Preview/Prediction

Perhaps no Brewers player was ready for Spring Training to start as much as JJ Hardy. Hardy's name was very popular in hot stove discussions over the winter. Many people wanted Hardy traded for young pitching.

Others wanted him to move over to third base to make room for top prospect Alcides Escobar at shortstop. In the end, he will be right where he belongs in 2009, playing shortstop for the Milwaukee Brewers.

We move from the Bronx to the other side of New York, where the New York Mets look to get back into the playoffs after choking down the stretch the past two seasons.

The New York Mets finished out of the playoffs again last year, losing the wild card in the end to the Brewers and finishing with an 89-73 record, good for second place in the NL East.

The offense wasn’t the issue, as the Mets put up an average of 4.9 runs. They batted .266 as a team, and showed their speed throughout the order, stealing an NL 2nd 138 bases and hitting 38 triples.