Another week has gone by and that means it's time to update our Mets "King of Spring Training" standings! A number of Mets players continue to hit the ball with authority this spring, which is a great sign for their KOST chances. We'll see if their dominance translates to the regular season (often it does not!). Anyway, we're getting closer and closer to the end of the spring, so here's how the contenders for this award shake out:
Kirk Nieuwenhuis (Stock: Falling)
From day one, Captain Kirk looked like an excellent contender for this award but the outfielder appears to have hit a cold spell over the past week of play. Down to .364/.462/.477 on the spring, Nieuwenhuis' strikeouts have ballooned and brought down his entire line. Could the pressure of being a KOST favorite be weighing on Kirk? You probably say no but for the sake of making this somewhat interesting, we say YES!
Matt den Dekker (Stock: Holding)
A home run in last night's game helped den Dekker hang onto his spot this week. A .250/.375/.500 line is nice in the regular season but in spring training? Pssshhh, you have to have WAAAAAAY more BABIP to catch this voter's eye. NEXT!
Eric Campbell (Stock: Holding)
Campbell's spring hasn't been bad, hitting at .244/.395/.561 thus far. He may be on the periphery now but a big final week could put Soup right in the midst of the race. Let's see if he can exhibit the non-existent CLUTCH gene over the rest of the spring training and pull out the win!
John Mayberry Jr (Stock: Rising)
Week 3 was another week of John Mayberry Jr ripping apart the Grapefruit League. His big hit of the week was the solo home run he crushed off of Yankees' ace Masahiro Tanaka on Wednesday. Mayberry's been incredibly steady in his spring training dominance and is hitting .436/.500/.718 with 3 home runs. We don't want to sway the voters in any way but that certainly seems like a KOST caliber line. Is there a new favorite in camp?
Johnny Monell (Stock: Holding)
Monell's seen his bat cool off a bit after hitting a go-ahead three-run home run last week. The catcher's overall line is still strong at .316/.350/.605 but ehh, I'm not feeling it here. Sorry, Johnny. I may have just tanked your KOST value in three lines. I'm sure you care.
Matt Reynolds (Stock: Holding)
Reynolds saw his line fall until he busted out yesterday against the Nationals. Coming in as a pinch hitter, Reynolds hit a home run and a double. At .378/.400/.595, Reynolds is on the cusp of a 1.000 OPS, which is a nice round number. He's also got a pair of home runs this spring. He's certainly a viable KOST contender headed into the final week.
Wilmer Flores (Stock: Falling)
Flores was a big riser in last week's KOST update but he couldn't keep it going over the past week. An injury cost the Mets' shortstop a few days but he also saw his overall line slip to .341/.364/.585 for the spring. There's still a chance for Flores to pull out the award but he's going to need a big last week to truly be a favorite.
New Contender!!!!
We have a new contender for the crown, as this player has made a late charge for a spot on the Mets roster (and for a shot at the not important award)!
Danny Muno (Stock: Rising)
The 26-year-old infielder has turned heads in camp this spring, showcasing a solid bat with some pop to go along with defensive versatility on the infield. With Daniel Murphy somewhat questionable for Opening Day, Muno is battling Matt Reynolds for a chance to play second base for the Mets in Murphy's place should he need a DL stint. If not, Muno is clearly on the cusp of reaching the big leagues and is also making a name for himself in this competition.