7 New York Mets Players Fighting for a Roster Spot in 2013

Matt Harvey has proved himself worthy of a roster spot next year. Who else will?
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After a tremendous start to the 2012 season, the Mets have fallen deep into the realm of irrelevancy. With over three weeks left in the season, New York is already mathematically eliminated from NL East contention and stand zero chance at earning either of the wild-card spots.

With the year all but over, the rest of the season will serve one purpose: 2013 tryouts.

Due to the roster expanding to 40 players, some of the highly-touted prospects in the Mets' farm system will get their chance over the next few weeks to prove themselves worthy of a spot on the 2013 Opening Day roster.

Will rookies make the most of their opportunity? Will veterans break their slump? All this will go a long way in deciding who will start the season at Citi Field next year.

Jason Bay

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Hitting .158 for the year and in the midst of another slump (0-for-his-last-11, two hits in all of September), Jason Bay has turned into a $13 million platoon player and pinch runner.

After showing incredible power numbers and an ability to drive in runs for the Pirates and Red Sox, Bay has fallen off the face of the Earth since his arrival in New York.

With his injury-prone body and rapidly declining numbers, Bay will be fighting to keep his job with the Mets next season. They've already cut Luis Castillo and Oliver Perez in the past; is Bay the next victim?

Dillon Gee

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Dillon Gee's roster spot could be in serious jeopardy next season due to an unlucky break. After needing season-ending surgery, Matt Harvey was promoted to the majors and hasn't looked back since.

The 2013 rotation has a few guarantees, including Dickey, Santana and Harvey, but Gee will have to prove himself fully healed if he wants to ensure a young prospect doesn't take his spot.

Zack Wheeler

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With Matt Harvey’s promotion, the biggest prospect the Mets have in their farm system is right-handed pitcher Zack Wheeler.

Wheeler, who reached the Futures Game (All-Star game for best players throughout the minors), has a fastball that tops out around 99 miles per hour and a curveball that can buckle the knees of some of the best hitters in the game.

He was promoted to AAA towards the end of the season and will likely begin 2013 there, but for a team that’s desperate for new energy, Wheeler could be just what they need.

Lucas Duda

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Duda was expected to be a huge power threat in the middle of the Mets' order this year, but he's struggled to live up to his potential. The 26-year-old outfielder is hitting .239 with 13 home runs and 51 RBI with New York this year, but he hasn't spent all of his time in the Big Apple.

After starting out the second half ice cold, the Mets demoted Duda to Triple-A to get back his confidence at the plate. He's been seen as a hitter without a position due to his struggles in the outfield and at first base, but if he's going to stay in New York, he has to at least be the hitter he can be.

Andres Torres

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Torres came over to New York this past offseason along with Ramon Ramirez in a deal that shipped Angel Pagan to San Francisco. To say the least, it was a disappointing deal for the Mets.

Torres is hitting a lowly .222 with two home runs and 33 RBI while patrolling center field for the Mets. He's been hurt on and off throughout the year, and when healthy, he's failed to produce at a consistent level. With Nieuwenhuis and Den Dekker in the minors, Torres will have to fight hard to stay with the Mets.

Jordany Valdespin

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The versatile Valdespin has the ability to play many different positions for the Mets, but he hasn't mastered one specific spot yet. Over the winter, it will be crucial for him and the Mets to determine a role for him and stick with it.

Jordany has also cooled off a great deal since first coming up to the majors. He has eight home runs in less than 200 at-bats, but five of them came on pinch hits. To succeed at the big league level, will need to find consistency to survive a 162-game campaign.

Collin McHugh

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McHugh couldn't have dreamed of a better Major League debut than his first career start against Colorado in which he carved seven shutout innings with nine strikeouts.

Since then, however, McHugh has been extremely average.

In his two starts since his debut, McHugh hasn't gone more than four innings, allowing four runs in one start and two in the other. With a similar pitching style to Dillon Gee, one of the two will likely end up on the squad in 2013, but probably not both of them.