…Davis’ promotion is happy news for almost everyone involved. Everyone except Daniel Murphy. Currently sidelined with a right knee injury, the Mets’ incumbent first baseman has yet to see the field in 2010. And when he does, his team has no position for him. Assuming that Ike Davis gets every chance to produce and shine, it seems that Murphy has been Wally Pipp-ed. As Murphy rehabs, the Mets will probably re-visit the path of 2009, trying to expand upon his versatility and groom him for another shot at second base or for a possible super utility role.

Much has been made about the underwhelming quartet of pitchers slotted behind Johan Santana to start the season in the Mets’ rotation. And given the choice of Mike Pelfrey, John Maine, Oliver Perez, and Jon Niese, it’s easy to see why the majority of Met fans are pinning their hopes of finding a reliable number two starter on the power sinker of Pelfrey. The tall right-hander has the combination of pedigree, stuff, and age that can’t quite be claimed by the other three. Pelfrey has even flashed enough Major League success (3.72 ERA in 2008) to reinforce such high expectations. But even so, Pelfrey’s stats have yet to jive with his potential, and pundits have questioned his ability to succeed with his current repertoire. And now, this spring, we’ve been hearing stories about Pelfrey’s efforts to bolster that arsenal by adding a split-fingered fastball.

Baseball can be a game of almost neurotic tradition. The rules have gone largely unchanged over the last century or so, and most avid baseball fans agree that with the exception of a few relatively inconsequential matters, baseball is an almost perfectly constructed game. That being said, some of its subcomponents have become so accepted and dogmatic that even the game’s most innovative minds have remained stuck in their ways. One of baseball’s oldest and most outdated traditions is the way that teams construct their batting lineups and the faulty rationale behind it.