Those who play (or played) baseball probably have used the term “mash” for someone who is a very good hitter … as in, “that guy mashes the ball”, or, “he’s a masher”.

Well, we’re not sure if the Mets have any mashers, because so many of them are banged up (hmm … bangers and mash … and St. Paddy’s day on the way). In fact, it seems as though the Mets currently have 4077 players who are hurting.

(If you got that 4077 joke, and the “M*A*S*H” reference, then you probably also remember the days of Doug Flynn at second base. Props to Walnutz for giving me the headline idea.)

Here is the list of Mets being verbally abused by Hot Lips Houlihan in the infirmary:

– Moises Alou (strained groin)

– Carlos Delgado (hip impingement)

– Ruben Gotay (ankle sprain)

– Ryan Church (headaches / concussion)

– Marlon Anderson (bruised sternum)

– Carlos Beltran (knees)

– Luis Castillo (knee)

– Damion Easley (ankle)

– Jose Valentin (knee)

– Orlando Hernandez (bunion)

– Brian Schneider (sore legs?)

– Brant Rustich (sore shoulder)

In addition, these players are still less than 100%, at various points of returning from injury, but not technically “injured”:

– Duaner Sanchez (shoulder)

– Juan Padilla (elbow)

– Jason Vargas (elbow)

– Ben Johnson (ankle)

Also, Ambiorix Burgos is out for most if not all of the season after Tommy John surgery.

Finally, these players cannot play in games due to visa issues:

– Olmedo Saenz

– Tony Armas, Jr.

– Fernando Tatis

Huh … would have taken less space to list the healthy Mets …

Something to consider: the Carlos Delgado mysterious hip injury could be much more serious than we know. Perhaps the Mets are offering up guys such as Joe Smith, El Duque, Ruben Gotay, AHern, etc., because they need a legit starting first baseman? They could be keeping quiet on his status to keep their bargaining power.

Not sure about a legit starter, but if the Mets need a temporary guy, Brandon Inge would be ideal, as he could play 1B, then be a “super sub”, getting regular playing time on both OF corners, both infield corners, and behind the plate (if he’s willing to go back there). In fact I could see him easily getting 400 at-bats or more in such a role.

Other than Inge, players we’ve mentioned in the past who might be able to handle 1B and be good bats off the bench include Kevin Millar, Nelson Cruz, Jason Botts, Dan Johnson, Justin Huber, and Andy Marte.

Mike Sweeney would have looked SOOO good in a Met uniform right now … he’s batting .364 en route to winning a spot on Oakland A’s roster, btw.

Say it ain’t so, Joe! Can Joe Smith really be on the trading block, as Joel Sherman has reported?

Let’s hope not … most fans are like me, and huge fans of Mr. Smith. However, I can somewhat understand the Mets’ thinking.

First, there is a chance that Smith was a “one hit wonder” … a guy who pitched fantastically more because he was unusual than anything else … like a Shingo Takatsu. The question is was his second-half demise due more to his physical burn out or over exposure?

The Mets might think the latter (over-exposure), and if so, his stock may never be higher than right now.

Second, there is the emergence of Eddie Kunz, who is a similar pitcher in angle and role. For all we know, he may be ahead of Smith for a 2008 spot on the 25-man roster right now. If that’s the case, it makes sense to trade Smith now, while he has good value.

Third, in addition to Kunz, there is Nelson Figueroa, Stephen Register, Joselo Diaz, and others all pitching well — and Brant Rustich somewhere in the mix for ’08 or ’09. Whether they all keep up the pace is question — it’s still early in the spring — but if, for example, Register, Figgy, and Diaz are all continuing to pitch well come late March, someone must be moved.

Personally, I’d be OK with Smith leaving in a package only if it brings back a seriously strong player, a difference-maker — someone like Brandon Inge. I might toss my lunch if Smith gets sent away for scrap heap material such as Marcus Thames or Delwyn Young (both are fine players, but can be had late in the spring for next to nothing).

While I understand the need for a RH-hitting 1B/OF/C — we’ve been talking about it here since what? October? — I don’t get the need for “a middle infielder who can handle shortstop well.” Isn’t that Anderson Hernandez? It’s not like Jose Reyes will be replaced in the late innings for his defense, and I don’t see any problem with putting Ruben Gotay out there for the ten games Reyes will be rested. AHern is perfect insurance in case Reyes goes on the DL (heaven forbid!), because he can hang out in AAA and come up if necessary. The only way it makes sense to bring in someone else to back up shortstop is if the player has a big bat — and I don’t know of too many reserve shortstops with big bats (they’re usually called “starting” shortstops).

