1. Jose Reyes, SS
2. Paul Lo Duca, C
3. Carlos Beltran, CF
4. Carlos Delgado, 1B
5. David Wright, 3B
6. Moises Alou, CF
7. Shawn Green, RF
8. Jose Valentin, 2B

Catcher

Paul Lo Duca had somewhat of a renaissance in 2006, posting his highest OPS since 2001 and contrary to any sort of pattern he had previously shown, actually hit better in the second half.It would be very unfair to Lo Duca to expect him to do it again in 2007, however.Seeing as how he put one season together in between Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran in which he showed numbers that did not correlate at all with his last four seasons, Lo Duca isn't exactly a lock to stay at the top of his game at the plate all year.Not to mention that his .318 BA was saturated by an incredibly high .337 BaBIP.It's even more amazing when you take into account that Lo Duca has only eclipsed one BaBIP over .300 since 2004.

First Base

Carlos Delgado suffered a big drop off in OBA, his lowest since 1997, more than likely due to a low average since his walk rate hadn't dropped off any.What really makes me believe Delgado is going to have a great 2007 is his second half totals.His strikeout rate was way down in the second half of 2007, while his walk rate increased as did his power (34 XBH in just 263 PA), which was likely the cause of an unbelievable August. Nonetheless, great things are on the way for Delgado in 2007.There isn't a noticeable drop in any of his statistics aside from batting average, and we all know how consistent batting average totals are.With his second year in New York, he may actually be more comfortable to produce Delgado-type numbers.

Second Base

Jose Valentin filled a big hole fairly nicely for the Mets in 2006, hitting 45 XBH in just 432 PA and posting his highest OPS since 2001.There isn't any real noticeable change from what he had been doing in the past other than he started making more contact with pitches and stopped swinging at the first pitch so often.That will make just about any hitter more successful, though.His power ratio's were right in line with what he used to do as a member of the White Sox a few years ago, but he did experience a big drop off in the second half.You can see in the OPS totals month-by-month that he struggled down the stretch.From May-September his OPS totals read as .968, .926, .879, .827 and .691.Valentin just strung together a couple of good months and parlayed that into keeping his job at second if only because there wasn't anybody else in the Mets organization ready to take it from him.He's a mediocre second baseman with a bad walk rate who doesn't possess anywhere near the power he used to have.The only way he should end up on your roster is if you have absolutely no alternative.

Third Base

David Wright is building an incredible statistical resume thus far in his career.The incredible thing in his first two seasons is how similar they were.All his rate statistics are within 10 points of each other, and his OPS (.912) remained exactly the same.His power ended up dropping off greatly in the second half, with his SLG% dropping over a hundred points after the All-Star break.He hits well against everyone, at home or away, and is a player with the potential to hit .280 in every month, making him great for head-to-head leagues.His walk rate had actually dropped off a little bit in 2006, but he made up for it by stealing 20 bases.He completed the first of what will be a good number of 20/20 seasons.

Shortstop

What can you possibly say about Jose Reyes? He had an unbelievable year when he improved across the board noticeably in every offensive category.His walk rate almost doubled, while his OPS jumped 150 points and his home run numbers almost tripled.This will without a doubt continue on as Reyes will just get better and better.He's a definite first round draft pick and should be the first man chosen after Albert Pujols in the vast majority of drafts.His 60-plus steals at an 80 percent clip is more than enough to draft him high in itself.Take advantage and pick him up, as he's a dynamite star in arguably baseball's best lineup.

OUT IN THE GRASS

Left Field

Moises Alou has only eclipsed 500 AB once in the last three seasons.When he's been in the lineup though, he's been incredible.His last three seasons, albeit often injured, have produced .900+ OPS while producing pretty good BB/K rates and when a .900 OPS becomes a free agent, you pick him up.He could potentially lead the Mets in OPS, and even if he only receives 450 AB. I'd rather him be in the lineup than someone posting a .750 OPS with 600 AB.Alou's a premium talent, even at 40-years-old, he's still got at least one more top year left in him, and bringing him into a playoff environment will help him to stay motivated.

Center Field

Carlos Beltran endured a great year at the age of 29 last season.His walk rate climbed much higher than it ever had in the past, while his power ratios were way up even compared to his breakout 2004 season.While I wouldn't expect Beltran to put up the kind of numbers he did last season, they'll never dip as low as they had in 2005.The law of averages will bring his walk rate down a little bit, but he'll continue to steal bases at an 80 percent clip and post an .800-plus OPS'.The average is bound to increase, so a .280/.350/.500 year isn't out of the realm of possibility and is likely should he stay healthy.

Right Field

Shawn Green's OPS totals since 2001 are hardly progressing: .970, .943, .815, .811, .832, .776. Green's average is likely to approach around .275, but I couldn't see his OPS going significantly above .800, not to mention him not being able to hit 25 homers anymore.He's an adequate choice for an outfielder who is likely to stay healthy enough to play everyday.He hasn't failed to reach 580 PA since 1997, so at least he'll stay healthy for an .800 OPS.