Mike Friere - Roster Construction Possibilities - Part Two

I am going to present my thoughts on this topic over the course of several articles, since each section requires some explanation and things would become a bit lengthy if it was presented as one piece.

The idea for this series of articles came about while listening to fellow Mets fans discuss what the Mets "need to do" in the off season in order to return to relevance.  Some would argue that a complete roster overhaul is necessary, while others feel that only a healthy season from our pitching staff will be the key to success.  Like most topics, the truth lies somewhere in the middle.

So, in order to figure out what our favorite team needs to do, it makes sense to take stock of what is on hand first.  Sort of like grocery shopping......you take a look in the pantry before you make a list to take to the store.   Additionally, you also need to have a general framework with which to work.  Using our grocery store analogy, you likely have a series of meals planned out ahead of time and you craft your list based upon what you are trying to accomplish.

The alternative is to go shopping on a whim without any consideration for what you are trying to accomplish.  A cart full of random, expensive ingredients that don't accomplish your goal may look nice at the checkout counter, but it won't work out when the time comes to execute your plan.

Most teams employ a similar framework for roster construction, like so;

Starters - C, 1B, 2B, SS, 3B, LF, CF, RF

Bench - C2, MI, CI, OF4, OF5

Rotation - SP1, SP2, SP3, SP4, SP5

Bullpen - LR-R, LR-L, S-R, S-L, SET-R, SET-L, CL1

***I will explain the roster designations further as we move along, in case the letters don't make sense.

***I also understand that we may be moving towards an eight man bullpen, so you would swap one of the bench pieces for the extra arm.  For now, I am going to proceed as though we
are constructing a more traditional roster.

Now that we know what positions need to be filled, we can take a closer look at what the current team has "in the pantry", so to speak.

You can break the current roster down into three subsections;

1.  Foundation Pieces

2.  Support Pieces

3.  Replacement Pieces and/or Voids

For Part Two, let's take a look at who the Support Pieces are.  A player in this category is someone that the team is counting on to fill a role on the roster and to perform at a league average level.  

You are generally happy to have this player on your roster, BUT you will likely spend some time/effort trying to upgrade or replace this player for the coming season.  Most successful teams have a collection of this type of player and they likely comprise a majority of a team's roster (unless you operate without a budget or a concern for the fiscal bottom line of the franchise, like the Dodgers seem to be conducting business).

Some would argue that the entire Mets' roster is a collection of Support Pieces that are rudderless and destined to be "average", at best.  While that may be a bit harsh on the surface, it is a fair statement after the way 2017 ended.   Regardless, after reviewing the current state of the roster, I count THIRTEEN Support Pieces, as stated below;

C1 - Travis D'Arnaud

C2 - Kevin Plawecki

1B - Dominic Smith**

SS - Amed Rosario**

MI - Asdrubal Cabrera

CI - Wilmer Flores

CF - Juan Lagares**

OF4 - Brandon Nimmo

SP3 - Steven Matz**

SP4 - Matt Harvey**

SP5 - Zack Wheeler

S-L - Jerry Blevins

SET-R - AJ Ramos

By my count, that is 52% of our entire roster, which would seem to be an average amount, although I have not evaluated any other team's rosters with regards to this breakdown.  However, when you think about it, most teams have a large group of players that are counted on to fill specific roles without being a "star" per se.  

You also may be wondering why I put asterisks next to certain names.   I think those players COULD make the jump to Foundation Pieces with more experience, luck or improving a specific aspect of their games.  Juan Lagares, for example, would be a key piece to the roster if he could stay healthy and contribute more with the bat.  He is already an elite talent in the field and with his cannon for an arm.

Looking at the list above and the overall roster framework, we have eighteen out of a possible twenty-five roster spots filled in with either Foundation Pieces or Support Pieces.  That is a fairly respectable number and it is a solid group of players, health permitting.  It also highlights the fact that the team is still incomplete and Sandy has a lot of "wiggle room" to add talent to the roster in time for the 2018 season.

In the next section, we will review what is left over on the roster and where there are blatant voids that must be filled just to field a complete team for next year's campaign.