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It's still 2013 Spring Training. It might always be 2013 Spring Training. Only time will tell. Until then, here's the news:
Meet the Mets
The Mets celebrated a rather somber St. Patrick's Day, losing 2-1 to the Atlanta Braves at Tradition Field. Jon Niese spun a solid four innings, continuing his strong spring, and Jordany Valdespin knocked a leadoff shot to power the Mets otherwise anemic offense.
Since this is a Mets website, we of course need to check in on injuries! David Wright is back in camp and wants to start Opening Day, but it's far from a sure thing right now. Daniel Murphy has played some on the minor league side of camp, but Terry Collins wants to see Murph on the major league side by next weekend. But don't worry Mets fans, If Murphy and Wright aren't ready for opening day, the Plan B is awesome!
Over at Rising Apple, they consider whether or not Lucas Duda has earned a starting job on the 2013 Mets. Well, the rules of baseball dictate that the Mets have to start three outfielders, so...
And Faith and Fear in Flushing considers the possibility of a surprise season. But not too strongly, or else it wouldn't be a surprise.
Yesterday at AA
This Date in Mets History celebrated St. Patty's Day with the signing of totally legitimate Irishman Tim O'Perez.
And don't forget to check in on our ongoing community prospect rankings.
Around MLB
The curse of WBC third baseman continues. Fortunately Chase Headley just expressed in interest in it, so he only ended up with a jammed thumb. In this vein, Beyond the Box Score wonders if Spring Training is maybe a bit too long.
Emma Span writes about the long, strange trip of Nelson Figueroa over at Sports On Earth. Always had a soft spot for Figgy, and glad he was able to get a nice moment in the WBC. Still don't understand why Puerto Rico is its own team and Curacao isn't, though.
Bad news for Mark Teixeira, as his wrist injury might be worse than initially thought. Now he might not be healthy in time to race in the Kentucky Derby.
David Laurila's interviews over at FanGraphs are always worth a read, so check out his most recent one with Indians outfielder Drew Stubbs.
Finally, Beyond the Box Score reminds us that prospect lists aren't the be all and end all of prospect coverage. This might seem obvious, but I think it always merits repeating.
