First he built a church, now he's taking one down

Fernando Tatis, originally though to be a platoon partner with Daniel Murphy in left field, is being penciled into the Mets lineup against left handed pitchers as the right fielder, according to Manager Jerry Manuel.

Manuel told members of the New York media on Sunday that he is comfortable with letting 23-year-old Daniel Murphy assume the full time position in left field.

I don't want [Murphy] to get into a strictly platoon situation. I think he's a little better player than that. Also, with Church being left-handed, I kind of see Murphy being a better hitter right now.

-Jerry Manuel as quoted by Anthony DiComo

Church, 30, was one of the Mets more productive hitters in the first third of the 2008 season, generating a .913 on base plus slugging percentage, until suffering from a concussion during a play on May 20th.

However, he struggled to remain on the field for the remainder of the season and, when on the field, was unproductive as a hitter.

Matthew Cerrone, of Metsblog, provided a video on Monday that included Ryan Church commenting on potentially sharing time in right field with Fernando Tatis.

Tatis, 34, won the 2008 National League comeback player of the Year award after returning to baseball in 2006 in order to raise funds for building a church in his native town.

His resurgance, combined with his versatility, enticed the Mets into retaining him for 2009 with a contract worth $1.7 million.

Over his career, Tatis has displayed more power against right handed pitching than left handed pitching.







However, he has shown far greater on-base skills against southpaws.







Both of these elements were magnified during Tatis 2008 renaisance.

Church, a left handed batter, has shown typical polar producting when comparing his stats against right handed pitchers and left handed pitchers. Against righties, Church has been an above average hitter.







Against left handed pitchers, Church has struggled to reach base and has a diminished ability to drive the ball.







Although it seems foolish for Manuel to all but guarantee a starting job to the young Daniel Murphy, the manager's decision to create a platoon in right field could, ultimately, reward the Mets.