7. New York Mets Right Fielder – Ryan Church

2007 Stats: GP: 144, Hits: 128, Runs: 57, HR: 15, RBI: 70, OBP: .349, AVG: .272

When Lastings Milledge was moved to Washington for Ryan Church and Brian Schneider several eyebrows were raised among the NY Mets faithful. Church is a young player with a little pop, a lot of opportunity to impress, and a whole lot of room to grow. This 29 year old played his first full season last year with the Nationals and played fairly well. Before that time he was mostly a part time player in Washington’s outfield.

Ryan Church could be an under the radar type player for the Mets this year, and has a lot of opportunity to succeed. The Mets will most likely be more dependent on his defensive abilities than anything else, so putting together a decent offensive year could work very well in his favor.

8. New York Mets Catchers – Ramon Castro…

2007 Stats: GP: 52, Hits: 41, Runs: 24, HR: 11, RBI: 31, OBP: .331, AVG: .285

And Brian Schneider

2007 Stats: GP: 129, Hits: 96, Runs: 33, HR: 6, RBI: 54, OBP: .326, AVG: .235

With the departure of Paul LoDuca, the Mets will turn their attention to the newly acquired Brian Schneider and Mets vet, Ramon Castro. Castro has been seeing most of the action this spring, and has proven to be a fairly decent power hitter. While the starting catcher has yet to be named, it would not be a surprise to see both of these players sharing at bats to keep each of them fresh for the entire season.

Last year the New York Mets floundered horribly down the stretch, and a lot was due to the inability for the pitching staff to come together and work as one unit. Schneider has been brought in to be that glue to hold the ship together down the stretch. He’ll have plenty of support as a full season with Pedro on the roster, Santana, and the young guns Maine and Perez are a year wiser are all keyed on keeping the Mets together come crunch time. The key for Schneider’s effectiveness will lie with the bull pen.

Brian Schneider was acquired more for his defensive skills than his offensive abilities. If he can keep runners honest, defend against bunts, and direct the infield, it should alleviate some of the pressure a relief pitcher feels when entering a game in crucial moments. LoDuca was a decent over-all catcher, but did not embrace the position of infield quarterback, and depended too heavily on his teammates to pick up the slack.

Castro is the bigger enigma for the Mets. In 2007, he showed flashes of impressive power and ability to drive runners home. While having a guy who can hit 7th or 8th with some pop would be fantastic, a bigger contribution to the team would be behind the plate making sure that our staff keeps their heads on straight.