MLB

Braves’ Chipper says Mets can still be beast in East

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Chipper Jones has the NL East pegged as baseball’s toughest division. Along those lines, he says the Mets can’t be discounted.

“Is Jose Reyes still one of the most dynamic players in the game? If he has a monster year, they are going to score a lot of runs,” Jones said yesterday. “Is David Wright an MVP candidate year in and year out? Without a doubt. Is Ike Davis one of the best young players in the game?

“I mean, there are some pieces. There are players over there you can’t take a deep breath against. Obviously, not having Johan [Santana] at the beginning is going to hurt. But if they can hang around until he gets back, you never know.”

But Jones, whose Braves took the NL wild card last season, isn’t about to dispute the argument the Phillies are the team to beat. Jones puts Philadelphia’s Big Four of Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels and Roy Oswalt on the same footing as the Braves rotations of the 1990s that featured Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, John Smoltz and Steve Avery/Denny Neagle.

“I’ve heard the comparison kind of thrown about loosely over the years, but this is really the first [rotation] I feel kind of warrants that comparison,” Jones said. “Any one of those four guys for the Phillies can win 20.”

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Chris Young gave the Mets two perfect innings in their 5-4 exhibition victory over the Braves. The veteran righty said his fastball seemed to have more life yesterday than in September of last season, when he made his latest comeback from shoulder injury.

“There were more foul balls [yesterday],” Young said. “Late last season the ball was put in play a little bit easier. There is still some more arm strength to come, where some of those foul balls turn into swings and misses.”

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Chris Capuano allowed one run over three innings to help the Mets’ split squad beat the University of Michigan 7-1. Sandy Koufax, who has tutored the lefty Capuano in camp, watched the game with Mets principal owner Fred Wilpon a few rows behind home plate.