A Couple Wins...But More Importantly - Baseball

I've been going on and on how awesome it is baseball is back so early, and of course I forgot it was a 12 'o Clock start time on Saturday. So, I missed Ruben Tejada's 1st inning home run off Stephen Strasburg. I DVRed the rest of it, and crazily (like I'm sure so many other Mets fans) didn't fast forward (once the DVR stopped glitching.)

I'm not gonna elaborately recap it for you or jot down my notes like I did last year (but that was just me settling into blogging.)

For a recap of the first spring game of the year, check it out at Rising Apple here.

And for a recap of Sunday's Split-Squad games, here is where you'll want to click.

........ok, I slightly lied. I'm gonna over-analyze the first games a bit.

Marlon Byrd is a real sleeper in my eyes. He looks determined and ready to win a job after a lackluster 2012, which included a 50-game suspension for PEDs. A Quote From Ted states that Byrd started training with Victor Conte, and was a firm advocate for Conte's changed way, or something along those lines. And then he got busted for PEDs. Though, according to this USA Today article from when Byrd got suspended, Conte might have had nothing to do with it and it was all one of those "careless" moments that we never factor into our thinking when it comes to these 50-game suspensions being handed down. The Human Element and how stupid and absent-minded we can sometimes be (sorry, MANY times) gets completely thrown out of the equation when these news items pop up.

Am I advocating PEDs? No.

All I'm saying is that not every case is the same.

Anyway, Byrd seems like s perfect candidate for, maybe not Comeback Player of the Year, but something along those lines. I pose a question to you all.

What kind of production would be worth Marlon Byrd as the starting right fielder?

If I were to see a line of .260 15HR 75RBI at the end of the year, that would be MORE than enough production out of that spot. And for those of you who are already calling the outfield "devastating," I'm sure you would take even less than that from of a starting Marlon Byrd.

He will certainly be a very interesting storyline to follow throughout the Spring.

Here's a Kevin Burkhardt interview with the man.




Then there is the case of Collin Cowgill.

Another sleeper for sure.

He's got speed, he's got aggression, he's got determination and he's got guts. Sandy might have pulled off quite the under the radar trade that the people who haven't been paying attention will find out soon how under the radar it actually was. With a lack of opportunity at his fingertips in Oakland, the timing might just be right for him to blossom as a New York Met.

Here's Metsblog's Michael Baron interviewing Cowgill.



Anyway, there were of course many other takeaways from the weekend that was the first taste of Mets baseball we have gotten in a while. But I'm going to stop with the potentials for the outfield. No need to go on about The Duda's 0-7 or Matt Harvey's Spring Debut, or Cory Mazzoni's solid outing, or Dillon back from the shoulder surgery.

Let's just soak up the early baseball...

And love the amount coming up next several months.

For those that weren't able to watch the televised game, watch the following videos for no other reason than to see Mets uniforms on grass once more.

There's Ruben's home run.

And Shaun Marcum's Mets Debut, with a snazzy Ike Davis defensive play to boot.

Not to mention Wheeler's ML Camp Debut.

And of course Cowgill's heads up play.

INHALE. EXHALE.
BASEBALL'S. BACK.

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