I’m still having trouble believing that Jenrry Mejia, along with Ruben Tejada, apparently have made the Mets’ opening-day squad and along with the usual caution you should take with all 20-year-olds who’ve yet to play above Class AA, it should be exciting to see what these kids have to offer.
I’m also interested to see what they’ll be wearing. Mejia as discussed below was outfitted in No. 76 this spring and as outrageous as it’d be I’d be tempted to leave him in that jersey both as a reminder of his age and a symbol of his unique place within the Met family. Tejada has apparently won a job the old-fashioned way: He caught the ball better than his counterparts in a competition for a middle-infield job, as compromised as Jose Reyes‘s medical misadventaures made it. He hit pretty well too.
Tejada was wearing No. 79 this spring and will certainly have a new jersey by Monday. No. 3 was recently vacated by Chris Coste and makes perfect sense; 10 (issued to and taken from longshot Andy Green for the second straight spring) would be another strong possibility.
Other late cuts Friday included Kiko Calero, whom I thought would have been a lock if only for his pedigree; hapless punching bag Nelson Figueroa; Bobby Parnell, who had less going for him than Meija a year ago when he turned in two solid months of setup relief; veteran Elmer Dessens; infielder Russ Adams; and reserve hopeful Chris Carter who probably didn’t get a real fair shake at winning a job at first base. The winners along with Mejia and Tejada included utilityman Frank Catalanotto and one of either Sean Green or Raul Valdes. The latter came out of nowhere — he wore No. 96, the highest in camp — to challenge for a lefty specialist role. We’ll try to keep you updated on what the Easter Bunny leaves these guys. …
Submitted by Gene F. on Sat, 04/03/2010 – 8:10am.
I like 3 for Tejada – it has a nice history on the back of Mets shortstops, even if he is ticketed for second base when he sticks with the club full-time.
Mejia? How about putting a live arm into 36 for the first time in a long time.
If Valdes makes the team he’ll be due for an upgrade as well. He just seems like a 43.
27?
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 04/03/2010 – 8:25pm.
No, no references to pretentious Girardi…
But with Figueroa out of the picture, will there be a mad scramble between Jacobs and Catalanotto over their customary #27?
Looks like Tejada in 11 and
Submitted by jetropolitans (not verified) on Sun, 04/04/2010 – 2:00pm.
Looks like Tejada in 11 and Mejia in 32. As per Rubin tweet. I thought 32 was gonna be Ike’s.
#27
Submitted by Matt B (not verified) on Sun, 04/04/2010 – 2:23pm.
Catalanttto has always preferred #27 since he came up, but Jacobs wore #17 in FLA and KC. I bet neither takes it, and leave it open for Figgy when he gets back, which will probably be in 2 weeks after everyone except Santana gets rocked.
delete edit reply report to Mollom
Catalanotto
Submitted by Tom (not verified) on Sun, 04/04/2010 – 6:27pm.
According to Adam Rubin, Catalanatto stays in #2. I wonder if Ike when he comes up gets his father’s #39, or if Parnell keeps that, maybe Ike gets 29.
Thanks guys
Submitted by Jon Springer on Sun, 04/04/2010 – 9:00pm.
I was hunting for Easter Eggs and missed this news. Will be updating soon.
Tejada and Mejia
Submitted by Shorty (not verified) on Sun, 04/04/2010 – 9:55pm.
Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com is reporting that Tejada is taking #11 and Mejia will wear #32. Too bad; I kinda liked him in #76.
“NUMBERS GAME: Infielder Ruben Tejada will wear No. 11, while fellow 20-year-old Jenrry Mejia dons No. 32. Among other newcomers: Frank Catalanotto is No. 2. Ryota Igarashi is No. 18. Matthews is No. 19. Jacobs is No. 35. Bay is No. 44. Hisanori Takahashi is No. 47.” [ http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/mets/post/_/id/170/kiko-expected-to-stay-around%5D