Coming Soon: Outfield Of The Future

The 2007 Mets will have some consistency in the outfield, but there could be a handful of changes. Moises Alou, who signed a one-year deal to play left field for this season, has a recent history of injury problems, and could miss some time. In right field, incumbent Shawn Green will battle against Lastings Milledge, Endy Chavez, and Ben Johnson.

All three outfielders stand a chance to make the Mets opening day roster, so any slacking by Alou or Green could mean more playing time for the younger guys. Green, who hit his first home run of Spring Training yesterday, has to provide more power out of right field. Although he hit only 15 last season, and is clearly on the down side of an impressive career, hit 49 in 2001 and has averaged about 27 per season since becoming an everyday player. If Green’s bat falls off, look for Chavez and either Milledge or Johnson to create a platoon in his place. For now, with Green’s struggles against lefties, he will most likely sit against them on a regular basis, giving time to one of the replacements.

This also leaves us with an important question. What happens to Endy Chavez? If Green and Alou play reasonably well enough to start everyday, does that mean the man who made “the catch” and hit .306 last season is going to ride the bench? Most likely, Willie Randolph will find enough places for Chavez to get 300-400 at-bats. If not, expect Endy to request to leave, seeing as he can be a starter on a few other teams. However, if the Mets are winning and Chavez isn’t living up to his 2006 season, he might serve as a valuable bench player.

Lastings Milledge may also find his way some playing time in 2007. The former phenom prospect is now looking to work his way on the Mets’ 25-man roster. He even has a shot - albeit a long one - to be the starting right fielder this year. Milledge’s most value, however, might come from the trade market. With a rotation still not set, the Mets may look to deal Lastings at the trade deadline for a serviceable starting pitcher, as they did last year, discussing Milledge with Oakland (for Barry Zito) and Houston (for Roy Oswalt).

Then, we have the two even younger players. Carlos Gomez, 21, and Fernando Martinez, 19, could be standing next to Beltran when CitiField opens up in 2009. The “future” of the Mets organization, Gomez and Martinez are young hitters who want a chance against major league pitching, although they’ll have to wait. Gomez’ former teammate Kevin Mannix once said, "He's an unbelievable player. He's one of the most talented players I've ever played with and he just can do it all: run, hit for power, hit for average, and one of best arms ever." Martinez, on the other hand, has consistently been rated as the Mets top prospect. Scouts say his swing is reminiscent of Ted Williams, and he had an OPS of .894 playing in the highly competitive South Atlantic League last season at the ripe age of 18. The Mets should be careful though; if all prospects became superstars, Beltran might very well see Alex Ochoa and Alex Escobar standing next to him. But as we know, things don’t always work out according to plan. In the end, whomever Beltran sees beside him in 2007 and the years to follow, he shouldn’t have much to complain about. The Mets outfield depth is strong and young, and hopefully will carry them for many years. Hey, if an outfield of Benny Agbayani, Jay Payton, and Derek Bell can get you to a World Series, then the Mets of today seem to be in great shape.