During his first talk with reporters this spring, on 
Saturday, Jerry Manuel said he may try using Luis Castillo in the leadoff spot, while batting Jose Reyes third.
I did a chat with The Happy Recap last night, and I listened to a lot of talk radio this weekend, and I think people may be taking Manuel’s comments a little too literally.
Sure, Manuel may bat Castillo leadoff, but my guess is this is more of a spring-time motivational strategy than it is a permanent solution.
Manuel talked during the off-season about working to create an environment this spring that would help Castillo succeed, and batting him leadoff certainly gets him more pitches and allows him more freedom to start the game. Also, Castillo’s not even in camp yet, so by pumping him up and trusting him with more responsibility, and making him a big part of the offense before he even gets in camp, it, again, puts him in a leadership position and in a better chance to do well.
Manuel is clearly looking to preach the message of team this spring, not going so far as to say his 
team was selfish last year, but saying that to be successful his players need to be more team-first in their thinking.
“Stolen bases aren’t important to me,” Manuel said, “It’s important when you steal the base, you know what I’m saying. But, just to have the numbers aren’t important. It’s when you steal a base that’s important.”
Manuel has also talked about challenging Reyes to utilize not only his instincts but his intelligence, and I bet by asking him to bat second or third for a bit in spring, it could help Reyes think differently, and be a smarter hitter.
Lastly, the whole shake-up could just be a way to, again, stress that it’s not about stats, it’s not about stolen base totals or RBI situations or home run numbers, it’s about making adjustments and doing what’s best for the team – so if Wright has to hit fifth one day, or Reyes bats third, so be it.
In the end, on Opening Day, I bet Reyes bats leadoff, Wright bats third, and so on, but for spring, I think it’s all up in the air.
its not a crazy idea at all..it has its pros and cons but if he can prove hes 100% in spring training and jose doesnt throw a temper tantrum..luis leadoff and jose behind him. I have a problem with jose’s patience but he can def bunt and has some pop, plus has good protection with wright behind him. Either castillo in the 9 hole or leadoff if hes 100%…
agreed with u and matt both dirty – i think manuel can light a fire under all of this team butts – unlike willie with his “last year never happened rhetoric ( and i supported willie)
OHH MY GOD! WHAT IS HE…
Just kidding, I like Reyes batting leadoff, but it doesnt bother me much if he bats second or third.
I just cant wait for that first game…
here here
i second that rich….im going crazy waiting for the first game. Just to know its a little more than a month away……im going nutz over here lol
I’m not fond of Reyes batting 3rd or Castillo leading off. Personally, I prefer Reyes leading off. But, if it jump starts the team then so be it. I just want the Mets to do well and, if this will do it, then by all means stick with it. But, for the love of God, if it fails please change it quickly and don’t drag it out.
Ideally, I’d like Reyes leading off and Church in the 2-hole but, I’m not a MLB manager so I’ll trust Jerry, for now.
Well that combo of reyes/church at the top worked for a while last year…wouldnt mind seeing that again. I too would personally like to see reyes leadoff but i would like it more to see castillo get going again. If this is what it take to get him going and it doesnt affect the team overall then he should do it…but like you said we are not MLB managers….but we play one on the blog
I think Murphy might be better suited to the 2 hole than Church is.
i think u can pencil murph (of tmagic tones fame) in either the 2 or the 7th hole and he will thrive – he is that disciplined
agreed stick….granted when the reyes/church combo was working, murphy was still in AAA. Now that we see what hes got…def 2nd hole material.
Same Here. If putting Castillo in the leadoff spot and hitting Reyes 2nd or 3rd, hopefully it works. I really don’t think that this is that great of an idea because last year the Mets about always scored early in the innings and Castillo didn’t help that much. There is also the Reyes Run which makes the Mets win a lot. Though, Castillo takes a lot of pitches and doesn’t strike out a lot which is a good thing. I’d think the batting order next year will be like this.
Reyes
Church
Wright
Delgado/Beltran
Beltran/Delgado
Tatis
Schneider/(Pudge)It doesn’t matter.
Castillo/(Hudson)I wish!
