Evans Needs To Play Everyday

Possibly the biggest standout in spring training this year has been 23 year old Nick Evans. Evans saw some time in the majors last year after hitting a ridiculous .311/.365/.563, but didn't seem to grab as much attention as Daniel Murphy, who will be starting in LF for the Mets this year.

Watching Nick Evans for a short period of time last year you right away picked up on two things.

1. He had big trouble hitting right handers (in limited AB's)
2. And he CRUSHED lefties

In 72 AB's vs left handed pitching for hte Mets last year Evans hit .319/.380/.514. That's pretty amazing considering he was 22 years old and not playing everyday.

I didn't think much of Evans to be honest, and still not sure if I'm buying into him completely yet, but GM Omar Minaya and assistant GM Tony Bernazard have been high on Evans all along, talking about "huge power potential" in the right handed hitter.

Come spring training 2009, with about 2 weeks remaining, a kid who wasn't supposed to have a shot at making the team, is now forcing the managers hand into giving him one of the final bench spots on the roster. With multiple players leaving for the WBC Evans has been given the chance to play almost every day, and he's responded, looking much better than last year (though consider competition), putting up a .308/.379/.615 line in 17 games.

Today he'll start in RF, a position he has never played before, in hopes of making him more verstaile and giving him more positions to play. The team could really use another power right handed hitter off the bench.

However, after all of the praising I just did for Evans, I still don't believe he should make the team. It has NOTHING to do with how he's performed, and has everything to do with not making a 23 year old rot on the bench. Evans still has some things to work on, and is still growing as a player, and sitting on the bench in the majors getting one start every two weeks is not going to get him where he needs to be. It could actually hurt his development as a player, and not to mention his trade value.