Las Vegas in the summertime is not a pleasant place.
Average daytime temperatures exceed 100 degrees. The
sun is relentless. The air is incredibly dry – good for hitting a baseball, bad
for enjoying normal respiratory functions. Normal people do not want to be in
the middle of the Mojave Desert during the hottest part of the year.
Unfortunately for Michael
Conforto and Brandon Nimmo, Las Vegas is
exactly where they need to be this summer.
Las Vegas, of course, is the Triple-A affiliate for
the Mets, and fans of the 51s should be given the opportunity to enjoy
Conforto’s and Nimmo’s talents during the 2017 Pacific Coast League season. It
is not only what’s best for fans the 51s, but it is also what is best for the
Mets.
The Mets have three established major league
outfielders on their roster right now. Yoenis Cespedes is
the undisputed star of the team and will be starting every day in left field. Curtis Granderson and Jay
Bruce are less productive than Cespedes (aren’t we all?), but the backs
of their baseball cards have enough ink to rightfully give them first crack at
the center field and right field jobs, respectively.
Where does this leave Conforto and Nimmo? Conforto has
played left field for most of his professional career, but with Cespedes signed
through 2020, Michael is going to be switching positions if he remains in the
organization. Nimmo is a former first-round pick that may have had a
breakthrough with Las Vegas last season, but you’d have to search far and wide
to find anyone outside of Wyoming who thinks he should be starting for the Mets
in 2017.
A complicating factor is that all four men bat
left-handed, and none are particularly adept at hitting southpaws. Conforto and
Nimmo particularly struggle in this regard, and neither is a viable candidate
for a platoon role if they aren’t going to be on the long side of it. Juan
Lagares, if healthy, is a lock for the fourth outfielder job, and a properly
constructed Mets roster would include a fifth outfielder that can play right
field and platoon with Bruce.
There’s just no way around it – no matter what your
thoughts are on Conforto’s or Nimmo’s potential, the reality of the 2017 roster
is that they must start the season in Triple-A, and wait for trade or injury to
open up a roster spot. Both men will only stagnate on the bench or playing
sporadically in New York, and the front office will be less likely to trust
them with starting jobs in 2018.
Nimmo has the potential to be an everyday center
fielder – Las Vegas can put his name at the top of the lineup every day against
righties and lefties. Conforto can certainly hit, but it’s not clear whether
his future in New York will be in right field or at first base. Give him two
different mitts and see which one he takes to better. Then, come 2018, both
will have the inside track on a starting job when Granderson and Bruce depart
as free agents.
Bruce might be the most unpopular baseball player
in Queens (at least until Chase Utley comes to town), and Granderson’s
skill set is valuable but difficult to appreciate. It doesn’t matter. The Mets
have to think with their heads and not with their hearts on this one. Conforto
and Nimmo should buy stock in sunscreen – they are going to need it this
summer.
Hey Jack, my one question is: who would the 5th outfielder be then? My guess is Conforto or Nimmo - one will be here, although both should, as you say, really be playing every day and Vegas would be that place.
ReplyDeleteI guess it could be Reyes, with Rivera and Flores getting his IF at bats when he plays (rarely) in the OF, against lefty starting pitching.
I think, at least at the onset, they go with 4 true OF'rs with the 5th Reyes in a pinch or TJ. Wilmer & another IF/OF utility (Reynolds?) round out the 25 with DW on the DL. LV IF is D.Smith, Cecch, Rosario & Evans with Kelly & Mazilli in reserve.
ReplyDeleteNimmo & Conforto await a deal involving Bruce, Grandy and/or Duda. (by July if not sooner IMO)
Thomas: the fifth outfielder question is a good one. Given that the Mets seem to have no interest in identifying a right handed/switch hitting platoon partner on the trade/free agent market, I have to assume they are looking only at in-house candidates. I'd bet my lunch that Travis Tajieron is not a serious consideration, which leads me to believe that Conforto is slated to the be the fifth outfielder and that Nimmo will be back in Vegas. (All of this assumes that Duda is at first on Opening Day, not Bruce or Conforto.)
ReplyDeleteI believe strongly that Conforto needs to play every day and will stagnate if he only starts twice a week and shuffles between center field, right field and first base. I'd rather see him hit .360 playing everyday for the 51s then hit .220 in part-time duty for the Mets.
Nimmo's hot spring could help him here.
ReplyDeleteThe Mets truly believe they have a gem in Conforto but they want to play him every day in 2017 and his reign in Queens will not begin until 2018.
It's ironic, but the one-year older and more highly regarded Conforto is most certainly ticketed to Las Vegas to play every day. Nimmo is probably regarded as a 4th outfielder type and thus would likely be better suited to that role in Queens.
ReplyDeleteI think Nimmo could have a Seth Smith-like career, perhaps with a little more on base percentage and defense just good enough to allow him to play center field through his 20s. I'd sign up for that in a heartbeat.
ReplyDeleteNimmo has grown on me. I wishing him a starting OF career, and if Conforto does end up in Vegas, let him put up Albert Pujols pre-30 year old #s.
ReplyDeleteI do not know Tom... I just do not know...
ReplyDelete