Pitcher’s Spot
I forgot to put Murphy batting 2nd next to Church!
i would like to propose some line-up tweaks
truth is, as much as we want carlos beltran to be a 4 or 5 hitter, he is really a great 2 or an adequate 3.
i also believe the change in approach from hitting 1st to hitting 3rd would benefit reyes, i can see him thriving in the 3 hole, stealing 25 or so bases a year (staying strong in the second half) and still maintain an ops around 850 (or 900!!)
with that ops, reyes would have a great statisical season in the 3rd spot as long as castillo gets on at a .370 clip with beltran’s 870 – 950 ops right behind him.
we all know how when reyes scores a run in the first inning we do well, what if jose was knocking in a run or 2 in the first inning and still having the opportunity to steal a base and run wild.
this is what i would try in spring training:
vs. rhp
castillo
beltran
reyes
delgado
wright
church
murphy
catcher
pitcher
vs lhp
castillo
beltran
reyes
delgado (as long as he is hitting)
wright
tatis
church
catcher
pitcher
i would also try this (which i like alot)
reyes
beltran
wright
delgado
church (tatis vs lhp)
murphy (church vs lhp)
catcher
pitcher
castillo
in this scenario, castillo is essentially a second leadoff hitter, so 7, 8, 9 is no longer an automatic 1, 2,3 inning … i could see plenty of 2 out walks to castillo giving reyes another shot at a run. statisically, the pitcher would be bunting over the catcher 30% of the time, giving castillo and reyes an rbi opportunity
from my perspective, the 3rd lineup maximizes our team obp and ops at each batter position. with good health and average years, we should have a solid offensive team with only one real caveat … that Tatis (and delgado) have to hit against lefties
What to do with slappy Mc. is a dilema. As-suming they are going to play him of course (since not being on the team is the obvious best option).
I vote for 8th to minimize his ABs. Let him try to get on base to clear the pitcher, or be a bottom of the order lead off man. Give reyes some RBI opps with 1 or 2 outs?
But, if they are putting him in the 2 hole, it probably does make sense to have him 1st instead, if his OBP% stays high.
I would rather see Luis walk to lead off and Reyes drive a double to put 2 on no out for DW instead of Reyes double to lead off, and luis bunt him over to 3rd.
It would certainly be much nicer to just have a 2nd baseman that could hit…
Of course, all a moot point if Castillo can’t even make it through ST healthy or productive (certainly not a guarantee)
The more I think about it, the more I like this. I feel like Castillo is a get on base at any costs kind of guy – whether that’s by walk or an infield hit or whatever. You take away his ability to do that when you have Reyes in front of him. Batting Castillo leadoff also keeps him out of the double play and will keep him from giving up outs by bunting to move guys over. Two of the last three years, Reyes has slugged more than .475 and it’s not like he’s some kind of OBP king here. All you’re doing is preventing Jose from getting 50-60 steals in a year which after seeing how the SBs broke him down in 2007, I’d prefer he made that less a part of his game anyway.
In other words, this is worth a serious try on the part of Manuel. I would love to at least see it for a week or two in April to see how it works. I really hope this isn’t Manuel talking to hear himself talk like he tended to do last year.
I totally agree…..drawing walks is not Jose’s game, even though he has improved at it. Let him swing away in the 2 or 3 hole, and we may see 40 2B and 25 HR, and 100+ RBI.
Hopefully Murph can eventually hit 2nd, and while Wright is ideal to bat 3rd, nothing wrong with Castillo, Murph, Jose, Wright , Beltran, Delgado…
And again, I LOVE that Jerry is open-minded and thinking out of the box.
you know kong stick and all of my like minded mets fans – this is a good problem to have
Yeah, I agree…despite the thoughts of those who complain about the offense, Jerry has Jose, Wright, Beltran and Delgado to shuffle around, with a very possibly new good hitter, Magic Tone Murph, waiting in the wings, who is in incredible shape, running by everyone in sprints…this guy seems VERY ready to succeed at the ML level….
And Church is another wild card….if he plays every day, and hits .280 with 40 2B, we will score even more runs than last year.
i mean this isnt like 03/04 when our most productive hitters were piazza reyes and wright – augmented with vance wilson and todd zeile ju know what im sayin!!
In some ways, this is the same situation the Phils had (have?) with Rollins. He hit leadoff, but also some 2nd and 3rd (not sure if he ever dropped lower).
I do like reyes in the 2 hole, but I still don’t see him 3rd anytime soon.
