Is Collin Cowgill The Answer In Center Field?

Much has been made about the outfield – or lack thereof – situation. Coming into Spring Training, the Opening Day lineup looked like it would include Lucas Duda in left, Kirk Nieuwenhuis in center and Mike Baxter around in right. During the first two weeks of camp games, however, a slightly different narrative seems to be shaping up. Duda is still slotted in left in semi-permanent ink, but the other two spots are open a little wider than at the outset. Marlon Byrd, the obligatory springtime “wily veteran,” has played his way into a front-running position in right field and Nieuwenhuis went down with a bone bruise over this past weekend. While never having the position “locked up” in the first place, Nieuwenhuis had not helped his cause up until the injury by going a less-than-robust one-for-eleven eighteen in these early games. It would appear that spine of the outfield is now missing.

One of the under-the-radar acquisitions of the winter – a Sandy Alderson Special, if you will – was the pickup of Collin Cowgill. Alderson sent spare thirdbaseman Jefry Marte to Oakland, just after the Winter Meetings. At the time, he was simply a guy with a funny name – sniggering jokes went that he was Neil Young’s favorite ballplayer, or that he was ubiquitous Met fan Cowbell Man’s long-lost brother. A 5th round pick in the 2008 amateur draft of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Cowgill has failed to impress in 100 at-bat trials with Arizona and the A’s. Upon arrival in Mets camp, however, Cowgill has opened many eyes among the Mets’ hierarchy and fan base. He’s made hustling a specialty, causing some to compare him with another keeper of uniform number 4, Lenny Dykstra. He has a .450 batting average and 1.250 OPS in the early going, spanning a team-high 20 at-bats. There’s no doubt he’s being given a shot. His main competiton will most likely be Nieuwnhuis, Jordany Valdespin – also having a stellar spring – and very long shot Matt Den Dekker.

In the eyes of your intrepid columnist, from the vantage point of early March – which means this opinion may as well be written on sand – the best bet looks like a Cowgill/Valdespin platoon. It would make total sense offensively and look adventuresome from the other side of the ball. It remains to be seen if Valdespin can keep his emotions and attitude focused enough for even a halftime gig in the outfield, so Met fans will have to hope that Collin Cowgill can hack his new responsibilities: we may have a fever, and the remedy might be more Cowgill.

Meanwhile, time to play a Neil Young record.

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