Here is a look at this year’s squad. — Lucas Duda can be a frustrating player at times. He’s got tons of power, and a good eye, and has evolved into a decent defensive fi rst baseman (if you ignore that errant throw in the World Series). Last year, he, like many others, succumbed to injury. A back injury, which is not what you want to hear from your power hitter, sidelined him for the majority of the season and he only appeared in 27 games. He’s also a streaky hitter, like most players with his type of hitting. When healthy, he’s good for 30 homers, but they’ll come in bunches • FIRST BASE and he can struggle against lefties. Still, he can carry this feast-or-famine o ense if Cespedes slumps and the up side can’t be ignored. The Mets also don’t mind that he’s an inexpensive solution at fi rst. This is a huge year for Duda as he ages and wants to cash in on a big contract. The Mets, like with many positions, need a contingency plan in case his back barks again. Their depth on the bench should help. — Neil Walker had an impressive fi rst year for the Amazins’. It was a bitter pill to swallow to see Daniel Murphy of the rival Nationals hit the ball all season with ease and nearly take home MVP honors, especially since he was a fan favorite that carried the team during its magical 2015 World Series run. Walker’s superior fi elding and surprising power, 23 homers in 113 games, helped soften the blow. Accepting his qualifying o er, Walker has more incentive to build on a year that also ended early due to a back injury, as he and the Mets haven’t come to terms on an extension as of now. Maybe that’s for the best so the Mets can observe how he’s rebounded from his injury. He’s not Daniel Murphy, but an integral part of • SECOND BASE this o ense that the team needs to reach the postseason for a third straight season. — What a great signing! GM Sandy Alderson is known for his solid trades (Syndergaard, Walker, etc.) but has faltered when signing free agents. Frank Francisco anyone? But he nailed it with Asdrubal Cabreara. Signing him to a two-year deal until one of the game’s best prospects, Amed Rosario, is ready, was thinking ahead. And what a fi rst year they got from him! Not only was he a clutch hitter (I believe in clutch hitting) but he played hard and fi elded surprisingly better than advance stats suggested. The Mets have to hope that he replicates last year’s production, because they were desperate for his o ense. — This is a rough one to describe. David Wright is what you want when you think of the face of the franchise. He’s loyal, dedicated, and cares about the fan base and winning. But, his career has been derailed by spinal stenosis. The Mets hoped that they could get something out of the captain after he returned late in 2015, but you can tell he’s hurting out there. His 2016 season ended in May with a rather serious neck injury that is likely related to his back injury. Now he has started spring training with a banged-up shoulder, also related. There’s no one with a bigger heart and no one that you want to root for more than Wright and unlike most that want to force him out the door, I think he deserves more than that. He deserves one more earnest e ort. And if it fails, then perhaps call it a career. It hurts. From a team perspective, Jose Reyes, who had a successful return, is a great solution to Wright’s injury woes and if he can master the position, the Mets will be in good shape. He’s also the leado hitter they’ve been looking for since… well, Jose Reyes. • THIRD BASE • SHORTSTOP Mets 2017 Season Preview QNS.COM SPRING 2017 25
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