But, fantasizing ahead, if Murphy turns out to be the real deal this year (in the 2 hole), if they get a legit option to lead off in 2010 (Roberts? Someone else for 2B?), you could ultimately see:
Roberts (or equivilant)
reyes
Murphy
DW
Beltran
Church
LF/1B (whatever Murphy isn’t playing)
C (new)
Yeah, getting ahead of things worrying about next year already! But thinking about life without Schneider, Castro, Delgado or Castillo makes me happy.
And there is a lot of speed and power through that lineup.
if memory serves me right didn’t lenny and wally switch positions in the batting order every so often?
Stick, U forgot about Evans, I would think he would be delgado’s sucessor.
How about Hudson instead of Roberts. Both very good.
Uhh, who’s to say Reyes broke down in 2007? He seemed to be affected by the same ailment Delgado suffered from….Willie Randolph. The team stopped playing for him at some point i 2007….probably because they knew he was an idiot.
It makes a great deal of sense to bat Reyes in the two hole with Castillo and no Manny, but I don’t see why it’d hinder his stolen base totals that much. If a base is open, you’re not gonna send him? Jose Reyes is the type of guy you a don’t steal sign rather than a steal sign. Unless a specific situation comes up where he shouldn’t be going…I keep Jose on green….and if he hit second for the games Castillo was in the line-up all year…I don’t see why he wouldn’t steal around the same amount of bases as he had last year…
in*
give*
Look Jerky, please stop with the “team stopped playing for Willie” nonsense…it is ridiculous nonsense, and really should be put to rest.
kong leave it be man
Yeah, every time I post something like this, I realize I shouldn’t….but how can anyone really think Jose, Delgado, or Beltran would not be giving their all 100% of the time?
I wasn’t targeting the poster, but the idea of these guys deliberately not hustling….
yeah, I know….Delgado just started taking his vitamins again…and Reyes started hustling like a madman because he wanted to break in new cleats….
Delgado was hurt…a bad wrist injury can affect hitting, no??
lol, oh that’s right, and miraculously healed as soon as Randolph was fired….
Both Beltran and Delgado were rehabbing from surgery this time last year, but the fact that they seemed miraculously healed after Willie left makes you wonder if it were a strictly time issue. I’m sorry but they should be at Spring Training already even though they don’t need to report until Wednesday, but as core players, they should be there supporting and guiding their teammates. I’m sure they are fully aware that David Wright is holding down the fort, leadership wise, so they won’t rush, but don’t worry, as soon as they show up, they will take over, dream on.
jerk, like these guys are gonna throw their own seasons away because of Willie??? Please!!!!! Neither one of those guys are named Manny and they are both professionals they don’t quit on anyone!
SIGN MANNY!!!
Sign Hudson!!!!!!!!!!
In 2010 get Vlad for Delgado or something like that!
Or Roberts!
Would adding Hudson or Roberts nearly do as much for the Mets as Manny Ramirez? No, they wouldn’t.
1)SS – Jose Reyes
2)CF – Carlos Beltran
3)LF – Manny Ramirez
4)1B – Carlos Delgado
5)3B – David Wright
6)RF – Ryan Church
7)C – Ramon Castro
8)2B – David Murphy
I like that line-up…
Anyway, I prefer to see murphy in the 2 hole.
yeah i was all for this move when it was first announced…i’d also probably put beltran in the 2 hole, reyes 3…but whatever…i like luis batting lead off, or 8th…2nd is silly, too mmuch pressure if reyes is on base already….8th is good to clear the pitcher. An 8 hitter should be someone not too good that he gets walked for the pitcher, but someone not so bad that he’s an automatic out…that to me, is castillo in a nutshell. Please no austin powers jokes beneath this. Yeah baby
and if he falters we can always take him out to pa$ture and sell him for glue :P
i just got back form the mets site and i cant believe they arent marketing murphy/putz jerseys – they would make a mint !!!
I’d like one myself!
gives new meaning by having a putz on yer back :P
LOL…I keep only referring to him as JJ, hoping it will catch on, but alas, no luck so far….
It may be his name, but he ain’t no Putz!!
when ever i hear jj – think of 2 people – jimmy walker from good times ( and putz – definitly doesnt look like him lol) or burt renolds character from cannonball run – dun DUN dun !!!
