A look at the long-shots: Mets non-roster invitees

Every season, MLB teams invite veterans on minor-league deals and other non-roster players to spring training to compete for jobs alongside the prospects and established regulars. There aren't many expectations, and few manage to crack the roster. But some players prove helpful throughout the season. Here are a few of the more interesting players the Mets have brought to camp:

- Miguel Batista, 41, RHP

Batista may be the shortest of the long-shots. Even if he doesn't get a job out of spring training, he could help during the season. His last impression was a good one: Batista hurled a two-hit shutout against the Reds on Sept. 28 during the Mets season finale. He was 5-2 with a 3.60 ERA in 60 innings last season, though he benefitted from an extremely low .247 batting average on balls in play (BaBIP). But he gets ground balls -- 49.2 percent career, 44.9 in 2011 -- and his fastball still sat at 92.3 mph last season.

- Chuck James, 30, LHP

James hasn't really had a decent year since 2007 with Atlanta. But he hangs around the majors because he's left-handed. He's posted impressive minor league numbers in each of the last few seasons but hasn't seen that translate to major league success. He had a 6.10 ERA in 10.1 innings with Minnesota last year and had a 9.10 ERA in 29.2 innings with the Braves in 2008 (he didn't pitch in the majors in 2009 or 2010). James was primarily a starter with the Braves, but shifted to relief with the Twins last season. He's a fly ball pitcher (51.1 percent career rate) and his average fastball reached just 88 mph last season. He complements it with a change-up and seldom-used slider. He's held lefties to a .254 average throughout his career.

- Fernando Cabrera, 30, RHP

Cabrera had some success with the 2005 Indians but has bounced around the league with bad results since. The big selling point is that he's got a decent fastball, averaging 92.3 mph for his career and 93.2 mph last season.

Garrett Olson, 28, LHP

Olson came up with Baltimore as a starter before switching to relief with Seattle and Pittsburgh. He has a 4.28 ERA in 42 innings over the last two seasons. He works with a fastball that has reached about 89.5 mph since he became a reliever and mixes in a curve and change-up. Lefties have hit .277 off of him in his career.

- Adam Loewen, 28, OF

After being an unsuccessful starting pitcher with the Orioles, Loewen decided to reinvent himself as an outfielder. He made it back to the majors late last season with Toronto, where he hit .188 with one home run in 14 games. Why should you care about him? Because in 2011, during his first taste of Triple-A as a batter, he hit .306 with a .377 on-base percentage and 17 home runs. Now can Loewen take the next step and pull a Rick Ankiel?

"The Numbers Game" is a Newsday app-only exclusive.