DIVISIONAL OUTLOOK: NL East—Mets OF situation

New York Mets

Collin Cowgill (OF, NYM), Kirk Nieuwenhuis (OF, NYM), Mike Baxter (OF, NYM), Andrew Brown (OF, NYM) and Marlon Byrd (OF, NYM) are set to compete for openings in center field and right field this spring. Each of the aforementioned players has a track record of pretty dramatic splits so a platoon appears likely for both positions.

Nieuwenhuis heads to camp as the projected primary center fielder. He put up decent numbers last year, but a 65% ct%, 36% h% and .222 xBA tell the real story. The Mets like Cowgill’s defense and his right-handed bat could complement the left-handed bat of Nieuwenhuis in center.

In right field, the left-handed hitting Baxter figures to see most of the playing time. He has hit .210/.306/.274...

Almost!

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