Sunday, April 29, 2012

The Center Of Attention

Andres Torres is due to come back from the disabled list tomorrow. With his return, Kirk Nieuwenhuis is expected to move from centerfield to left field while Jason Bay is still out. I have just one question. Why?

Kirk Nieuwenhuis has been outstanding in centerfield. It is fun to watch the diving and leaping and against-the-fence catches. But he has shown more than that. No matter who the Mets put in the corners of the outfield, they'll have more Major League experience than him. Kirk doesn't let that get to his head. He has taken charge of the outfield, covering the ground a centerfielder is suppose o cover, even if it means calling for a ball over a veteran such as Jason Bay or Scott Hairston. Most will think that he's just doing his job and that shouldn't mean anything. However, it was something Fernando Martinez and Angel Pagan failed to do at times so it's nice to see the less experience guy finally take charge.

The Mets have Matt den Dekker in AA playing centerfield. If den Dekker and Nieuwenhuis both have a future with the club Kirk is probably going to be the one to move. But den Dekker should be the only one moving Kirk. That conflict shouldn't be something the Mets face this season. If the Mets are serious about Kirk Nieuwenhuis being a big part of this team they should show it tomorrow. They should show Kirk is bigger than Torres by putting Torres in left field, not Kirk.

Let's Go Mets!

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