Make-The-Mets-O-Meter: Pitchers, Week 1

The Opening Day roster may just be the Opening Day roster, but there's plenty of attention paid to which players make the Mets out of spring training to begin each new season. When it comes to the team's pitchers, there are some definite open spots in the bullpen and some potential open spots in the starting rotation. Enter the Make-the-Mets-O-Meter, our weekly series looking at the players who might make the Mets, all of whom were included in our look at the team's 40-man roster a few weeks ago.

If Johan Santana and Shaun Marcum are ready for the start of the year, they'll slot right into the rotation with Jon Niese, Dillon Gee, and Matt Harvey. In that case, the rotation is set. But neither Santana nor Marcum is entirely on track just yet, and some other starters might have a shot at a spot if either one isn't ready.

In the bullpen, Bobby Parnell is going to begin the year as the team's closer, and Brandon Lyon is a lock to make the team, too. While Josh Edgin is the odds-on favorite to be the primary lefty out of the Mets' bullpen, we'll leave him on the meter for now. Assuming Frank Francisco begins the year on the disabled list, there are at least a few spots up for grabs in the 'pen.

Player		Comment
Scott Atchison, RHP		On paper, Atchison should be all but guaranteed a spot in the bullpen if he proves to be healthy, and so far, that has not been an issue.
Greg Burke, RHP		Don't let the 6.75 ERA in spring training games fool you. With 6 strikeouts and no walks, Burke's been making his case for a spot in the Opening Day bullpen.
Robert Carson, LHP		He's a left-handed pitcher, which helps his odds, but he's been just okay to this point of spring training.
Josh Edgin, LHP		So far, so good for the young hard-throwing lefty, whose spot as the team's primary weapon against left-handed hitters should be secure.
Jeurys Familia, RHP		It's all about control with Familia, and he hasn't shown much improvement in that department yet. With so many more proven arms in camp, it's not hard to see him starting the year in the Vegas rotation or bullpen.
Pedro Feliciano, LHP		Not having pitched yet in a game, Perpetual Pedro will have to show he's anything like his former self before getting a shot at the big league roster.
Gonzalez Germen, RHP		Germen didn't really figure to make the team in the first place, but with two ugly innings in the books, his odds are certainly not any better.
Darin Gorski, LHP		One of the Mets' under-the-radar pitching prospects, albeit a moderately projected one, Gorski's 1 strikeout and 4 walks in spring games are the polar opposite of ideal.
LaTroy Hawkins, RHP		Tough to make anything out of Hawkins yet, as he does not have an appearance in a spring game.
Jeremy Hefner, RHP		Despite a 4.15 ERA, Hefner's looked okay in two appearances.
Aaron Laffey, LHP		Hasn't pitched much yet, but he's got an outside shot at the long-man/spot-starter role in the bullpen.
Cory Mazzoni, RHP		Mazzoni's most likely to continue starting in the minors this year, but he's looked good thus far.
Collin McHugh, RHP		The results haven't been there for McHugh, but he does have a path to making the team if either Santana or Marcum is not in the rotation to begin the season.
Jenrry Mejia, RHP		It's sometimes easy to forget that Mejia is still so young, but he was inefficient and awful in his first spring start. Without drastic improvement, he'll be honing his craft at Las Vegas to begin the year.
Rafael Montero, RHP		Montero's looked good so far, but without any experience above High-A St. Lucie, he doesn't figure to be on the Mets on Opening Day, no matter how promising he looks in spring games.
Elvin Ramirez, RHP		As always, Ramirez has struggled with walks in the early going. If he can't get that worked out, he's not likely to make it to the big league bullpen anytime soon.
Hansel Robles, RHP		Robles simply isn't making the team out of the gate, but for a guy who hasn't pitched above Low-A Brooklyn yet, that's not at all disappointing. He'll probably be among the first cuts from big league camp.
Scott Rice, LHP		Like Burke, Rice hasn't walked anyone in spring training games. He could be the team's second left-handed relief pitcher if things don't pan out for one or more of the other pitchers competing for that role.
Carlos Torres, RHP		With 2 strikeouts, 4 walks, and a 10.80 ERA so far, Torres isn't doing himself any favors yet.
Zack Wheeler, RHP		Missed start aside, Wheeler's incredibly unlikely to make the roster on Opening Day since it'd cost the Mets a year of team control to put him on the roster that soon. He looked great in his first spring appearance, though.

Thanks to readers NateW and StorkFan for pointing out that Jeremy Hefner and LaTroy Hawkins weren't included in the initial version of this list.