Guys idk about you but i am very exited about this year….as much nit picking as we do here on a daily basis, we got a hellova team if you really think about it. The injury bug is going to be our main problem this year(and every year really)…
im definitely psyched and like ive been posting – they should use the andrew wk song party hard before the game and either shoot em down by twisted sister, shake yer foundations by ac/dc or aces high by iron maiden
Totally agree Dirty…and as for injuries, we have two closers, lots of middle-bullpen depth, and about 27 5th starters.
lol did i hear correctly that both jose lima and craig swan were vying for the 28th spot??
Hey, if Swan’s arm troubles have finally healed, he could be pretty good.
I met Lima’s wife and little Jose Jr once in Seattle, buying a gift for Jose, as they apparently met at a Mariners’ game…she was VERY cute….
i wonder when he gets ready for sex does he scream “ITS’S LIMA TIME!!!’ OR “ESTA DE HORA DEL LIMA !!” lol
I didn’t ask…good question though.
I am out for a while, but thought you would appreciate this completely irrelevant piece of Blues Bros trivia–apparently Murph of the Magic Tones was only in the movie because Paul Shaffer had some commitment to play with Gilda Radner, as Shaffer was supposed to be in the movie….
c ya later man im getting more of my leg sleeve done today – yeah schaffer is a lorne michaels whore anyway – hated seeing him with springsteen on the super bowl – though i like will lee
i like the idea. puts beltran in 2 and would be interesting to see what reyes can do #3
Agreed, this could work great, at least until Murph shows he is ready for full-time duty batting 2nd.
I definitely don’t like the idea…. read about this in the Star Ledger yesterday….
1) Why mess with Reyes, let him work on the other things the Manual has mentioned that he needs improvement on…… IMO sending him into the 3 hole sends Reyes the wrong message. I don’t want him thinking this is a promotion and start upper cutting the ball and popping up constantly, he does this enough as it is….
2) Stolen bases may be a stat but don’t under estimate the ability Reyes gives the Mets to score in the first inning or whenever he bat’s leadoff in an inning and in a multitude of ways that Castillo will not provide.
3) Article I read mentioned Beltran in the 2 hole… with no one on base or if Castillo is on he’s slower then Reyes if Reyes were battling lead off. Beside Beltran that high provides less production and less protection in the typical power spots in the lineup.
Yes the team needs to work on more of the fundies… working pitch counts, hitting behind the runner etc but this is shooting yourself in the foot
Beltran draws walks, and he has had a LOT of success batting 2nd. And if Murph is indeed what he appears to possibly be, he is the IDEAL 2 hitter—patient, takes a lot of pitches, contact hitter, etc.
And if Jose is an extra base threat for whom taking walks is a chore and not natural, why not let him hit 3rd where he can utilize the XBH power??
As Rusty says, it is a great problem to have….
thak you kong – and lets not forget bobby v used to shake up the batting order daily – with geat effect so hey it might work
I agree, the more I think about the more I like it! The only concern I would have is that Reyes would really have to work the count in his faver to get a pitch he can drive, something that isn’t really his strong suit, that said with Wright hitting behind him he just might get a few more fastballs… and we all know what happens when reyes gets a fastball!
I think #1 is aq non-issue if they put Reyes 2nd.
SAME HERE THE ONLY PERSON THAT WILL MAKE IT INTO A ISSUE IS FATCESSA – JUST TO GET THE HEAT OFF HIS STEROID USING YANKS – sorry caps
If beltran is hitting 2nd and hits a double even Jerry Manuel could make third or score, so Castillo be slower than Reyes( btw so is most of the Major Leagues!) doesn’t really have all that much impact.
the guy is a career .367 ops guy…granted last year was the worst in his career but if this guy gets on base like he has always done, thats the job of the leadoff man. Granted we will miss the dimention of reyes stealing(its not like jerry runs alot anyway) but reyes can get on base and it could help him with his patience as well. He will see better pitches because wright is behind him. I agree no reyes in the 3 hole. We need beltran in the lower part of the order to give us more depth..although i agree having beltran in the 2hole would be nice and im sure he would perfer it, we need the depth imo. Murph would be great for the two hole if the castillo project doesnt work out.
Reyes can just as well run wild in the 2 hole.
