10 Names Making Splashes in New York Mets Camp

With spring training officially underway, it's always exciting to see who will surprise us on the field (and this year off it). Many veterans are progressing in their rehab nicely enough to be ready for Opening Day, while other experienced players are looking old and fatigued, struggling to find their way in camp.

Likewise, many young talents have caught the eyes of the front office and the fans, and they will try to break camp with the team.  In a month-long tryout to see who is worthy of playing in the MLB, the competition is getting heated down in Port St. Lucie.

Here are the 10 names making the biggest impacts so far.

Johan Santana

At the beginning of the spring, Johan was a huge question mark for Opening Day. Now? He’s one of the few bright spots in Mets camp.

So far this spring, Johan’s velocity has continually increased, reaching as high as 92, and he has yet to suffer a setback in his comeback.

He’s also thrown as many as 65 pitches and that number will continue to climb as long as he can maintain his health. At this rate, Johan may be 100 percent for the entire 2012 season—a huge gain for the Mets.

Mike Pelfrey

Unlike the joyous return of Johan, Big Pelf has been the biggest disappointment thus far in Port St. Lucie.  Pelfrey is 6’7” and armed with a fastball that has reached 97 MPH, but he's been historically bad in the first three starts of spring training.

Once considered the stand-in ace in replace for Johan Santana, Pelfrey is 0-2 with a 14.90 ERA for the Mets this spring. 

At this rate, Pelfrey won’t last through the 2012 season with the Mets.

Tim Byrdak

The only left-handed reliever on the Mets' roster is already hurt, leaving a huge vacancy in the New York bullpen.

After suffering a tear, Byrdak will miss four to six weeks, making him a huge question mark for Opening Day. Without Byrdak, the Mets will have an entirely right-handed bullpen.

After signing his $2 million extension in the offseason, hopefully Byrdak will make a quick, healthy return so the Mets can get a rare, good turn on their investment.

Matt Harvey

Although he’s back in minor league camp now, Matt Harvey had some electric stuff in his brief stint in big league camp.  With a fastball in the mid-90s, Harvey had Mets fans extremely excited for the future.

He's had some control issues, but if he can hone his skills in the minors, Harvey will definitely be up to the Mets by the All-Star break—hopefully staying there for years to come. With Pelfrey struggling, Harvey could very well replace him as soon as June of this year.

Eric Langill

If you’re wondering who Eric Langill is, you’re not alone.  No longer a ballplayer, Langill served as the Mets bullpen catcher last season, but this year, he is making the front pages for the wrong reasons.

After crashing his car into a fountain and having it flip over after a Mets charity bowling event, Langill was arrested on DUI charges, giving the Mets organization a black eye in the process.

Jordany Valdespin

The second baseman came into camp as a major underdog for playing time with Daniel Murphy and Justin Turner in front of him, but his team-leading .346 batting average with a few extra base hits is hard to ignore.

The 24 year old has never played a game in the majors, but with infield woes, the Mets seem to suffer every year—don’t be surprised to see Valdespin get opportunities at the big league level.

Zack Wheeler

Wheeler,the other hyped prospect in the Mets organization, is not even in big league camp, but he is still wowing fans and scouts alike with his mid 90s fastball and wicked curve ball.

Like Harvey, he’s struggled a little with his control and is probably a year or two away from the majors, but with a struggling rotation, the Mets need to have young arms ready to take over New York.

This year, he'll likely begin in double-A ball and work his way up to the majors as a September call-up.

Mike Baxter

The Mets have recently declared they aren’t shopping the market for a left-handed hitting outfielder off the bench, and Mike Baxter very well could be the reason why.

So far this spring, Baxter is hitting .323 with three stolen bases, making him valuable off the bench with his ability to find a hole in the defense.

With Hairston likely out beyond Opening Day, Baxter should definitely break camp with the team—if he is able to continue his streak of hot hitting. Hopefully, a little power will be found too.

Frank Francisco

The Mets new closer is 0-2 with a 7.20 ERA so far this spring, which is concerning enough, but the news of how he handles runners is even more appalling.

Francisco will not throw over to pick off runners, and he despises holding them close to the bag by varying his looks. So in a one-run ballgame, the Mets could easily see the tying run get to third base off of Francisco, whereas a normal pitcher would still have the runner on first.

Josh Edgin

Through five appearances and five innings, Edgin still has a 0.00 ERA and has compiled two saves so far this spring.  The third-year left-hander has logged over 100 innings in the minors, while still maintaining an impressive 1.88 ERA

In a bullpen with no healthy lefties, if Edgin can keep performing, it’s hard to see why the Mets wouldn’t give him an opportunity. Just 25 years old, he could be a solution to the bullpen for years to come.