Positional Ranking - RF

#20 Mets

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Name	PA	AVG	OBP	SLG	wOBA	Bat	BsR	Fld	WAR
Curtis Granderson	525	.227	.316	.410	.323	5.5	1.4	-1.6	1.7
John Mayberry	70	.226	.292	.377	.297	-0.6	0.0	-0.2	0.1
Kirk Nieuwenhuis	56	.221	.290	.382	.297	-0.5	0.0	0.3	0.1
Matt den Dekker	49	.237	.295	.364	.293	-0.6	0.1	-0.1	0.0
Total	700	.227	.310	.401	.316	3.8	1.5	-1.7	1.9

Curtis Granderson has accomplished plenty in a career that includes more than 35 WAR, plenty of highlight reel catches, and two 40 homer seasons. He also has charisma and class coming of his ears, so it’s pretty easy to root for him to do well. That made 2014 a little difficult given that he was a below average player. Perhaps more interestingly, Granderson’s arm stopped functioning.

While DRS and UZR have different opinions of Granderson’s range in right field, they both think his arm is completely for decoration. DRS says he cost the team eight runs with his arm and UZR calls it 7.4 runs, the worst among right fielders with at least 700 innings last year by a comfortable margin. Even when Granderson was a great defender, he didn’t do much of the work with his arm, but I suspect now that he doesn’t have the range he used to, there’s less room to hide.

Fortunately for John Mayberry, he doesn’t have to hide from his manager when right handed starters  are on the mound now that he’s backing up the left handed Granderson. Mayberry’s been 30% better than league average at the plate against southpaws in his career, but righties have eaten him alive to the tune of an 81 wRC+.

Matt den Dekker will probably end up floating between Triple A and the majors to spell the aging corner outfielders, but the other 27 year old on this list, Kirk Nieuwenhuis is the one to watch. His 130 PA in 2014 were BABIP fueled and likely unsustainable, but he walked a ton and hit for power in addition to his high strikeout numbers. Even if he’s half as good as he was in his stint last year, he should be a nice option off the bench.

Mack - I don't see Grandy with the injury potential that Cuddyer has in left field, thus I feel that the lion share of games will be played with him in right.

I absolutely love his spring numbers but I'll believe them (in the regular season) when I see them. As I have said on a previous post, it is extremely important for both him and Travis d'Arnaud to start off the season hitting above the .250 range.

I believe it will happen so I think that Mayberry and Nieuwenhius will get the major about of their at-bats platooning from the other corner position.

Lastly, none of the Mets outfielders scream out to you as mega-starts, but they all are capable of putting together an above average season. That may be all they need to do with this pitching staff.