Five NYM players to look out for as Spring Training rolls on

Although the Mets come into the 2016 season with far fewer questions than the previous year, there are still several intriguing stories as we inch toward Opening Night against Kansas City in the first week of April. In this article, I will give you the name's of 5 players to watch out for as Spring Training progresses. 

1. Josh Smoker

Smoker may be ready for his MLB debut

- Smoker was a former first round pick by the Washington Nationals in the 2007 Draft, but found himself out of baseball after 2012. In 2014, he inked a deal with the Rockford Aviators of the Independent League, and pitched to a 4.03 ERA in 28 relief appearances. While that number is far from excellent, it was enough to get a minor league contract with the Mets in 2015.

Last year, he got some attention by putting up a 3.12 ERA in 41 games across three levels of the minor leagues. There was also some debate on whether he would receive a September call-up, but the Mets opted to keep him off the roster. 

This year, he may be closer to a roster spot than other's think. Antonio Bastardo is a lock for the Mets bullpen, and the other options include Josh Edgin and Jerry Blevins, both of whom are coming off a major surgery. If they are deemed unready to start the season, Smoker could swoop in with a strong showing and give Terry Collins yet another power arm to work with. 

2. Dilson Herrera

- The Mets knew they were getting something special when they acquired Herrera in the Marlon Byrd trade a few years back. At the time, he was a raw, 19 year old second baseman with an improving bat and acceptable defense. Now, as a 22 year old with two separate stints with the big league club, one could argue that he is ready for an every-day job in the majors. 

However, I think it would be best for his development to start the season with the Las Vegas 51s. Neil Walker is going to be the team's second baseman for the foreseeable future, so it would make little sense to have Herrera ride the pine with the big league team. Also, the Mets as a whole have enough infielders on the projected 25 man roster, so it would be difficult to squeeze him in there. 

As a long-time supporter, I am confident that Herrera will continue his strong Spring Training performance, and equally as confident that we will see him with the big league club by the summer.

3. Gabriel Ynoa

Ynoa is ranked as the Mets #8 prospect (according to MLB.com)

- Ynoa is a piece of the next wave of pitching prospects that the Mets plan on bringing up in the next year or two, and he will likely begin the year in Triple-A. While he doesn't have the same ceiling as a Noah Syndergaard or Steven Matz, he could turn himself into a very nice back end starter. 

As far as his background, he opened some eyes in 2013 by putting up a 15-4 record with a 2.72 ERA in 22 games for the Savannah Sand Gnats (Single-A affiliate of the New York Mets). As he has progressed, his numbers have taken a dip. For example, in 2015, he had a 3.90 ERA in 25 games (24 starts) for the Binghamton Mets (Double-A). Despite that, he has maintained impeccable control, as he sports a career 1.3 BB/9 in a 6 year minor league career. 

Like I said before, I don't expect Ynoa to break camp with the team, but a few solid outings here and there could put him on the radar for a summer call-up if the Mets are struck with the injury bug. 

4. T.J. Rivera

- Rivera has been in the Mets organization for 5 seasons now, and has done nothing but hit. In fact, he was one of the names considered in 2015 when the Mets were looking for some extra offense off the bench. His true breakout season was in 2014 when he hit a monstrous .349 in 115 games for St. Lucie and Binghamton. 

I couldn't tell you why the Mets haven't given Rivera a shot yet. Defensively, he may be average at shortstop, but also has experience at first, second, and third base, which would make him an ideal utility player. 

The reason why he is on this list is because this year I feel like we really might see the Mets give him an opportunity, as they are reportedly not ruling out trading Ruben Tejada to save money, and could go to a younger, cheaper, player such as Rivera to fill his bench spot. As a 27 year old, Rivera is basically in the do-or-die stage of his professional career so now would be the best time to impress the coaches. 

5. Jim Henderson

- Henderson is the most realistic player out of these five to make the team. The Mets did not risk anything with him as they simply gave him a non-roster invite to ST to see if there was anything left in the tank. 

Henderson is ready to re-establish himself as a back-end bullpen threat

The 33-year old had two nice seasons with Milwaukee in 2012-2013, putting up a combined 2.98 ERA in 97 relief outings, while attaining 31 saves. Also, he had an above average K/9, which sat at 11.9, during that span. However, he was placed on the 60 day disabled list in 2014 following shoulder surgery, and missed the entire 2015 year while rehabbing.

After yesterday's 7-5 W against the Atlanta Braves, Terry Collins had some good things to say about Henderson, who contributed with a scoreless inning. Collins said "He's a guy who's got outstanding experience and was a closer at one time. I like the fact that it looks like his shoulder has healed up pretty well. The velocity has been very, very good."

Expect to see Henderson fight to the bitter end in camp as he tries to regain his past form of being an above average reliever.