Just how good is the New York Mets offense? Reyes, Wright and Beltran are just three of the talented pieces that could lead the team to an October schedule.

NEW YORK METS

Hitters: Remember the days when OF Shawn Green was a fantasy stud? You may have to think hard to recall those days, after all, it has been five years. Green struggled mightily this spring (.149-2-5 in 74 AB) and could be on the verge of losing his starting job in right field. As is, top prospect OF Lastings Milledge (.361-1-8 with 5 SB in 60 AB this spring) made the 25-man roster and is expected to play over Green against left-handers. The Mets would likely be better off allowing OF Endy Chavez (.393-0-5 with 6 SB in 55 AB), a far superior defender, to platoon with Milledge in right field, but as of now that is not in their immediate plans. The Mets are scheduled to face five right-handers in their first six games so Milledge does not figure to see much playing time this week, but if Green continues to struggle, the Mets could be forced to make a change.

Pitchers: LHP Oliver Perez enters the season flying high (2-3, 3.51 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 20K/7BB in 25.2 IP this spring), but he has teased us countless times before. Perhaps pitching coach Rick Peterson can get him to pitch with some level of consistency, but until that happens, Perez can be expected to continue to drive his team and NL-only leaguers nuts.

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES

Hitters: OF Shane Victorino was a popular sleeper pick heading into spring training and he only solidified his status as such with his performance (.324-2-7 with 4 SB in 74 AB). He is expected to bat second in that potent Phillies lineup so he is certainly in position to thrive. If your mixed league team could use a guy with the potential to hit .285 with 10-12 HR and 25-30 SB, go ahead and pick him up. He is still available in many mixed leagues.

Pitchers: LHP Cole Hamels was one of the NL’s best pitchers in the second half of 2006 (7-4, 3.39 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 101K/24BB in 87.2 IP). Over that stretch, he allowed 14 HR. The young left-hander allowed 9 HR in just 20.2 preseason innings. That is not a great sign, particularly for a guy whose home is Citizen Bank Park. Hamels is scheduled to face the Braves in Philadelphia on Wednesday.

PITTSBURGH PIRATES

Hitters: There aren’t a whole lot of guys in the National League capable of stealing 50 bases in a given season. OF Chris Duffy has the speed and base-stealing ability to do just that. However, there’s one slight problem. Duffy batted just .255 a year ago (314 AB) and an even more troubling .197 this March in 61 AB. Fantasy owners should be patient with the speedster, but it would probably be a good idea to bench him until he shows signs of heating up.

Pitchers: Well, that was not the type of spring the Pirates had hoped to see from their new closer, RHP Salomon Torres. The 35-year-old was 0-2 with a 10.80 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 7K/5BB in 8.1 IP). RHP Matt Capps figures to be next in line for saves, but he too had a rough March (0-0, 8.64 ERA, 1.56 WHIP and 8K/1BB in 8.1 IP) so Torres will have time to right the ship before the team considers going in another direction.

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS

Hitters: OF/1B Chris Duncan burst onto the scene in 2006 seemingly out of nowhere to hit .293 with 22 HR and 43 RBI in 280 at-bats. He could approach 30 HR in that Cardinals lineup hitting in front of Pujols. The son of pitching coach Dave Duncan hit .268 with 5 HR and 11 RBI in 82 spring AB.

Pitchers: RHP Adam Wainwright was a bit of a question mark going into spring training as the Cardinals tried to convert him from a reliever back into a starting pitcher. The former first-round pick of the Atlanta Braves stepped up with an outstanding spring (4-2, 1.10 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 17K/9BB in 32.2 IP). His 2007 regular season debut is scheduled for Friday at Houston.

SAN DIEGO PADRES

Hitters: 3B Kevin Kouzmanoff (.379-22-75 with 5 SB in 94 games between Double-A Akron and Triple-A Buffalo last year) had an encouraging spring (.339-2-12 with 1 SB in 59 AB) and will open the season with the third base job all to himself.

Pitchers: RHP Greg Maddux really pitched well for the Dodgers late last season (6-3, 3.30 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 36K/14BB in 73.2 IP) and should enjoy pitching at Petco Park this season. The future Hall of Famer posted a 2.25 ERA in 16 exhibition IP and should be good bet this week.

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS

Hitters: C Bengie Molina, an offseason free agent signing from Toronto, had a so-so spring (.270-1-6 in 63 AB). We weren’t very high on Molina to begin with and his spring did nothing to ease our concerns.

Pitchers: It is hard to tell just looking at his overall preseason stats (2-1, 6.15 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 20K/8BB in 26.1 IP), but RHP Matt Cain actually closed with a couple of solid performances (8 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 5 K). If the 22-year-old can continue to improve his command, he should be in for a fine season. Cain gets the Padres at AT&T Park on Wednesday.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS

Hitters: 3B Ryan Zimmerman is one of the best all-around players at his position in the National League. Aside from the .287-20-110-84-11 season the 22-year-old put together offensively as a rookie last year, the Nats were no doubt equally pleased with his superb defensive play at the hot corner. A marvelous exhibition season (.414-3-15 in 70 AB) bodes well for his chances of getting off to a fast start.

Pitchers: If it weren’t for bad luck, it seems RHP John Patterson would have no luck at all. After finally getting to the point where he was on the verge of a real breakthrough season a year ago, he suffered a nerve injury in his right forearm that required surgery in July. The injury limited him to just 40.2 IP. Patterson has bounced back with a decent spring (0-2, 3.45 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 10K/6BB in 15.2 IP), but we remain a bit skeptical. He is scheduled to face both Florida and Arizona at RFK Stadium this week so the challenge before him is not a terribly frightening one.