It keeps Willie Harris from sleeping, and Nick Evans does not want to think or talk about it, even with his wife. In the final days of spring training, anxiety and impatience can overcome those players unsure where they will live and work next week.
Harris, a versatile fielder who agreed to a minor-league deal in January, faced a decision Sunday, when he was contractually able to opt out of his deal. Harris arrived at the Mets' spring training facility in the morning after an antsy night, sat on a stool in front of his locker and stared at the empty space in front of him."How's it going?" someone asked."Don't know yet," Harris answered.A few minutes later, Terry Collins walked out of his office and sat next to Harris."You're not worried about making this team, are you?" the manager said, smiling.Harris exhaled.It was not as easy for Evans to relax.
A member of the Mets' organization since being selected in the fifth round of the 2004 amateur draft, the 25-year-old faces looming change. Evans is out of minor-league options, meaning that the team risks losing him on waivers if it tries to demote him.With Daniel Murphy a strong candidate to earn the final spot on the bench, Evans faces a likely trip to the waiver wire, and the possible end of his time with the only team he has known. If Carlos Beltran begins the season on the disabled list, Evans could break camp with the Mets, but that would be a temporary reprieve.
"I'm completely unsure of what's going on, and where I'm going to be a week from now," Evans said. "I'm really trying hard not to think about it. It sounds stupid, but I'm trying not to wonder about it - although I'd be a liar if I said I wasn't curious."After the Mets acquired Harris and Scott Hairston, Evans understood that he was not at the top of the depth chart.
"You know the guys they signed," he said. "You know who is here, and who are the best bets to make the team."So he resolved to make the team's choice as difficult as he could. Evans has done exactly that, batting .333 while trying to force Mets decision-makers into reconsidering their plans."You just hope that you catch somebody on the right day," he said. "You just hope that you do well on a day when somebody is watching."Collins has been a fan of Evans' offense and attitude since the two met last spring, but many other factors will influence the decision. "It's nice to have someone in a position of power who has seen you play well, but you don't know if that will be enough," Evans said. "I just want to play. I came up with the Mets. I love the Mets, and I want to make the Mets. But I just want to play baseball in the major leagues."It remains unclear if Evans will make his living playing baseball, as the 32-year-old Harris has. His life is in flux right now, an ordeal that he processes in private. "I don't want to get my family's hopes up or down," Evans said. "So I just keep my thoughts to myself."
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