Wilmer Flores played second base yesterday in a Spring Training game for the Mets. Flores did not embarrass himself defensively and looked to have an idea offensively. So after roughly six innings it is safe to christen a man with 0 AB above Double-A with the starting second base job?

No. Nope. Nah. Negative. Not Yet.

Flores has even less MiLB experience at 2B than Daniel Murphy did when he tried a similar transition, and even at that point Murphy had significant innings at first base (same side of the infield, similar reactions). Wilmer Flores saw his first minor league action at new positions this year with seven games at first base, 27 games at second base and 87 games at third base. For a man who played 300+ career MiLB games at shortstop to not even take one inning at the position shows where Flores will wind up in the grand scheme of things.

The biggest knock has been movement in general, but specifically lateral movement and Flores ability to compensate for lack of speed with efficient footwork. In yesterday’s game, Flores made a few solid plays and no miscues in his four chances to handle the position. Just for an analysis, we will look into each chance.

1.) Man on first, groundball hit directly at Flores, runs infront of the runner and shovel-passes the ball to Brandon Hicks (SS) covering second, turning the double play.

Thoughts: Flores got to the ball which wasn’t hit very sharply, got rid of the ball smoothly and did it in one fluent motion. This play shows more awareness and body control but did show Flores’ soft hands.

2. Man on first, groundball hit directly at David Wright (3B), throws to Flores covering 2B, throws to Ike Davis to complete double play

Thoughts: This was the most challenging play Flores would have all day and shows why he may still need some more reps to get smoother. Wright gives Flores an average to solid feed, although it was thrown directly into Flores numbers and not off to a side where Flores could easily avoid a baserunner. Flores had to stand tall, and due to the throw handcuffing was forced to throw flat-footed to Ike Davis and still got the runner by half a stride. Flores exhibited a strong arm and turned that play. The footwork around the bag was a bit rough as he could have taken the slide-step to the outfield-side of the bag to avoid contact but instead did an odd shuffle and stayed on the base

3. Ball hit to Flores left (glove side) hard, Flores goes down, gets the ball, spins and throws to Ike Davis for the out.

Thoughts: The reaction play will always be a great way to test a second baseman and this shot was a decent test. Though hit within Flores vicinity, the reaction to drop and get it with a slide and spin was a good move. If Flores goes for an outright dive, he runs a higher risk of booting the ball. By spinning as he catches it, he puts himself in the best position to throw and uses more of his body to block the ball in the event it doesn’t wind up in his glove.

4. Ball hit directly at Flores, gathers and throws to Ike Davis

Thoughts: This is a standard play regardless of which base a player would be covering. Scoop, regroup, throw. Flores didn’t look hesitant or worried and knew he had time to throw out the runner.

5. Ball hit on a big bounce near the plate, Flores rushes in but has almost no chance to throw out baserunner

Thoughts: This was the toughtest play but not the most challenging for one reason. The player running on the play notched three infield hits, and not one was a bunt. Flores was forced to charge and throw from where he reached the ball which was above his head. For what it’s worth, Flores missed getting the runner by about a full stride, but on first watch it appeared to be a bang-bang play.

Conclusion: For his first six innings in a spring training game, Flores didn’t look bad with the glove. He made the routine plays, made a few difficult ones and was both the feeder and the pivot man for a double play. Wilmer looked confident and not like he was afraid to make mistakes. Just for reference, Reese Havens has been playing second base for nearly his entire MiLB career. He made two miscues yesterday in half the innings. Is Flores the savior? No. Can he be a useful MLB player with the glove? Useful in terms of adequate…sure lets go with that. Flores will probably see a fair-share of reps at both second and third base now that David Wright will be leaving for the WBC.

*side note – Flores went 0-2 at the plate, both fly-outs to the right fielder. Flores hit them both the opposite way and do not know if that was a product of hitting the ball where it is pitched, or a specific gameplan to go opposite way.

After 18 games, the New York Mets have proved to be substantially better than expected. With Wednesday’s win, they ensured their third winning series out of six, which is admirable considering the Mets have taken nine of those wins from their fellow NL East rivals. While a 10-8 record doesn’t scream contender, it doesn’t scream pretender either. The Mets have had good days, where everything is on – and bad days when they couldn’t buy a hit or even sniff a 1-2-3 inning. To help sustain this early season success, here are a few things the Mets must continue doing or improve on to remain in contention throughout the first half of the season.

1.) Getting Into The 7th

When the Mets have gotten their starters into the seventh inning, they are 3-0. A few other starts have been 6+ innings, and those are in a very similar group of success. It is not to fault the bullpen, but the longevity and effectiveness of the starters has been paramount to the Mets success. While each starter has had at least one sub-par outing, only two starting pitching performances have been atrocious. Johan Santana, while still looking a bit rusty at times has shown signs of improvement and pitchability, as evidenced in his outing on Monday when he allowed five total baserunners and struck out 11 in six and two-thirds, but got the no decision. Starters pitch longer, less bullpen usage, less margin for error in making the wrong chess move.

