PORT ST. LUCIE — Daisuke Matsuzaka was in midseason form during a Mets bullpen session on Wednesday.
In other words, the veteran right-hander was deliberate with his approach and in no hurry to complete his work. But he was also strong.
“My goal for the offseason was to come into camp ready to throw against batters, and I was able to achieve that,” Matsuzaka said through an interpreter after throwing 50 pitches. “We worked a lot on my mechanics, figuring things out, using my body.”
Matsuzaka is among the candidates for the fifth spot in the Mets’ rotation, along with John Lannan and Jenrry Mejia.
Manager Terry Collins said Matsuzaka is probably already in shape to throw a full game.
“If he threw 100 [pitches], I wouldn’t be shocked,” Collins said, referring to Matsuzaka’s bullpen session. “If he threw 150, I wouldn’t be surprised. He’s been throwing since Jan. 1, and they approach things in different ways [in Japan]. We’ve seen the jobs they can do and how good they can be, and their training is they throw enough to make the game easy.”
Lannan would be a bullpen candidate should he not win a job in the starting rotation, according to Collins. The manager said he is intrigued by the idea of using the left-hander Lannan against left-handed hitters.
“If we’ve got a spot in the bullpen and we need another lefty, we’ve certainly got to keep his name in the mix,” Collins said.
Mets owner Fred Wilpon watched pitchers throw for the second time in three days, but declined an interview request.
“I’m on vacation,” Wilpon said.
Josh Satin said he had “seven or eight workouts” with former Mets teammate Marlon Byrd during the offseason in an attempt to learn to play the outfield.
Though Satin has no illusions about becoming a regular part of the outfield rotation, he would like to give the Mets more options for using him. But Satin, who likely will get most of his playing time at first base, won’t get much action in the outfield immediately, according to Collins.
“We’ve got too many people,” Collins said. “I think maybe later in camp I might throw him out there.”