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Our man did extensive work on the draft and was unimpressed by the way the Mets used their three early picks (Nos. 18, 22 and 33).

"I hate the Ike Davis pick [at 18]. What's the point? He's a corner guy who doesn't have plus power -- I don't care what anyone says. Yes, he might hit 25 or maybe even 30 homers at his peak. But he has some holes in his swing and he's limited to a corner position. Do you want a one-dimensional starter at one of those positions when his one dimension -- power -- isn't great? No. So Davis is never going to start for a big-market team like the Mets."

What about Reese Havens, a shortstop who projects as a second baseman and might even catch at 22nd overall?

"I don't know where the catcher thing came in. How do you project that? He'll be a second baseman for the Mets and could end up being a Jeff Keppinger type; but the Mets had Keppinger and let him go. Maybe if you draft a guy like that high enough, you respect the fact that he can flat out hit, which is the one skill people in this industry tend to minimize when you can't really run or don't have power -- and that's Havens."

Any love for any Mets pick?

"I do like Brad Holt [at 33rd overall], who might have had the best fastball in the draft. I disagree that he's going to be stuck as a reliever. The fastball is good enough that he only needs one other plus pitch or two average ones."

What should the Mets have done?

"I can't believe they let [Eastern Kentucky lefty] Christian Friedrich go twice. Davis was a supplemental pick to me. But if you take him too high and then land Friedrich, I can live with it. Or what about Shooter Hunt, who is from the area [Wyckoff, N.J.] and who has a great arm that can really be developed? Heck, I would have taken [Connecticut prep shortstop] Anthony Hewitt over Davis or Havens because they had the three picks, so why not swing for the fences on one of them? And it's not like I love Hewitt; not even close. But I'm talking philosophically."

Other quick hitters. Are the moribund Mets overrated or underachieving?

"Underachievers, easily. I'm not pointing fingers. The premise that this means that Willie Randolph isn't doing his job is faulty, though. And I'm not saying that it's the big guys even who are underachieving. It's everyone else. Ryan Church has been good, better than I thought he'd be. But if he's your second-best outfielder, you're in trouble. They've gotten nothing from Pedro [Martinez], [Moises] Alou and [Carlos] Delgado. Oliver Perez has taken a big step back. No one has stepped up in the bullpen to provide a bridge to Wagner. You don't just win with your stars. You need that cast of secondary and complementary guys to step up a little, and most, if not all, of them have fallen back."

What about bringing up Val Pascucci and Tony Armas Jr., both excelling in Triple-A?

"Pascucci can hit homers but is a righty who can't do anything else and can only play one position. Those guys just don't get called up. I admit though that a righty platoon first baseman is a need on the Mets. But then you need a Mark DeRosa type who can play five or six positions. Damion Easley ain't that. Armas is a righty with no plus stuff. So teams look at a guy like that and say, 'How is he going to get guys out?' But he deserves a chance. There are a lot of teams trotting out fifth or even fourth starters with better stuff who can't pitch as well as Armas and probably never will. Look at what Darrell Rasner is doing for the Yankees and Armas' stuff is better than Rasner's."

Why didn't Mike Pelfrey develop?

"He's OK. He's like [Royals starter] Luke Hochevar, same pitcher. I think Pelfrey will be sent away and then emerge as a capable rotation arm somewhere else, to the Mets' regret."

Can the Phillies be caught or are they as good as suggested by their recent play (12 wins in 14 games before Tuesday night's loss to Florida)?

"If Pedro is healthy, he can be the difference-maker. On the other hand, Brett Myers hasn't done anything, so he can conceivably give the Phillies a similar lift. Bridging the starters to Brad Lidge is the big issue for the Phillies. They have to make a couple of deadline deals and get a big reliever or even two. They also need another starter, nothing great; just a Kyle Lohse-type of innings eater. They do have enough in the Minors to get stuff done.

"I see the Phillies as a team capable of playing .500 ball for a long stretch, but that means the Mets are going to need to get really hot at some point to make up the deficit. If they're within five games at the All-Star Break, the Mets can justify the type of big trade they need to get another outfield bat -- their major need. Unfortunately, the only significant chip they have to trade is Fernando Martinez and I'd hate to see them give up on him. But they are hamstrung. Their Minor League depth is all corner infielders and relief pitchers, which no one wants."