like he isn’t feeling optimistic at all.  He said to the New York Daily News a few weeks ago.  “I’m not feeling too good, It’s been coming on and coming on.  I’ve had a chest cold.  I’ve got sores in my mouth, blood clots, I get sick.  There is just so many things and it has been nine months now and I don’t feel any different from Day One.  The Daily News is reporting that doctors are considering no further treatments for him.

This story will be monitored and I am sure we will hear more in the next couple of weeks.  It is very said to see this happening to a all-time great and of course Mets fan favorite.  He is also so young being 57 years old.  He played 19 seasons in the big leagues and is a member of the Hall Of Fame.  He was inducted as a Montreal Expo in 2003.  He played with the New York Mets from 1985-1989.  He was an Expo for most of his career, from 1974-84 and then again in 1992.

He finished his career with a 262 career batting average, 324 homeruns and 1,225 RBI.  He was a world series champion in 1986, 11 time all-star(1975, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988),  three time gold glove award winner(1980-82) and five time silver slugger award winner(1981, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1986).  He was a two time All Star game MVP(1981, 1984).  The Montreal Expos retired his number eight.