You may or may not have heard on WFAN yesterday from Jon Heyman that the Mets are discussing a trade of Jorge Sosa to the Tigers for reserve outfielder Marcus Thames.

On the one hand, I’m not so hot on Sosa and think trading him is a good idea — particularly for a righthanded bat. On the other hand, I’m not sure Thames is the best guy to bring in, particularly with Angel Pagan torching the Grapefruit League.

I *think* Thames has options, and if so, then I’m sort of OK with such a deal. He does hit from the right side, he does play decent defense in the outfield, and does hit with some power. Further, he played 33 games at first base last year — and with Carlos Delgado’s hip a question mark, it would be nice to have options beyond Marlon Anderson. The only thing I don’t like about Thames’ game is his propensity to strike out — he K’d 72 times and walked only 13 times in 282 plate appearances last year, while popping 18 homers. So, he’ll hit a homerun every 15 times up, but he’ll strike out once in every four. That wouldn’t be so bad if he got on base often, but he doesn’t — it’s all or nothing.

That could be good for a part-time player — Tony Clark, for example, has made a career out of it. And the Mets could use some more power off the bench. Dramatic walkoff homers are fun to watch, that’s for sure. Maybe he would be a good fit after all … I still haven’t decided, partly because of Pagan’s performance thus far. If Angel can continue this pace, it would be terrible to see him sent to AAA.

What’s your take?

In grapefruit league action yesterday, 18-year-old shortstop Ruben “don’t call me Miguel” Tejada blasted a double in the gap to score Michel Abreu with the winning run in the tenth inning to beat the Braves 3-2.

Ramon Castro had two hits including a standup triple. Had Jose Reyes hit the ball, he might have rounded the bases twice.

Though Castro’s first triple since little league was the big news of the day, it should also be noted that Mike Pelfrey threw three strong, scoreless innings at the beginning of the game, allowing only two hits and no walks, striking out none.

It was an encouraging outing by Pelfrey, and a good confidence builder. What I liked to see was that he was aggressive, throwing strikes early in the count and relying heavily on his sinking fastball. But the pessimist in me had one problem with the outing: still no offspeed pitch. I saw several sliders but only one or two changeups (one thrown for a strike). For Pelfrey to succeed as a Major League starter, he has to change speeds.

Of course, it’s still early — he can build off this performance. Hopefully, we’ll see his confidence and aggressiveness continue to develop through the spring, and eventually we’ll see more slowballs. With El Duque out until who knows when, he has a golden opportunity to win the #5 spot in the rotation.

There are two Mets spring training invites who happen to be former NYC high school stars — and with a little luck, one of them might make the big club come April.

If you were paying attention to — or playing — high school baseball 10-15 years ago, then you may already know the names Nelson Figueroa and Ruddy Lugo. In fact, there are some MetsToday readers who have batted against Lugo.

“Figgy” hails from Lincoln High School in Brooklyn — the same school that produced former Met and matinee idol Lee Mazzilli. Ruddy reported to homeroom at Xaverian, also in Brooklyn, the same alma mater of St. John’s stars Rich Aurilia and Chris Mullin (Mullin, of course, was a hoops, not baseball player). He’s also the younger brother of shortstop Julio Lugo of the Red Sox.

Just in case you see these guys at Peter Luger’s a month from now, here are some pics:

Ruddy Lugo

After seeing them both briefly during my trip to spring training, I’d have to say that Figueroa has the best shot, between them, of making the team — though both are longshots. Ruddy is still raw, throwing with good velocity but not much control. Figgy is just the opposite — a guy with not much velocity but good command and plenty of guile. To me, Figueroa is a “poor man’s Pedro” — a guy who “pitches backwards”, using his change-up and curveball to set up his fastball. He never the throws a pitch at the same velocity or to the same location twice in a row, and lulls a batter with his 78-84 MPH junk before freezing him with an 89-MPH “heater” that looks more like 99 after all the slow stuff. With a few good outings and some luck, Figueroa could wind up stealing the last bullpen spot. So far, luck is on his side — the Mets are reportedly shopping holdovers Scott Schoeneweis and Jorge Sosa, and Tony Armas, Jr. has yet to report due to visa issues. The longer he hangs around, the better chance he has of winning a spot.

Nelson Figueroa