I was down on Fernando Tatis

From a post of mine, published March 30:

Again, I don't get why Fernando Tatis is so wonderful. Sure, he can play pretty much any position besides center field if need be, but he doesn't play any of them especially well. We already have two guys in Marlon Anderson and Damion Easley who can play the entire infield and two guys in Endy Chavez and Angel Pagan who can play the entire outfield. So why do we need a guy who can do all of those, but none well? Brady Clark will be much more lasting and consistent, I feel, and that's why I want him to make the team.

Boy, was I wrong.

Tatis came through for the Mets again, in the 12th inning, again. He hasn't been dominant, but he's been more than capable in his fill in position.

I love his hustle. Tatis always seems to leg everything out, even the routine ground ball. He never takes anything for granted. As Gary Cohen said on the broadcast on Saturday, "It seems as though Tatis got a second lease on life and is going to make the best of it."

The bench has been invaluable in the last few games, helping the Mets really from behind and rally for wins late in games. 2006 saw the bench come through in the clutch time and time again, and now we're seeing a sample of that in 2008, spearheaded by Tatis & Co.

Maple bats

Ban them. Immediately.

It's as simple as that.

Maybe allow a few days to pass for current maple bat users to get their affairs in order and get some new bats shipped out to wherever they're playing at the time. After that, these weapons of mass destruction should be banned from Major League Baseball altogether.

It's simply not safe for the hitters, catchers, players on third base (Brady Clark spearing Carlos Delgado at third base in spring training), and especially umpires.

Though Carlos Beltran probably wishes he was using a maple bat last night.

Get them out of the league before someone is seriously injured, because I guess bleeding from the head isn't serious enough.

Bye-Bye Brady

Brady Clark has been designated for assignment to make room for Gustavo Molina.

Brian Schneider will not need a trip to the disabled list, as he will need some IV and should be better within a few days.

Bye Brady, I always liked you.

The many theories of who can play first

Here is a short rundown of the managarie of theories I've heard about to play first base, since Carlos Delgado has sputtered so far this season:

1. Angel Pagan to first.

I'll admit it, this was of my own doing. It could work, right? He's young(ish), athletic, and hungry to play. Maybe not.

2. Moises Alou to first.

Ha. Ha. Funny joke.

3. Alou to left, Pagan to right, Ryan Church to first.

Plausible. But Church hasn't played first, either. Give it a shot, maybe? How much can it hurt?

4. Brady Clark to first.

His days are numbered with Alou coming back. Too late to even bother.

5. Mike Carp to first.

Sure, he's tearing up AA ball, and I'd like to see him get a shot, but it's not going to happen. Alou coming back bumps Clark off the roster, so if Carp comes up, who goes? No one, because it's not going to happen, barring injury.

Any others?

Injury updates: Pedro, Duque, Alou

David Lennon relays some injury updates for the three old men on the team.

Pedro Martinez: Will begin throwing, possibly withing a week. Could return in over two weeks.

Yeah, right. I'll believe that when I see it. We'll see Pedro at the end of May.

El Duque: Still in the boot, at least for the next two weeks. The end is near.

Bye Duque. It's time to hang 'em up.

Moises Alou: Went 2-7 in an extended spring game. Possibly back by Friday.

Goodbye Brady Clark. I can't wait to have Alou back. Maybe he'll kickstart this offense.

Alou could be back by weeks end

According to Adam Rubin, Moises Alou could be back before May 1, his original guess as to when he would return.

Alou, who went 3-3 in an extended spring training game in Port St. Lucie on Sunday, could be back on the Mets as soon as Friday.

From Rubin:

"It depends on how he feels," Mets VP Tony Bernazard said about the timetable for Alou's return. "But it's good. It's very good."

The official clock on Alou's return began yesterday, when he went 3-for-3 with a double and run scored while playing five innings in left field for St. Lucie against the Palm Beach Cardinals. He also committed an error. Alou is expected to take today off, then play with that Florida State League team for three consecutive days before the Mets commit to his activation.