2.) Play Good Defense

The Mets, outside of being a very young team, are a young team fielding many young players at key positions. Up the middle with Josh Thole, Ruben Tejada and Kirk Niewenhuis, and then flanking them to right field is Daniel Murphy and Lucas Duda. While Kirk, Thole and Tejada are playing in their natural positions, Daniel Murphy is playing his fourth position in as many years and Lucas Duda, who is a first baseman by definition is trying his hand in the new, shorter confines of the Mets outfield in RF. While Murphy has had some hiccups at first, he hasn’t embarrassed himself and it was known his bat would merit the play, not his glove. Lucas Duda, after starting slow is beginning to see the ball better in the last few games and has seemed to get more aggressive in his outfield positioning. If they can all combine with David Wright and Ike Davis, they can be a solid defensive team with some limitations.

3. Hit With Ducks On The Pond

Hitting hasn’t been a problem for the Mets, as they are hitting .250, which so far has them in the middle of the pack. The problem has been hitting with runners in scoring position. The Mets have had major issues driving in runners from second, especially in situations with less than two outs. When a situation has called for just a deep fly ball, or a hit to the right side they haven’t been able to. The biggest problem has been the struggles of Bay, Davis and Duda who were all hitting below .200 for portions of the season. If the Mets can capitalize like yesterdays game and drive in runners when they are on second or third in key situations, many close games will become laughers.

4. Bullpen + Control = Success

As shown in the game the Marlins ultimately lost on Monday, if your bullpen cannot throw strikes, you will find a way to lose or the other team will find a way to win. Manny Acosta has a 7/7 BB/K ratio in 9.1 innings, and Miguel Batista has a 9/8 ratio in 8.2 innings. Ramon Ramirez has not fared much better with a 4/5 BB/K, and his ERA reflects it. Bobby Parnell has been stellar, only walking two batters while striking out fourteen. If relievers can make the batters earn bases, it improves the situation drastically

5. Run, Mets, Run

Without former Mets Angel Pagan and Jose Reyes, another hole has opened up that the Mets have been known for – stolen bases. On the current roster, the fastest Met is either Jordany Valdespin or Kirk Nieuwenhuis who have both put up double-digit steal numbers in the minors. Once Andres Torres returns, he will take that crown and provide an aspect of fear on the basepaths to opposing pitchers. While Tejada, Murphy or Wright aren’t basecloggers their primary objective is not to take a bag. Wright has the speed and potential, but he has been on base too many times with two-men out. For the Mets to add the dimension of speed it would draw focus from the opposing pitchers, and thus manufacture runs.

If the Mets could keep to these principles, there is no reason they cannot be in the hunt until the end of the season. Ike Davis cannot possibly be this bad all year, he isn’t Adam Dunn.

Herman Edwards, former coach of the New York Jets and now analyst for ESPN said it best – “You play the game to win it”. So when has doing anything less than that become acceptable?

As Mets fans, accepting the faults of our teams players, owners and general managers has become second nature – but it hasn’t changed the fact that they have happened. Numerous collapses, poor free agent signings and public relations failures have made things such as #LOLMets and taking everything that is delivered to the fans with a whole container of salt, less infact a grain. So when all of the pre-season projections were released, very few showed the Mets in a positive light and that is fine. Each blogger, expert and fan is entitled to their own opinions – but once management begins agreeing with these assessments, where is the faith?

As an organization, the Mets are growing stronger in the minor leagues, with some high-ceiling arms, a few talented but unproven position players and some players who may never be superstars but can be MLB regulars within a year or two. At the major league level, the vast majority of the Mets 25 man roster consists of players that have come from that same farm system. While none of them yet again currently project as world-beaters, they do combine to make a solid, cost-controlled core that can allow for some financial recovery while bad contracts still on the roster (Jason Bay) can be purged to clear up vast portions of the payroll.

Terry Collins has been the only voice who may admit that his team is void of many of the surefire superstars of the last few years, but he will not allow his players to take any days off. Every game should be played hard, the right way and not allowing what others say to alter their playing style. If the last week was any example of that, the Mets, predicted to be in the basement of the NL East are in second place. David Wright, prior to his injury was showing signs that he may be returning to his 2005-2008 form. Ruben Tejada has shown that he may be much better then anyone has given him credit for. Jonathon Niese showed why he may be worth every cent of that contract with his near no-hitter.

As a writer and a fan at the same time, a loss is to be taken as something bad – but I am in the camp that believes that every game the Mets play, they should be able to win. They have strong bats, good plate discipline and an underrated starting rotation that could easily have four 10 game winners and one 15 game winner. Frank Francisco has shown he may be worth the contract he signed if he can retain his ability to keep that ninth inning in the hands of his team. Kirk Nieuwenhuis has even shown he may have what it takes to play centerfield at the Major League level.

While writing this six games into the season, which is a microcosm of exactly what the season is – with 156 games left to play – it isn’t all gloom and doom in the Mets world. The beauty of predictions and projections is that they are just that – educated guesses formulated from expected outcomes. Almost every Mets player has been undervalued in their worth since they arrived to the team, and when given the chance they have shown why they deserve to be here. If it isn’t Ike Davis hitting a 400 foot home run, its his propensity for great defense and catching balls into the crowd and the dugout then its Bobby Parnell literally reinventing himself at 27 and going from a thrower into a pitcher and making himself a much more diverse pitcher.

The failure isn’t in the outcome but in the effort that was put into achieving your goal. As long as the Mets give maximum effort on every pitch, every play, every game there is no reason to say this season was lost. The only thing that can be lost is the faith, and once that is gone what other reasons do Mets fans have to watch the boys of Flushing.