Wright, Beltran, and Bay have the most weight on their shoulders entering the 2011 season.
With all the recent buzz surrounding the Phillies rotation, it got me to thinking about the NYM position player do against top left handed pitchers. In case you didnt know, David Wright is one of the top lefty mashers in the NL. Lets see how the numbers look...
NYM Lefty MASHERS
SS Jose Reyes has a career line of .302/.352/.443/.795 in 1019 AB with 20 HRRF Carlos Beltran has a career line of .294/.366/.523/.889 in 1646 AB with 81 HR
3B David Wright has a career line of .348/.435/.606/1.041 in 911 AB with 49 HR
LF Jason Bay has a career line of .282/.394/.523/.917 in 897 AB with 47 HR
C Ronnie Paulino has a career line of .338/.390/.491/.881 in 485 AB with 16 HR
1B Ike Davis has a career line of .295/.362/.443/.805 in 122 AB with 3 HR
OF Nick Evans has a career line of .322/.379/.512/.891 in 121 AB with 3 HR
Of Scott Hairston has a career line of .278/.331/.498/.829 in 580 AB with 27 HR
All 7 of these players are noticeably better against southpaws which bodes well for the Mets considering Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels are both LH and pitch in the National League East. The one person I think the Mets might be stupid to not make the a roster spot for is Nick Evans. Yes, he has a huge lefty/righty split but he has POWER off of the bench as a pinch hitter in late game situations when a lefty reliever is in. Paulino and Hairston could also come in late in games for defensive help and a boost at the plate if there is a tough lefty on the mound. This could be a huge advantage for the Mets in 2011 if they play it smart when they sit down to figure out the Opening Day Roster for '11. Oh yeah and if you don't think Carlos is good vs leftys anymore, just go to yahoo sports and look at his splits from last year, hes still a lefty masher. I always liked Beltran batting righty rather than lefty.
NYM Righty MASHERS
Josh Thole has a career line of .299/.381/.402/.783 in 174 AB with 3 HR
Angel Pagan has a career line of .300/.353/.444/.797 in 924 AB with 14 HR
Jason Bay has a career line of .276/.367/.504/.870 in 2764 AB with 144 HR
David Wright has a career line of .291/.366/.487/.854 in 2861 AB with 120 HR
Daniel Murphy has a career line of .282/.340/.436/.775 in 535 AB with 9 HR
Carlos Beltran has a career line of .278/.357/.484/.840 in 4601 AB with 199 HR
Even though these players average is quite better against lefties, the OBP and SLG numbers are there for Mets to succeed against tough right handers too. (Halladay, Oswalt and Blanton). With that being said and with the numbers right there in your face, I thinks it is easy to be optimistic about the upcoming season for the Mets. The Organization is in good hands with Sandy, J.P. and Paul D in charge, this franchise is in the right direction. With the additions of some bullpen depth (Buchholz, Beato, Carrasco, and Izzy) and some bats for the bench (Hairston and Paulino), The Mets are looking ahead to see what is in store for 2011.
YA GOTTA BELIEVE IN 2011
