What is the status of Lastings Milledge?
He’s their best prospect, he has personal issues. He doesn’t get along with his teammates, he’s a bright young kid. Milledge showed flashes last year in his first exposure to major league ball, but was largely inconsistent at the plate and in the field, rubbed teammates and opposing players the wrong way, showed an occasional lack of hustle and generally exhibited an unrefined approach at the plate. The good news is that he only turns 22 in April, he has good speed and a quick bat, and he is growing into a body that could generate quite a bit of pop when it gets settled. The Mets don’t know when that might be, though, and they have three regulars — two who actually deserve to start — manning the outfield for 2007 already, so it’s not clear where Milledge fits in. He could be carried as a fifth outfielder and righty bat off the bench, but he lacks the discipline to really be an effective pinch hitter and Julio Franco will likely still garner most of those opportunities anyway. Milledge
