Only a short week or two before ballplayers begin trickling into Port St. Lucie to begin another season and respective number assignments reveal themselves. It seems as though there’s been considerable turnover from 2013, which not only featured a lot of different players (53 in all), but an unusually large number of oddball high assignments. That’s in part because there were numbers occupied all year by guys who didn’t play much due to injury (Tim Byrdak, Pedro Feliciano); and others by guys who couldn’t establish themselves (Colin Cowgill, Kirk Nieuwenhuis); and that set the team wheeling and dealing, often for scrubs who themselves were short-lived (Rick Ankeil, Aaron Laffey, Aaron Harang, etc.). There’s also the fact the manager and most of the coaches have been occupying traditional “player” numbers (7, 10, 18, 25, 26).
In all, 28 players made their debut with the 2013 Mets. A conservative estimation reveals at last 21 2013 Mets won’t be back, freeing up some prime numerical real estate. Currently there are 7 players on the 40-man awaiting assignment (Bartolo Colon, Jacob deGrom, Erik Goeddel, Steven Matz, Ryan Reid, Jeff Walters, Chris Young), as are at least 20 non-roster invitees. A quick look:
| No. | 2013 occupant(s) | 2014 assignment |
| 1 | Jordany Valdespin | Vacant |
| 2 | Justin Turner | Vacant |
| 3 | Omar Quintanilla | Curtis Granderson |
| 4 | Collin Cowgill, Wilmer Flores | Flores |
| 5 | David Wright | Wright |
| 6 | Marlon Byrd, Matt den Dekker | den Dekker |
| 7 | Bob Geren | Geren |
| 8 | Vacant | Vacant |
| 9 | Kirk Nieuwenhuis | Nieuwenhuis |
| 10 | Terry Collins | Collins |
| 11 | Ruben Tejada | Tejada |
| 12 | Juan Lagares | Lagares |
| 13 | Josh Satin | Satin |
| 14 | Retired | Retired |
| 15 | Travis d’Arnaud | d’Arnaud |
| 16 | Rick Ankeil, Daisuke Matsuzaka | Matsuzaka? |
| 17 | Vacant | Vacant |
| 18 | Tim Teufel | Teufel |
| 19 | Zach Lutz | Lutz |
| 20 | Anthony Recker | Recker |
| 21 | Lucas Duda | Duda |
| 22 | Eric Young | Young |
| 23 | Mike Baxter | Vacant |
| 24 | Vacant | Vacant |
| 25 | Ricky Bones | Bones |
| 26 | Tom Goodwin | Goodwin |
| 27 | Jeurys Familia | Familia |
| 28 | Daniel Murphy | Murphy |
| 29 | Ike Davis | Davis? |
| 30 | David Aardsma | Vacant |
| 31 | Vacant | Vacant |
| 32 | LaTroy Hawkins | Vacant |
| 33 | Matt Harvey | Harvey |
| 34 | Brandon Lyon | Vacant |
| 35 | Dillon Gee | Gee |
| 36 | Collin McHugh, Juan Centano | Centano |
| 37 | Retired | Retired |
| 38 | Shawn Marcum, Vic Black | Black |
| 39 | Bobby Parnell | Parnell |
| 40 | Tim Byrdak | Vacant |
| 41 | Retired | Retired |
| 42 | Retired | Retired |
| 43 | Sean Henn | Vacant |
| 44 | John Buck, Aaron Harang | Vacant |
| 45 | Zack Wheeler | Wheeler |
| 46 | Greg Burke | Vacant |
| 47 | Aaron Laffey, Andrew Brown | Brown |
| 48 | Frank Francisco | Vacant |
| 49 | Jon Niese | Niese |
| 50 | Scott Atchison | Vacant |
| 51 | Dave Hudgens | Hudgens |
| 52 | Carlos Torres | Torres |
| 53 | Jeremy Hefner | Hefner? |
| 54 | Vacant | Vacant |
| 55 | Pedro Feliciano | Vacant |
| 56 | Scott Rice | Rice |
| 57 | Johan Santana | Vacant |
| 58 | Jennry Mejia | Mejia |
| 59 | Dan Warthen | Warthen |
| 60 | Vacant | Vacant |
| 61 | Vacantr | Vacant |
| 62 | Vacant | Vacant |
| 63 | Vacant | Vacant |
| 64 | Vacant | Vacant |
| 65 | Vacant | Vacant |
| 66 | Josh Edgin | Edgin |
| 67 | Vacant | Vacant |
| 68 | Vacant | Vacant |
| 69 | Vacant | Vacant |
| 70 | Wilfredo Tovar | Tovar |
| 71 | Gonzalez Germen | Germen |
| 72 | Vacant | Vacant |
| 73 | Robert Carson | Vacant |
| 74-99 | Vacant | Vacant |
My Spring predictions
1-Q
2-Teagarden
7-Drew 😉
16-Daisuke
23-deGrom
25-Young
26-Lannan
30-Allen
32-Mejia
34-Carreno
40-Colon
43-Reid
44-Mazzoni
46-Walters
48-Goedell
50-Leathersitch
53-Hefner
58-Socolovitch
60-99-Montero, Syndergaurd, Matz, Verrett, Church, Koralek, Puello, Campbell, Seratelli, Vaughn, Muno, Plaweki
Update:
My Spring predictions
1-Q
2-Teagarden
7-Drew 😉
16-Daisuke
23-deGrom
25-Young
26-Lannan
30-Allen
32-Mejia
34-Carreno
40-Colon
43-Reid
44-Mazzoni
46-Walters
48-Farnsworth
50-Goedell
53-Hefner
55-Leathersitch
58-Socolovitch
60-99-Montero, Syndergaurd, Matz, Verrett, Church, Koralek, Puello, Campbell, Seratelli, Vaughn, Muno, Plaweki, M.Clark, J.Perez(NRI?)
Good predictions however I think Young will get 23, Bones will keep 25. deGrom will get a 60’s # and yes, Meija will get his 32 back after wearing 58. Colon should get 40 as it is open. We’ll see if Geren gives up 7 if we sign Drew…..
Yes I think any of deGrom, Mazzoni, Walters, Goedell, and Leathersitch could certainly wind up with the prospect numbers(60s-90s) but I also think they are the potential relievers that are closest to being called up and in deGrom’s case he is on the fast track and is #8 on the SP depth chart behind Lannan and Daisuke so I could see him being rewarded a low number.
I don’t think coaches get to “keep” numbers over major league players so I don’t think a player has to worry about a coach “giving up” their desired numbers. 25 and 7 are certainly up for grabs for a Major League signing like CY or Drew.
Seratelli may be the only other guy with potential for a lower number but with the signing of Q he gets pushed down the depth chart so I doubt it.
Just guesses! We should find out soon anyway! I always love when they are released!
Thor via Twitter wants #34! 🙂
I think that helps my predictions! Give a guy unlikely to make the team like Carreno #34 in the spring. Thor gets a big number in the spring and in July #34 is waiting for him! 🙂