There’s been a lot of chatter since the beginning of spring training that Jose Reyes would begin hitting third in the Mets’ lineup. Jerry Manuel told reporters that in spring training. He said that he likes the idea to “lengthen” the lineup without Carlos Beltran. The reporters keep bringing it up to Jerry, and it sounds like it might become a reality this weekend in St. Louis.
First, let me say that I have no problem with this at all. And I hope that Reyes hitting third in the order is successful until Beltran gets back next month. The baseball season is so long that it invites experimentation with the lineup to find the best configuration. But baseball has become so prominent in the public domain that it also invites people like me to comment or express my own opinion or dissatisfaction. I’d like to take this opportunity to do that…
The ideal lineup for the Mets would look like this:
Jose Reyes
Angel Pagan
David Wright
Jason Bay
Jeff Francoeur
Ike Davis Fernando Tatis/Mike Jacobs
Rod Barajas
Luis Castillo
Pitcher
The big issue for me is that Pagan’s offensive game is good enough to warrant replacing Castillo at the top of the order. He’s got a nice combination of power and speed that is of far greater use than Castillo. I even think that Castillo has the patience to be successful hitting in front of the pitcher.
What do you think the ideal lineup is for the Mets? Comment below.
The Mets Report 