Francisco Alvarez, Photo by Ed Delany of MMN
Now that the lockout is over, the New York Mets have begun Spring Training in earnest. Part and parcel with that is officially extending an invitation to non-40 man roster players to Spring Training. The list of the non-roster invitees to Spring Training are:
Pitchers
- Alex Claudio, LHP
- Colin Holderman, RHP
- Stephen Nogosek, RHP
- Eric Orze, RHP
- Felix Pena, RHP
- Jose Rodriguez, RHP
- Antonio Santos, RHP
- Josh Walker, LHP
- Rob Zastryzny, LHP
With this group, it is noteworthy with the loss of Aaron Loup in free agency, the Mets are looking for at least one left-handed relieve in the bullpen. As it stands now, it does seem as if this will give Claudio, Walker, and Zastryzny an opportunity to make the roster as a left-handed reliever. With respect to Walker, he rose quickly through the Mets system last season, but after posting a 5.19 ERA in nine appearances for Syracuse, he is likely ticketed back there to start the season.
Catchers
Clearly, the headliner of this group and really all the non-roster invitees is Alvarez. He is the top prospect in the Mets system, among the best in all of baseball, and he has already made headlines by saying he wants to be in the Majors this season. Another note here is Senger has seen his star rise this past season. The Mets had some risk in losing him in the Rule 5 Draft, but that is no longer a concern with the Rule 5 Draft being canceled due to the lockout.
Position Players
- Brett Baty, 3B/OF
- Carlos Cortes, 2B/OF
- Jake Mangum, CF
- Daniel Palka, OF
- Matt Reynolds, UTIL
While Baty is going to get the headlines due to his prospect status, it should be noted the Mets have talked about the need to add another left-handed bat, and they are still looking for outfield options. On that front, Palka has tremendous power and has played 154 Major League games. As a result, he currently finds himself in a fourth outfielder competition which includes Khalil Lee and Nick Plummer, both of whom are on the 40 man roster.
