The Case for Evans

With the Mets set at almost every position, the fight for the bench spots this spring has been outstanding.

One of the players making a stong case is Nick Evans, a talented young hitter who enjoyed some success last year with the big club.

As Mets.com reports, he has been challenged by Jerry to expand his useability by taking some reps in rightfield:

Now Evans is to play an unfamiliar position in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., where the winds terrorize experienced outfielders. And Evans says "It'll be exciting" in an exclusively positive sense.

No matter the wind or the assignment, no down side exists for Evans in the scenario Manuel has created. Evans is being afforded another opportunity to hit because he can hit. He has hit so well -- he leads the team in RBIs (13) and home runs (three) -- Manuel is rethinking his earlier plans for him.

Chances are, nothing will change in the grander scheme. There still appears to be no place for Evans on the big league roster once the team must add a 12th pitcher in the second week of April.

"But I'll do anything they ask," Evans said. "And I'll play as well as I can."

Even if he were to become proficient in the two corner positions in the outfield and infield, Evans would merely be duplicating what Fernando Tatis already provides. Tatis plays only those positions, and like Evans, he bats right-handed. With Manuel having decided to play Daniel Murphy regularly in left, Tatis is now the all-purpose understudy.

After his 3-for-5 afternoon against the Astros on Thursday -- including two doubles and a home run -- Evans was batting .308. Among his teammates with at least 40 at-bats in exhibition games, only Murphy (.375) and Luis Castillo (.312) have higher averages. Evans' slugging percentage is .615, higher than any of those who have played regularly in this Classic-affected spring.

Evans' swing has been so torrid of late, he and Murphy have reversed roles. Murphy now is answering reporters' questions about Evans.

Evans and Murphy, roommates in Double-A and in the big leagues last year, locker next to each other in the clubhouse. Third-base coach Razor Shines passed by after the Mets' 12-1 victory against the Astros on Thursday and paused.

"The hit corner," Shines said.

"I'll take it," Evans said. "It's a nice place to live."

In an article back in January I asked the question: Is Nervous Nick Evans the Key?

With the Mets lefthanded cadre of returning players and new additions, and the increasing amount of lefthanded starters and relievers in the NL, every righthanded bat is a commodity.

For the unaware (and there aren't many of you since we know how savvy Mets fans are), Nick Evans scorched lefty's for much of last year.

How good was he?

2008 Batting Splits
Overall	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	HBP	SO	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
Total	109	18	28	10	0	2	9	7	1	24	0	0	.257	.303	.404	.707
By Breakdown	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	HBP	SO	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
vs. Left	72	15	23	8	0	2	5	6	1	15	0	0	.319	.380	.514	.894
vs. Right	37	3	5	2	0	0	4	1	0	9	0	0	.135	.150	.189	.339

That is a pretty good sample size, and the results are there.

It's also no coincidence that when the Mets played their best baseball of the season in July and August (18-8 and 18-11), that Nick was putting up back to back months of .300+ BA with a few timely hits thrown in for good measure.

His minor league stats show a guy quite capable of hitting for average with a little power thrown in, and he is improving...the real question is what is his ceiling?

Regardless of whether or not he starts the year with the big club, odds are that Nick Evans will play a big role in the success of the 2009 Mets.