Omar Minaya’s stated goal when taking the General Manager post in 2004 was to make the team “younger and more athletic.” While one can argue the merits of such a mantra, it was something to which he could be held accountable. Parsing his words, you would expect the Mets to consistently field fast, young teams that cover a lot of ground. With that, I submit the New York Mets opening day lineup:
| Player | Age in 2010 | 2009 UZR |
|---|---|---|
| Barajas, C | 35 | n/a |
| Jacobs, 1B | 30 | 0.4 |
| Castillo, 2B | 35 | -10.4 |
| Wright, 3B | 28 | -10.4 |
| Cora, SS | 35 | -3.8 |
| Bay, LF | 32 | -13 |
| Matthews, CF | 36 | -14.5 |
| Francoeur, RF | 26 | -6.1 |
How athleticism manifests itself in baseball may be a tricky thing to gauge; age not so much. Rod Barajas is a good defensive catcher, but 35. Jacobs was above average at 1B in a microscopic sample size. He’s really a putrid defender. With the exception of a Wright and Francoeur bounce-back, the Mets will field a decidedly old, nonathletic team.
So, hey, Omar, what do you say?