Anderson Hernandez

Hernandez, acquired by Washington in 2008 for Luis Ayala, had a solid finish to that year and looked like he would open the season as the Nationals' starting second baseman. A hamstring injury late in spring training landed him on the DL to start the year, and even though he returned to action in mid-April, he never regained his hitting stroke. Hernandez was squeezed out of the picture in the nation's capital by mid-June and shipped back to the Mets to provide infield depth in early August, a role he will fill in 2010.

With Emilio Bonifacio getting shipped out of town, Hernandez will enter the spring as the favorite to win the starting second base job. He's hit .300 or better three times in the high minors over the last few years so his .333 batting average with the Nationals may not have just been a small sample size fluke, but he's got no power and only a little upside in stolen bases so don't go overboard to get him.

Hernandez got off to a slow start at Triple-A New Orleans, hitting .210 as late as May 12, but rebounded to finish the year at .301. He still needs to work on his plate discipline, evidenced in his 82:31 K:BB mark in 554 at-bats, and with both Luis Castillo and Jose Reyes signed to long-term deals and entrenched as the Mets' double-play combination, Hernandez will need to be traded elsewhere to get a chance at regular playing time in the near future.

Hernandez blew his shot at being the Mets' full-time second baseman when he failed to hit after opening the year at the position in place of the injured Kaz Matsui. A bulging disk in his back landed him on the disabled list, and by the time he was ready to return, Jose Valentin had laid claim to the role. Offensively, Hernandez still struggles with his K:BB ratio, which was 70:21 in 2006 after posting a 104:36 ratio in 2005, making him vulnerable to major slumps at the plate, where he hit just .249 last season. Defensively, he has very soft hands, above-average range and a strong, accurate arm, smoothly making the transition from shortstop to second base. Look for him to either open the year as Valentin's back up or the starting second sacker at Triple-A Norfolk.

Hernandez, who was acquired prior to last season from the Tigers for Vance Wilson, split the year between Double-A and Triple-A and may have made the biggest strides of any Mets prospect. He shed the good-field, no-hit reputation by using the whole field and taking advantage of his speed. The big knock on him is his 104/36 K/BB ratio, however, which is horrible for a non-power hitter. Defensively, he has very soft hands, above-average range and a strong, accurate arm, smoothly making the transition from shortstop to second base. He could open the year as the team's starting second baseman or back in Triple-A.