Who's been impressing me?

In a continuing Spring Training dialogue with the guys at Hotstove, they recently asked about which Met players were opening eyes durin Spring Training this year.

We all know that Spring Training stats don’t mean much, but preseason performances can make a big difference for some players trying to the Major League club, or securing a starting job. Who among the Mets have helped or hurt themselves the most this spring?

Onan Coca, South of Shea
What seemed to be a nearly set roster at the start of Spring Training, has turned into quite a murky situation. Some young guns have really turned heads, while some veterans have played themselves out of sure roster spots. On the positive side; Ike Davis, Fernando Martinez, Jenrry Mejia, Hisanori Takahashi, and Chris Carter have all played themselves into consideration (though I would surmise only Takahashi will break camp with the Big Club). On the negative side; Bobby Parnell, Sean Green, Mike Jacobs, Daniel Murphy have all played like they don’t mind bus rides through the International League and home games in Buffalo. However, the Mets think they can contend with their veterans this year and I expect that while Parnell may be sent to Buffalo to start the year the rest of the veterans will all still make the big league club. The Spring may not have much influence on how the Mets Opening Day roster looks, but I think it does shorten the rope which some of the borderline major leaguers have to hang themselves with. Expect to see some (if not all) of these young Mets on the roster before October.

I have really been impressed with the reports out of Port St. Lucie about new Mets players like Chris Carter and Hisanori Takahashi. I am also happy to see Fernando Martinez continuing his strong play from the Caribbean Series this winter, and Ike Davis has been absolutely raking (though word come down today that Davis was sent back to minor league camp). These young guys give me hope for this coming campaign in 2010... because if they don't make the team out of Spring Training it tells me that the Front Office and the coaching staff truly believe the Mets are a playoff contender in 2010. If they thought 2010 would be a rebuilding year, I think we would see Ike Davis, Fernando Martinez, Josh Thole, and Jenrry Mejia all getting the call up to be starters at the big league level. If the team didn't think there was a good shot at a playoff spot there would be no reason to hold these guys back.

To read the rest of the article from Hotstove, along with a few other bloggers takes on how Mets camp is going, click here.

Some fun links:
* Chris Carter is working hard to make the team.
* Jose Reyes will be back in camp tomorrow!