Not all problems a ball club faces are bad ones. Even the Mets, a franchise laboring under a seemingly perpetual curse, have stumbled on a dilemma that quite a lot of teams would like to have: What to do when you don’t have a spot for your best hitter?

Victor Diaz has always hit. A 37th-round draft pick in 2000, he won two batting titles as a Dodgers farmhand before he was old enough to drink. He also earned a reputation as a no-field second baseman, and was viewed as something of a second- or third-rate prospect when sent to the Mets in 2003 as part of a deal for Jeromy Burnitz. At 21, his batting line in 175 at-bats with Double-A Binghamton was .354 BA/.382 OBA/.520 SLG.

Despite that, Baseball America, whose prospect rankings are the most respected in the game, ranked him as the team’s eighth-best prospect going into last season, right behind Jeremy Griffiths, a 26-year-old middle reliever.

Last year, after being switched into the outfield, Diaz did well at age 22, hitting .292/.332/.491 in Triple-A and .294/.321/.529 with the Mets during a September callup. Again, he was ranked eighth in the organization by Baseball America, and this spring was ticketed for a return to Triple-A before it became clear that Mike Cameron’s wrist injury would keep him from being ready for Opening Day.

Why the lack of respect? Diaz doesn’t have a great body and doesn’t play defense well; he also doesn’t walk much. Thus, not only have traditionally minded baseball observers been skeptical about his future, so too have analytically inclined types. And there’s reason for caution; batting average is a volatile skill, especially when it comes from a player who, like Diaz, isn’t particularly fast.

Still, one would think his track record of success would have earned him more respect as a prospect and a spot on the Mets’ bench. Since it didn’t, he’s earned that respect with his bat this spring. He went into last night’s game hitting .342/.444/.711, the team leader in AVG, OBA, SLG, runs, and home runs, despite having only 38 at-bats. In 89 big league at-bats, he has a .984 OPS. What should the team do with him?

Before the season, I suggested that Diaz might prove a key to the Mets offense, with Cameron looking like he’d miss a great deal of time and with the injury-prone Cliff Floyd in left. Diaz hasn’t done anything to disprove that notion, but he also hasn’t proven he deserves a bigger role. True, he’s been the Mets’ best hitter so far, but anyone can be a team’s best hitter for a few weeks.

The idea of trading either Cameron or Floyd to accommodate Diaz is unwise. As a fourth outfielder and pinch-hitter, he’ll probably get 300 or so at-bats this year, more than enough to take advantage of his skills and continue his development. That said, the Mets should be open to the possibility that they have a special player on their hands, and if he continues hitting like Lou Gehrig, manager Willie Randolph should find a way to get his bat in the lineup.

It’s easy to come up with reasons why Diaz won’t continue to succeed, but it’s just as easy to refute them. He doesn’t play defense – but neither do a lot of good outfielders. He doesn’t walk a lot – but enough that if he hits .290, he’ll post an acceptable on-base average. It’s a sign of how much the game has changed in recent years that a minor-league batting champion this young can be derided for not walking enough. In his way, though, Diaz is a classic “Moneyball” player, one whose obvious flaws have gotten in the way of his obvious strengths.

Diaz has good and developing power; there’s no reason to think he won’t become a 25-homer man, and he could be better than that. He’s hit for average everywhere he’s gone, and he’s likely to continue doing so. According to Baseball Prospectus’s Pecota projection system, he’s comparable to players like Jermaine Dye, George Bell, Richard Hidalgo, and George Foster – solid corner outfielders who in their best years were among the best players in the league.

There are quite a few busts to whom he compares, as well, but given his success so far, the Mets should invest the time to find out how good he can be.

In fact, Diaz might end up serving as something of a litmus test for the new Mets. It doesn’t take much imagination to sign Carlos Beltran, but it does take some to look at a risky player like Diaz, weigh the good and the bad, and make the commitment necessary to find out whether you have a bench player or a young starter who might make a few All-Star games. The Mets needn’t overreact to his hot start – they shouldn’t do anything rash like trade Cameron – but it’s time for them to start thinking of Diaz as a part of their young core, along with Beltran, David Wright, and Jose Reyes. He’s earned it.