Break up the Mets! The Mets stretched their spring training winning streak to three games yesterday with a 7-1 win over the Marlins. Overall it was a solid day in the office for the Mets. Ji-Man Choi, in camp as a non-roster invitee, went 1-for-2 at the plate with his first homer of the season. It also means the Mets have hit a home run in each spring training game so far this season.
The pitching stole the show yesterday. Adrian House had a solid outing in his Mets debut allowing a hit and nothing else while striking out one batter in two innings of work. Nate Lavender burst onto the scene in his first spring training outing on Saturday by striking out the side. He added another clean inning (with another strikeout) yesterday.
Today the attention turns to the Mets bullpen as Reed Garrett, Grant Hartwig and Josh Walker are all scheduled to appear in the game. All three players are on the Mets 40-man roster and saw time in the majors last season. All three are now competing for a bullpen spot.
Three Things To Watch For:
- Last Bullpen Spot Competition: As the Mets added more and more arms to the bullpen this off-season, several pitchers that saw time last season in the majors started to fall into the danger zone of not making the team out of camp this year. Reed Garrett, Grant Hartwig and Josh Walker are all battling for one of the last couple of spots in the bullpen. All three are scheduled to pitch today. Garrett, starting today, had a 5.82 ERA, 74 ERA+ over 17 innings last season. Hartwig had a 4.84 ERA, 88 ERA+ over 35 1/3 innings. Walker posted an 8.10 ERA, 54 ERA+ over 10 innings. The Mets signings in January and February this year makes it feel like all three players are trending downwards, strong performances today can help reverse that trend.
- Starling Marte makes his spring debut: Last year was a disappointing year for the two-time all-star who struggled with injuries leading to only 86 games played and a .248/.301/.324 (73 OPS+) slash line. In his first season with the Mets, Marte was a critical component of the Mets lineup with a 132 OPS+. His injury down the stretch could have played a role in the Mets not overtaking the Braves for the 2022 division title. A healthy Marte is a huge boon for the 2024 Mets and we are excited to see him in the lineup today.
- Checking in on the third base position battle. The Mets are trending right now towards Brett Baty as the everyday third basemen and Mark Vientos as the everyday DH. Both are in those positions for this afternoon’s game. So far this spring Brett has played in two games going 1-for-4 at the plate two two runs scored and a strikeout. Vientos has played in three games going 2-for-7 at the plate with one run scored and a strikeout. Extremely small sample sizes so far and we are looking for both players to have a good day at the plate.
Let’s Go Mets!
