The Mets Bench: More Questions than Answers

Who makes the Mets bench in 2009?

With Angel Pagan under the knife, one more name has been eliminated from competition.

If you believe Marty Noble, it will be:

Fernando Tatis, Alex Cora, Ramon Castro, Marlon Anderson and a fourth outfielder, probably Jeremy Reed.

And what of Bobby Kielty and Nick Evans?

Both players have hit well this spring, with Evans coming on of late.

As MetsMinorLeague Blog writes:

Tuesday, in the Mets 5-5 tie with Washington, Nick Evans was 2-4, with a 2B, 3B, BB, and an RBI. Each of his last three hits have gone for extra bases including his slam on Monday. That modest power boost has raised his slugging percentage nearly .300 points in five AB.

I am not a fan of Marlon Anderson. He might look good now, but his 2008 season was horrible.

2008 Season Stats
SPLITS	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
Season	87	138	16	29	6	0	1	10	9	27	2	1	.210	.255	.275	.530
Career	1147	3200	392	849	174	20	63	371	227	470	71	24	.265	.314	.391	.705

I would much rather have Kielty or Evans if the Mets only carry five players. Of those two, Kielty makes the most sense in that he crushes lefthanded pitching (.881 lifetime OPS against LHP) and can provide relief for either Ryan Church or Carlos Delgado.

Should the Mets decide to go with six bench players, a case could be made for Marlon Anderson--the key words here are "could be"--Marlon looked done in 2008.

Moreover, Jose Reyes should once again play every day, so the only realistic non-starter infield at-bats the Mets need to plan for are at second base, and Alex Cora can amply fill that role.

Last year we needed power off the bench, not more Marlon Anderson.