Gil And Davey Be Damned

Mets managers have made a nice living off of using platoon systems, whether it be Ed Charles and Wayne Garrett or Wally Backman and Tim Teufel. Terry Collins, however, is taking a different approach to start the 2013 season. There are plenty of outfielders on the roster to mix and match, but Collins has announced that instead of platoons, he will use a regular outfield of Lucas Duda, Collin Cowgill, and Marlon Byrd. This leaves Kirk Nieuwenhuis to protect Cowgill defensively, Mike Baxter to come off the bench as a pinch hitter, and Jordany Valdespin to sit around the locker room and continue to instagram his way into your heart. Collins obviously subscribes to the theory that if you have six outfielders, you have none. And the Mets have none. So let’s have three regular outfielders and put up a brave front before the inevitable downfall.

Some among the internet freaked out at the shunning of Valdespin, who had a nice spring. I personally would have traded him while he had some value and try to get a truer outfielder in return (and still wouldn’t eliminate a Valdespin trade from the realm of possibility this season), but let’s face it, guy has some ability at the plate. He just doesn’t have a place in the field right now, even though the only position that he has the ability to kill you where you sleep is center field. But to those that want to see more of Valdespin, let me assure you that you will. Let me put it to you in these terms: Do you really see Duda and Byrd turning out to be rocks of Gibraltar at the corner positions? Do you see them lasting 162 games at a high level without hitting in the low teens or going on the disabled list with carpal tunnel or split ends? And have you seen Duda? I’ll put him down for split ends just in his beard alone. (Hey, lent is over, I can complain about Duda again.) Marlon Byrd is going to hit .357 this season as he did during the spring? I’ll cover myself in Crisco and sing the Toreador song from Carmen if he hits .257 for crying out loud. I’d even guess that Collin Cowgill might not make it through the whole schedule without going into some sort of prolonged slump which would cause Valdespin to get some at-bats in CF. (I’m going to the compound in the woods if that happens, but still.) And throw in some rest days for Daniel Murphy at second base and voila … 350 AB’s at least.

Now you could argue whether 350 at bats for a guy who had an OBP of .286 last season is good news for the Mets. But my guess is that he’s going to get them, which would be a pretty fair shot to prove himself to be worth all the hassle we’ve heard that he could provide. I’d guess that an improved approach at the plate will make teammates more willing to co-exist with a guy who wears “JV1” hats and t-shirts with a picture of himself on it.