Craig

Brazell

Brazell is not worth picking up.

Brazell had been sidelined for the past week with what was first diagnosed as an inner ear infection. He hopes to return soon. ''I’m still having trouble with my vision,’' said Brazell, who is listed as day-to-day. ''I still can’t blink my right eye.’'

This gives some indication that the Mets consider first base blocked by either Jason Phillips or Mike Piazza next year. It also adds some needed power to the Mets’ outfield on the organizational depth chart.

The Mets are going to use Mike Piazza mostly at first, so Brazell won’t get a chance to do much other than pinch-hit. No fantasy value.

Brazell went 0-for-3 in his week with the Mets.

Brazell, who was removed from the Mets’ 40-man roster in April, is a minor league free agent after hitting .249/.301/.439 in 52 games for Triple-A Norfolk last season. He’s capable of better, but he’s probably not going to be a major league first baseman.

Not a good sign for Brazell’s future that he’s getting sent down this early. Or that the Mets kept using Todd Zeile over him at the end of last season. Brazell could hit .260-.270 with pretty good power in the majors, but his lack of on-base skills would make a poor regular. Our guess is that he’ll be playing in Japan by this time next year.

Brazell, a 27-year-old former Mets prospect, hit .315/.352/.601 with 39 homers while spending most of the year in Triple-A. The Royals plan to have both Ross Gload and Mike Sweeney in the lineup a few times per week this month, so it’s hard to see how Brazell fits in. He’s a weak bet for the long-term, but he would probably have a little value if he received 15 at-bats per week.

Talk about hot. The former Mets prospect has 13 homers in 16 games since being moved up to Omaha, giving him a 1.015 slugging percentage. Overall, he’s hitting .367/.414/.751 with 20 homers between Double- and Triple-A. This after a 2006 season in which he hit .247/.283/.463 in Double-A. Brazell isn’t one of the Triple-A veterans we think is particularly worthy of an opportunity, but the Royals may decide to try him if a spot opens up. He could have some short-term value in that case.

“After the year I had,” Brazell said, “I think I want to give it at least one more year over here. I’m hoping someone will give me a chance.” Brazell wants to remain in the U.S., but will likley need to settle for another minor league deal to do that. He finished the season with 39 homers, 91 RBI and a .315 average while splitting 135 games at Triple-A Omaha and Double-A Wichita.