After an outstanding spring training and a productive start to the regular season, it is hard to deny the impact Angel Pagan can have as a key utility outfielder for the Mets, much like Endy Chavez. And also like Chavez, Pagan’s injury could set him back a bit.

With everyone healthy, the Mets have some of the best outfield depth in the majors, a corps that relegates Pagan and Chavez to bench roles. During many Mets games, opposing teams’ announcers will single out Chavez as a player with an arm, some even suggesting he has a better one than Carlos Beltran. That is definitely hyperbole. While Chavez is a better-than-average fielder, Beltran is a gold glover, making some difficult catches in the field look easy with his expert route running and timing.

But then what causes announcers to make that distinction about Chavez, an occasional starter but still largely a bench player and defensive replacement? All Mets fans know the answer to this question. It’s a little thing known as “The Catch,” the amazing grab Chavez pulled off against the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 7 of the 2006 National League Championship Series. It was the baseball playoffs on national television, and Chavez’s national reputation was born from there.

Chavez experienced a renaissance when coming to the Mets. In 2003 and 2004, Chavez was very mediocre as a starting outfielder for the Montreal Expos. He batted .251 in 2003 with 5 HR, 47 R.B.I. and 18 SB. In 2004, he improved a bit, batting .277 with 5 HR, 34 R.B.I. and 32 SB. Chavez spent 2005 largely as a bench player for the Philadelphia Phillies, and he struggled mightily with the transition to pinch hitting, batting a paltry .216 in 98 at-bats.

Chavez settled into the role much more nicely in 2006, hitting better down the stretch and capping off the year with his famous HR robbery of Scott Rolen. He rode that high into 2007, never batting below .300 until June 2, and that’s including several starts. Just days later, Chavez injured his hamstring trying to break up a double play on June 6 against the Phillies.

Chavez didn’t return until August 28, and he hit inconsistently to finish the season. He’s struggled mightily at the plate in 2008, spending much of the season thus far with an average below the Mendoza line, despite already amassing 84 at-bats. One could argue that his inconsistency could come from sporadic playing time, but that is the daily grind of bench players. Chavez was a successful one in 2006 and half of 2007 but has mostly struggled this season.

Four years younger than Chavez, Pagan has less experience, but the similarities are a bit disturbing. He was average at best in limited at-bats in 2006 and 2007 with the Cubs, which led to him landing on the Mets. He then became the hero of April for the team before tailing off around when Moises Alou returned from the disabled list. He then suffered an injury on May 12 that has kept him out of action for nearly three weeks and potentially much longer.

Perhaps it’s too early to make such a comparison, but when Mets Blog relayed a tidbit from Adam Rubin’s New York Daily News blog, one might immediately think of Chavez upon reading. Rubin said in his June 3 entry that since Pagan cannot bat from the right side of the plate yet, he may not be close to returning from injury. It reminds of the postponements in Chavez’s recovery, which led to him losing almost three months of his 2007 season.

Pagan was a player that made Alou’s first stint on the disabled list in 2008 bearable. Since Pagan was already hurt when Alou landed on the D.L. a second time, the Mets were forced to give more starts to Chavez, Marlon Anderson, Fernando Tatis, Nick Evans and the like. Those injuries, coupled with Ryan Church being out of action, made the Mets outfield a nasty patchwork of mix-and-match options.

The Mets need Pagan back in lieu of a stronger contingency plan for the frequent losses of Alou, a man who should definitely not be re-signed no matter how well he hits down the stretch. Unfortunately, even when Pagan eventually returns, he may have to endure the same struggles as Chavez has.