Mike Silva's New York Baseball Digest » Blog Archive » Is Luis Hernandez Sneaking in the Competition?

Is Luis Hernandez Sneaking in the Competition?


By Mike Silva ~ March 10th, 2011. Filed under: Mike Silva, New York Mets.

John Harper looks at the still muddled second base situation in today’s Daily News.

Earlier in camp I said on the radio program Luis Castillo might still have a shot to win the second base competition. Although Daniel Murphy, Brad Emaus, and Justin Turner all have better offensive potential, Castillo might be the only one that can consistently turn the double play. He also might be the best defensive option despite age and injuries compromising his range.

A scout made the same point to Harper that I said a few weeks ago: Willie Harris might be the best second basemen in camp. It appears that won’t happen, but another name suggested to Harper was Luis Hernandez.

Remember Hernandez? You might have forgotten him since he played in those dark days of August and September when the Mets didn’t matter anymore. He hit .250 with a couple of homers, including one right after a foul ball broke his foot.

He started his career in the Braves organization, and bounced around the last decade making stops in Kansas City and Baltimore, before signing with the Mets last year. Even though he’s been in the league a while, he still is only 26 years old.

The last few years in the minors he’s profiled as a guy that hits about .280-.290 with a couple of homers, and decent defense. Very much like Castillo in his prime. The problem is he’s never played a full season at the big league level so who knows how he will translate to a full time role.

Again, it’s still early in the spring, but we are no closer to this second base situation being solved than three weeks ago. I still think Murphy profiles better as a “jack of all trades” off the bench. I have heard good things about Emaus in BP, but it hasn’t translated into the game. Justin Turner is intriguing, but the Mets need depth and he still has a minor league option. That leaves Castillo- who Terry Collins had to admonish recently for a lack of effort- and Hernandez.

Another factor is Luis Hernandez is out of options, so the Mets could lose him if he doesn’t make the 25 man roster.

This positional batter is so hard to handicap right now. I still think Castillo has a great shot at making this team. He’s owed $6 million dollars, has a track record, and may still be the best second baseman in camp.

Mike Silva is a freelance writer and radio host since March of 2007. This website is his own personal "digest" of New York Baseball He's also hosts NYBD Radio on Blog Talk Radio and 1240 AM WGBB. Check out his sports media commentary at www.sportsmediawatchdog.com. Check out his official website, www.mikesilvamedia.com
Mike Silva
View all posts by Mike Silva
Mikes website

Post to Twitter Post to Yahoo Buzz Post to Delicious Post to Digg Post to Facebook

Tags: , , , , ,

«
»

5 Responses to Is Luis Hernandez Sneaking in the Competition?

  1. Joey
    March 10th, 2011 at 10:38 am

    Hernandez profiles nothing like Luis Castillo in his prime. Castillo in his prime was a consistent .300+ hitter who walked a lot (OBP’s in the .380 range) and stole 40-60 bases. Hernandez bears no resemblance whatsoever, aside from his inability to hit the ball out of the park. Do you watch the same game we do?

  2. R U Kidding
    March 10th, 2011 at 12:21 pm

    It’s Murphy’s job to lose. He was given the LF job in 09, the 1B job last year, and 2B this year. If he can’t field the position, Turner,Tejada and maybe Hernandez get their shot in a new “competition”.

  3. Stu B
    March 10th, 2011 at 3:09 pm

    “Another factor is Luis Hernandez is out of options, so the Mets could lose him if he doesn’t make the 25 man roster.”

    Does this really matter for such a marginal player?

  4. Mike Silva
    March 10th, 2011 at 10:51 pm

    The Mets lack of depth makes this an issue in my opinion, but normally no

  5. birtelcom
    March 11th, 2011 at 11:16 am

    As always, it’s unclear why owing him $6 million should have any effect on the decision as to whether to play Castillo or not. The $6M is owed to Luis regardless of whether he plays or does not play. So it should make absolutely no difference to the decision about who plays second, which should be based solely on who can give the Mets the most production, taking into account offense and defense, from the second base spot. The $6M should be irrelevant.

Leave a Reply