A Confluence Of Events

    A series of unforeseen events or circumstances may keep Lastings Milledge in New York for this entire season rather than having him return to Triple A for a bit longer. First, the Mets don’t seem confident or impressed enough with what they’ve seen from Shawn Green this spring to automatically anoint him the every day job in right field. Second, Milledge has performed brilliantly this spring and there haven’t been any reports of discipline problems or immaturity as there were last season. Third, the Mets Triple A team was moved from Norfolk, Virginia to New Orleans. Any one of these things could be a consideration in keeping Milledge or sending him back down; as a whole, though, the Mets and Milledge would probably be better served to keep the talented and emotional outfielder in New York for the full season.
    Shawn Green was once a fearsome power hitter in the middle of the lineup and a potential Gold Glove winning outfielder. He hit for power, average, got on base and could run; now he’s become a journeyman. For whatever reason, his statistics have fallen off the map; there is no justifiable reason to believe that at age 34 he’s going to ever get his game back. The Mets are only paying a part of his salary; there could be a valid reason not only to bench him if he doesn’t start hitting, but to release him entirely. There was talk early in the spring that Green had spotted a mechanical flaw in his swing that was robbing him of his power; so far the results of the correction have been mixed at best. It is not out of the realm of possibility that Green will be quickly reduced to a platoon player and then to the bench if he doesn’t hit immediately out of the gate. Milledge and Endy Chavez would be a far more productive right field combination at this point.
    Lastings Milledge has hit well over .350 this spring and has proven that physically he’s ready for the big leagues. One thing the Mets have been concerned about since the rise and fall of both Darryl Strawberry and Dwight Gooden is that their young players be physically and emotionally ready for the candystore that is big league life and the dangerous candystore that is big league life in New York. As much as they deny it, there were rumblings that some in the Mets organization were concerned about this aspect with Scott Kazmir and that was one of the reasons that they traded him.
    The noticeable differences between the eras of Strawberry and Gooden and this Mets team is that the 1980s manager, Davey Johnson, was known to be hands off with his players; and the veterans on that team behaved worse than Strawberry and Gooden eventually would. This Mets team has a disciplinarian manager in Willie Randolph and veteran character players in Tom Glavine, Carlos Delgado, Paul LoDuca, Billy Wagner and Moises Alou to keep an eye on Milledge and steer him in the right direction.
    Finally, it may be politically incorrect to say it, but I would be reticent to put a young athlete who has had disciplinary problems in a place such as New Orleans right now. The crime rate in the devastated city is soaring; it is a dangerous place to be and to play. The Mets organization has embraced the city and is openly trying to help with the reconstruction, but the fact is that the team’s top farm club is only located there because they were shut out of every other option. It seems that the Mets affiliation with New Orleans is a short-term inconvenience that could have long term ramifications if they send someone like Milledge down there.
    Now Milledge is going to miss a few days after being hit on the hand with a pitch. The Mets would be well advised to keep the young outfielder on the big league club to start the season, give him his at bats when resting Moises Alou and against lefties in place of Shawn Green. Milledge is so young and talented that he may be one of those players that suddenly explodes into all of his abilities. That is one of the reasons that the Mets were reluctant to trade him for pitching this past off season. Now it may be his opportunity to show that he can play in the big leagues and behave like a big leaguer. With all of the other factors considered, the Mets best choice is to keep Milledge in New York; deal with some more growing pains; and keep an eye on him. It also may be the only way to get the most out of his abilities as well.