New York Mets: 5 Players Who Should Be Viewed as the Core of the Future

The New York Mets are young and have a limited payroll, but that has not stopped them from being a competitive team in the early stages of the 2012 season. Although they lack a plethora of superstars that filled their lineup in previous years, young talent and a new generation of household names are quickly rising through the ranks of a now homegrown franchise.

Still a few years from a strong playoff push, the Mets are attempting to build their organization around a core of young players. With a mixture of big leaguers and minor leaguers, New York will silence a lot of critics in the upcoming years if they can retain these five players. 

David Wright

It is imperative that the Mets hold on to the 29-year-old Wright, their first-round draft pick from 2001. The nine-year veteran is already the franchise leader in runs batted in, will eventually break the record for home runs and his defense is phenomenal.

Most importantly, Wright is the ultimate franchise player. Through good times (NLCS appearances) and bad times (those awful collapses in Shea Stadium's final years), Wright has remained loyal to the Mets by playing through injuries, protecting his teammates and owners in the media and maintaining his humble nature.

Losing Wright alone could set the Mets back three or four years.

Lucas Duda

The 26-year-old right fielder has shown glimpses of raw power, but we have still yet to see him at his best.  He's still not familiar with major league pitching and is still settling in to an unfamiliar position.

Despite the learning curve, Duda still managed 10 home runs in 301 at bats last season and should be a consistent 20 to 30-home run hitter for the duration of his prime years.

Still playing for the league minimum, Duda is a middle-of-the-order power threat that will solidify the Mets' lineup for years to come at an affordable rate.

Zack Wheeler

He's still only in AA Binghamton, but wow what a prospect 21-year-old Zack Wheeler is.  Armed with a fastball that reaches 98 miles per hour and a hammer of a curveball, Wheeler is undoubtedly one of the top prospects in all of baseball.

So far this year, Wheeler has a 2.40 ERA with 21 strikeouts in 15 innings pitched. If he can be anywhere near that productive when he reaches the MLB (which should be in two years or so), Wheeler will be a legitimate No. 1 or No. 2 starter for the Mets.

Brandon Nimmo

The 13th overall pick in last year's MLB Draft has yet to appear in a minor league game this year, but the Mets are counting on him to be a key producer a few years from now. With two veterans in the outfield with Bay and Torres, Nimmo should be just the man to fill any voids that occur in the future.

In just seven games for the Gulf Coast Mets last season, Nimmo hit two home runs and covered an incredible amount of territory in left, right and center field. Along with Duda and Nieuwenhuis, the Mets have the potential for an extremely young and talented outfield.

Ike Davis

How could we put together a piece on young talent and not include Ike Davis?

Despite being hurt for a majority of last year and getting off to a slow start in 2012, he hit .302 with seven home runs in just 36 games in 2011 and hit 19 home runs in his rookie campaign. He also plays a defensively sound first base.

A fan favorite and a power hitter that takes advantage of the "Pepsi Porch," Ike Davis is one of the most important players to the Mets. When he's hitting, New York is a tough team to beat.