It's Time for Chris Carter

In my last piece I wrote about why it's time to end the Jose Reyes batting 3rd experiment.

The other move to make is to replace Frank Catalanotto with Chris Carter.  The Mets will need to keep GMJ on the roster until Carlos Beltran returns, but Frank can be replaced now.

On the year, Cat is hitting a not so robust .143 with a pathetic .182 OBP and a so low it's almost unheard of .190 Slg %.

Moreover, he is useless against lefthanded pitching.  Last year he was 1 for 11 against southpaws, and for his career, he hits them at a .239 clip with a .331 Slg %.

Chris Carter, the hero of spring training for three years in a row, continues to toil in the minors.

He is currently hitting a robust .329 in AAA, with a solid .987 OPS.

For those that argue there is no defensive spot for him, I would counter with the same can be said of Catalonotto.

Carter can pinch-hit, play RF, LF, a little first base, and is certainly more of a threat in the batter's box than Cat.  Catalonotto has only started one game this year, at first, but he's pinch-hit 18 times with a grand total of 2 hits.  Oh, and against those lefty's?  He's 0 for 6 this year, and again, he was 1 for 11 against them last year.

Look, I like Cat, he's a good guy, a solid guy, but he has nothing left in the tank.  He was a part time player with a sub-MLB average OPS the last two seasons, and at age 36, he is at the end of the rope.

Why not give Carter, and his superior offensive skills, a shot?

I think his energy and intensity will help the club, and there is no question he'll be more productive than Frank.

It would also prove that the Mets did, in fact, get some value from the Billy Wagner trade, and the fans would love it as Carter has already attained something of a cult hero status.

I can see him winning a few games for the Mets this year with some late inning power.