There were two positions that were hotly debated the entire offseason, and they were first base and catcher. Over at first base, the debate focused around giving Murphy a chance, platooning Murphy, or signing a power hitter to replace Murphy. The latter was basically thrown out because the Mets didn't want to do anything that could possibly block Ike Davis. Later in the off season, Delgado kept popping up as a possibility. Well going into Spring now, the options are getting clearer. It looks like the major contenders for first base will be Murphy, a platoon of Murphy and Tatis, and “newcomer” Mike Jacobs.
Before breaking down predictions, advantages, obsticles, etc, here are some stats from last season:
Jacobs: 128 G, 434 AB, 46 R, 99 H, .228 BA, 16 2B, 19 HR, 61 RBI
Tatis: 125 G, 340 AB, 42 R, 96 H, .282 BA, 21 2B, 8 HR, 48 RBI
Dan Murphy: Here's a disclaimer: I am very biased towards Murphy (probably due to his work ethic). Anyway, the Mets asked Murphy to do some very tough things last year. They started him off in an unfamiliar position in LF, and a tough LF in Citi, and then later moved him over to another unfamiliar position at firstbase. So in his first major league season, he had to take on two unfamiliar positions which means two position transitions, and due to the injuries on the team, he was also asked to do a lot with his bat. If he is allowed to be the starter I have complete faith that he will hit between 15-20 homers and 40 doubles. With a healthy lineup around him, he will get the protection he needs to get more favorable stats.
Mike Jacobs: Going into Spring Training Jacobs will have a lot of work to do. At this point, the firstbase job is either Murphy's to lose to a platoon position, and Jacobs will have to be stellar in order to upset Murphy and a Murphy-Tatis platoon. That being said, we cannot write Jacobs off yet (especially since Spring Training hasn't even officially started yet). It has been said by a few people that if Jacobs does not make the major league club, the Mets will probably grant him a release. I wouldn't mind seeing Jacobs at 1B if his work this spring warrants it.
Tatis: Tatis has been a (surprising) assesst for the Mets the last few seasons and he looks to be the Mets go to guy off of the bench this season. In terms of playing time at first base, if it looks like Murphy has problems with lefties again, Tatis will get some serious playing time in a platoon situation. The Mets have furthered this as a possibility as they have signed a good amount of outfielders who can play backup for the starters, a position that Tatis played often over the last couple of season.
Real Outside Chances: Ike Davis, Carlos Delgado (who will be listed until he signs with another team or formly retires)
Its very easy to see from this article that I really want Murphy to be the starter this upcoming season. For him to be the starter coming out Spring, he will need to demonstrate that he can hit lefties and that he has developed more power. If that doesn't happen, he will open up options for the other contenders for firstbase.
