Looking Ahead to the 2012 Mets

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Will Reyes still call Citi Field home in 2012?

After some encouraging moments, the 2011 season is essentially over for the Mets. Actually, it’s been over for a while.

So it’s not too soon to talk about 2012, since General Manager Sandy Alderson is building for next year and beyond. Here is how next year’s starting lineup shapes up:

JOSH THOLE (C): Thole needs to play 120-130 games next year for the Mets to see if he can be a solid starter. The jury is still out on Thole, who probably needs to hit .280 with a little more power to solidify the starting job. Defensively, hopefully he can make progress as well.

IKE DAVIS (1B): It was so unfortunate to see Davis go down with a serious injury on such a fluke play (when he collided with David Wright). If Davis is ready to go in 2012, he should be a 30-HR, 100-RBI guy, or close to it.

JUSTIN TURNER (2B): As with Thole, the Mets need to find out how Turner would do with more than 500 at-bats. If Turner can hit for a higher average (.280) and a little more power, the Mets would probably be happy.

JOSE REYES (SS): Everyone on the planet knows Reyes is going to be a free agent, and indications are the Mets are going to try hard to keep him. Despite the injury risk, the Mets need to keep the most exciting player on their roster. He still may become the first Mets player to win a batting title – the only drama left at Citi Field in 2011.

DAVID WRIGHT (3B): The Mets just need Wright to be Wright, and stay injury-free. No one seemed to avoid the injury bug this year, and hopefully next season the Mets’ fortune in this area will change.

JASON BAY (LF): The best thing the Mets could do for Bay would be to trade him to a team such as the Rockies or the Cubs with a hitter-friendly stadium. If the Mets pick up some of the salary, maybe some team would take a flyer on Bay. However, this is about as unlikely as winning the lottery, and Bay will likely remain a Met. Can he find his power stroke at Citi? I am pessimistic, but you never know.

ANGEL PAGAN (CF): The Mets need the Pagan of 2010, not 2011. The way Pagan is playing now, though, his numbers at the end of the year may come close to matching the numbers of 210, where he hit .290 with   37 steals. Pagan is hitting .261 with 25 steals through Friday. The Mets are not a bad team with Reyes and Pagan batting 1-2.

LUCAS DUDA (RF): Duda, aka The Big Lebowski, has become my favorite player of 2011. He is playing first base right now, but should play right field next season with Davis back. I love the power potential this guy has.

DANIEL MURPHY (UTILITY): Murphy is a Met without a position, but he would be perfect in a utility role next year. As we saw this year, injuries can happen in bunches, and Murph most likely will get 300-500 at-bats next season filling various roles.