When the Mets re-activated Andres Torres from the DL they had a choice of either sending down Zach Lutz or Jordany Valdespin. They picked to send down Lutz, who didn’t do much in his eight at-bat stint, collecting just one hit and striking out five times. It’s not like Valdespin had earned the right to stay in the bigs. He’s had just five at-bats and has been hitless in all of them.
Valdespin is on the roster in place of the injured Ronny Cedeno, so he’s intended to be the back-up short stop. Of the nine innings Valdespin has played so far, he’s played seven in left field and two at second base.
The problem I have with Valdespin is there is no room for him on this team. He is also a left-handed hitter, and we all know the Mets have plenty of those. Now that Torres in on the team, the Mets are carrying five outfielders, so a spot for Valdespin would be hard to find. In the infield the only spot would be short stop or second base. Justin Turner is already the back-up second and I don’t see Ruben Tejada needing a break anytime soon. He is a young player who is performing well, so there is no reason to take him out.
They need to bring up a slightly older player, who can handle being a the bench for multiple games. Valdspin is still young and needs to be getting at-bats. He can’t be on this team getting an at-bat once every week.
With the two left-handed pitchers scheduled to pitch for Arizona, the Mets would be wise to send down Valdespin in favor of a right-handed bat. Valdespin has too much talent and too much to work on right now to be sitting on the bench doing nothing.
Are you serious? When Cedeno is activated Valdespin will be sent down. This isnt rocket science.
I”m sure you’re right about the timing of the move. But I think it’s very fair to wonder why a guy who needs ABs is wasting away on the bench. Valdespin has a world of talent. He also has a .704 OPS in 194 PA in Triple-A. It’s not doing his development any good to get one PA every other day in the majors.
…unless they feel the major leaguers can give the kid guidance. Remember, this is the same kid who wears gaudy bling and thinks he’s already a star. If he gains a little wisdom and tempers some of his ego just by being in New York, I can live with that for a while.
Besides, who are you anxious to call up and replace him?
It’s not a matter of being anxious to call up someone else – it’s a preference for Valdespin to get ABs. I’d rather Josh Satin miss ABs than Valdespin at this point in time.
Well he certainly can’t feel like a star now. He’s only had six at-bats in the past two weeks. If the Mets mission was to pop his ego bubble a little then they are doing a good job of it.
But it depends what the Mets would be looking for on the bench. Do they want a back-up short stop? Then my pick would have been for Omar Quintanilla. Do they want a right-handed bat? Then Josh Satin or they should have just kept up Lutz.
Valdespin needs AB at the minor league level. If Wright continues his resurgence, then he will be looking at an extension or at the least pick up his option. Murphy is a defensive liability but his bat makes him attractive. Since Murphy won’t be taking Wrights place, and there is a glut of prospective second baseman (Turner, Cedeno, Valdespin, Satin and Havens), it would appear that he will become expendable sometime in the near future. Therefor Valdespin needs minor league AB’s to be able to compete for the 2013 opening at second base.
Yeah, I don’t know what the Mets will do with Murphy. He’s a decent 1st and 3rd baseman but those are the only two positions on the Mets that are locked down right now.
He’s been pretty bad a second, but you need to give him some time to learn the position. But he’s here for his bat, not his glove. Murphy has a great work ethic, so I believe he’ll get to a point when he isn’t a liability any more. It’ll be interesting to see what the Mets do with Valdespin and Havens (if he can stay healthy) though.