As with everything in the world of the New York Mets the past few seasons, good Mets news comes along with some bad Mets news.
Today would be no different, as the pleasantly surprising news that Jose Reyes has been cleared to resume baseball activities, and may even be ready to play on opening day, was met with news that would also disappoint many Mets fans.
The downer came when the organization decided that first base prospect Ike Davis, who has not only been tearing up the Grapefruit League, but also totally outplaying incumbent first baseman Daniel Murphy, would begin the 2010 baseball season at Triple-A Buffalo.
The news came much to the chagrin of Mets fans who, with every Ike Davis home run, had begun to remember what real production at first base looked like.
Unfortunately, the move makes sense on multiple fronts.
Firstly, the Mets learned a hard lesson when they rushed Fernando Martinez to the Majors last season, way before he was ready to be a big league player. Martinez struggled mightily at the dish and in the field in 2009, and has seemingly gone from "can't miss" prospect to question mark in less than a year.
The Mets have Carlos Beltran in center field, so the organization could afford to make a mistake at that position. First base is very thin for the Mets, and if Ike Davis is indeed the first bagger of the future, the team needs to make sure he's 100 percent ready.
Next, and maybe more importantly, the Mets will finally get to see if Daniel Murphy will ever be the player the team expected him to be.
Simply put, by demoting Ike Davis, the Mets are basically handing the first base job to Murphy again in 2010, without a rookie on the roster who fans will be screaming for with every strikeout at the plate or error in the field.
Murphy is going to start the season as the Mets first baseman despite not being good last season. Yes, his final numbers were not terrible, mostly because of a very good April, and an even better September, and true, he did improve defensively at first as the season progressed, even if the progression only made him an average fielder at best. Still, anyone who watched Murphy on a regular basis last season could easily see that he was not going to be the answer at the position in 2010—not if New York had plans on being a serious playoff contender.
Despite the sub-par production last season, there were plenty of Murphy apologists out there, and plenty of excuses.
First, Murphy began the season in left field and had to learn to play first base on the fly during the season, and at the Major League level nonetheless (something even future Hall of Famer Mike Piazza had trouble with).
Next, Murphy, like many of the Mets' players in 2009, had trouble adjusting to the new ballpark. Maybe the cavernous dimensions got in the players' heads a bit, but like it or not, the new park was much tougher to hit in than Shea Stadium.
Finally, with all the injuries to the Mets, especially their superstars, last year, Murphy had little protection in the lineup, and was forced to bat third and clean-up in what was his first full season in the Major Leagues. Not exactly a recipe for success.
Whether you like Murphy or not, all of the excuses that surround Murphy's 2009 campaign are legitimate gripes. Few players—especially young players playing in New York—would be able to succeed under those circumstances. That alone has lead many to believe that Murphy deserves another shot.
Obviously the Mets organization agrees, as they have now given Murphy every opportunity to have a successful 2010 season.
The team is healthy, for the most part. The Mets know what to expect from their new ballpark. There is more offensive production in the lineup now that the Mets will have a full season of Jeff Francouer and have added Jason Bay. Finally, Murphy has had most of 2009 and now an entire spring to work on his defense (which, by many accounts, has vastly improved). There are no more excuses if Murphy struggles again.
Maybe this will be what Murphy needs. Maybe this will work out for both Murphy and Davis. Maybe Murphy is terrible once again and Ike Davis is playing first base in Queens by Memorial Day. All of the scenarios are possible, and nothing is certain.
One thing is for certain, however: The time is now for Daniel Murphy to prove what he can do. It's time to put up or shut up now.
If he can't, it may not belong before he and Ike Davis are switching teams.
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