Or even better, be more selective and steal when it makes sense. I would be happy with fewer steals but a better steal % anyway.
And think of this. having Reyes on 1st could help DW see more fastballs.
OK BOYZ AND GIRLS (THAT MEANS YOU JERK MADOFF)”ITS TIME FOR THIS DAY IN METS INFAMY WITH RUSTY” SO BUCKLE UP AND AWAY WE GO!!!
first off happy b-days go out to a man who never met a diet he ever liked – former cather and one time mets coach Barry Foote (1952)
also for utility scrub and now a renowned source on the internet for guys like mets geek Bill Pecota (1960)
Transactions:
New York Mets signed free agent Clem Labine on February 16, 1962. – no relation to cladiddlhoffer from this site
IMO
1) Reyes
2) Castillo.. let him bunt Reyes to 3rd after Reyes has stolen 2nd
3) Wright
4)Delgado
5) Beltran
6)Church
7)Murphy/ Tats
8) Schneider
9) Pitcher
or i’d rather see this with the double leadoff men then Reyes 3rd
1) Reyes
2) Church
3) Wright
4)Delgado
5) Beltran
6)Murphy/ Tats
7)Schneider
8) Pitcher
9) Castillo
I hate the idea of bunting Reyes over to 3rd after a leadoff double. What a waste of an out.
Unless it is late in a tie game and you are truly playing for 1 run.
How about, Reyes lead off double, and Murphy rips a shot to the right side that either goes through for a single and an RBI, or at least moves Reyes over to 3rd anyway?
I also like the idea of Murphy in the 2… IF he is the real deal and can play as he did last year..
batting castillo would be crazy, but i don’t take jerry’s comments the way i think most do. i think it’s more about jose.
i can’t help but wonder if the mets secretely hope that castillo gets hurt in spring training and misses the whole year.
i would like to propose some line-up tweaks
truth is, as much as we want carlos beltran to be a 4 or 5 hitter, he is really a great 2 or an adequate 3.
i also believe the change in approach from hitting 1st to hitting 3rd would benefit reyes, i can see him thriving in the 3 hole, stealing 25 or so bases a year (staying strong in the second half) and still maintain an ops around 850 (or 900!!)
with that ops, reyes would have a great statisical season in the 3rd spot as long as castillo gets on at a .370 clip with beltran’s 870 – 950 ops right behind him.
we all know how when reyes scores a run in the first inning we do well, what if jose was knocking in a run or 2 in the first inning and still having the opportunity to steal a base and run wild.
this is what i would try in spring training:
vs. rhp
castillo
beltran
reyes
delgado
wright
church
murphy
catcher
pitcher
vs lhp
castillo
beltran
reyes
delgado (as long as he is hitting)
wright
tatis
church
catcher
pitcher
i would also try this (which i like alot)
reyes
beltran
wright
delgado
church (tatis vs lhp)
murphy (church vs lhp)
catcher
pitcher
castillo
in this scenario, castillo is essentially a second leadoff hitter, so 7, 8, 9 is no longer an automatic 1, 2,3 inning … i could see plenty of 2 out walks to castillo giving reyes another shot at a run. statisically, the pitcher would be bunting over the catcher 30% of the time, giving castillo and reyes an rbi opportunity
from my perspective, the 3rd lineup maximizes our team obp and ops at each batter position. with good health and average years, we should have a solid offensive team with only one real caveat … that Tatis (and delgado) have to hit against lefties
If Castilo hits over .300 with a near .400 obp, (ie if Laguardia diverts the pigs flight path to over City Field) then Reyes should be first, and Castilo second. Otherwise, Murphy should be batting second ( he hit .333 from the 2 hole in 17 games, 63 AB, with a .408 obs, .932 OPS. He also (totals) hit .375 with RISP, and an OBP of .475 . Some people seem to think ‘08 was a fluke, but if it was at all, it wasn’t by much. The guy put in quality at bats time after time, working the pitcher even on his outs. Same way you could look at Miguel Cabrera his first year and know he was the real deal right away, just by watching the quality of his swing, same idea with Murphy (the next Abreu). His patients at the top of the lineup allows Reyes to steal, tires the pitcher by his batting more often in games, and gives you a .400 OBP in front of our 3-4-5.
All with me, say “I”