When Alou returns, it's pretty much a lock that Brady Clark will be sent down. Rubin goes on to point out that Clark waived his right to deny a demotion to AAA, but hasn't made a decision of if he would report after clearing waivers.

There's also the big question mark of what happens to hot hitting Angel Pagan. I've taken a look at this in the past, and my thoughts still stand true.

Early indications

Today is the Mets final day to finalize their roster before they open the season against the Florida Marlins on Monday afternoon. It seems they are willing to wait right up until the 3 p.m. deadline to make their decisions.

Adam Rubin relays some things he's heard about the final spots that are still up for grabs:

Mets officials appeared to be leaning toward placing Orlando Hernandez on the DL to start the season, paving the way for Mike Pelfrey to make at least two starts

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Joe Smith also looked close to claiming the final spot in the bullpen, a vacancy created with Duaner Sanchez not yet ready for regular-season action.

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Fernando Tatis also seemed to hold a lead over Brady Clark for the final bench spot, but a team insider insisted Tatis — who had a .212 Grapefruit League average — was not a foregone conclusion to be on the roster.

Just to reiterate, I'm supporting Pelfrey (or even Nelson Figueroa), Smith and Clark for the final spots.

If the Mets take Pelfrey, he won't be able to work on his mechanics as much, as he will have to win the game he is in. If he waits and stays in minor league camp, the results don't matter, so he can stay in a game even if he's given up a few runs just to work on his pitches. What do the Mets have to lose if they pitch Figueroa? Nothing. Why not give him a shot?

Smith, who struggled mightily early in spring, has come on strong these last few weeks. Yesterday was a great game for him, when he came in with the bases loaded, and got Alexi Ramirez to strike out on three pitches. Inherited runners was a huge problem for Smith last year and if he can remedy that, it would be a huge accomplishment.

Again, I don't get why Tatis is so wonderful. Sure, he can play pretty much any position besides center field if need be, but he doesn't play any of them especially well. We already have two guys in Marlon Anderson and Damion Easley who can play the entire infield and two guys in Endy Chavez and Angel Pagan who can play the entire outfield. So why do we need a guy who can do all of those, but none well? Clark will be much more lasting and consistent, I feel, and that's why I want him to make the team.

It's a travel day for me, back down to New Jersey for a bit and then back to Quinnipiac tonight. I'll be back with a recap of the day and the finalized roster moves tonight. Enjoy your last day before the season begins!

Emergency catcher in an unlikely person

Joe, over at Mets Today, tips us off to a possible emergency catcher, if need be.

From Mets Today:

Not sure if anyone else “caught” this tidbit during the SNY broadcast of last night’s spring training game, but the Mets have an emergency catcher.

Brady Clark.

Clark claims to have been the “emergency catcher” while with the Cincinnati Reds — which was six years ago. He’s never appeared in a Major League game behind the plate, and to my knowledge has never caught a professional inning.

Clark has already offered to pick up a first baseman's glove and take reps at first, now he claims he can catch, and can play in left and right field.

He's shown hustle this spring, and he's the best type of player, one that will go all out at all times for the team.

Brady Clark becomes that much more attractive

I've liked the Brady Clark signing and invite since it went down. Now, he becomes so much more intriguing for the Mets to add to the roster.

Adam Rubin notes that Clark is volunteering to play first base.

From Rubin:

Brady Clark is volunteering to play first base, a position he hasn’t played in the majors. That versatility could make him more attractive, since the Mets could use a righthand-hitting outfielder.

Beautiful. My friend has been campaigning to move Clark to first even if he's never played there before in the Majors.

I think Clark, who is a big enough of a guy and athletic enough to be equal to Marlon Anderson or Damion Easley at first, would be the perfect fit for a right handed bat, with the ability to play OF and first.

This would mean either Angel Pagan or Ruben Gotay wouldn't make the cut.