Reese Kaplan -- What If 2017 Happens Again?

As much as we don’t want to think 2017 can happen again, what are the 2018 plans in the event of catastrophic injuries?

1B

If Adrian Gonzalez (and let’s not fool ourselves into thinking even a sub .250 Spring Training will keep him from being the starter at 1^st base) goes down with, oh, I don’t know, a back injury…who’s on deck?  Well, they claim they are comfortable with Jay Bruce handling 1^st base duties and there’s always Wilmer Flores.  Todd Frazier also has logged time there as well.  Then there’s that young guy who will be hopefully more often at the craps table than the buffet tables in Las Vegas.  They seem well covered there.

2B

Right now it’s Asdrubal Cabrera’s job to lose.  Behind him are the aforementioned Wilmer Flores and Jose Reyes (though not necessarily in that order).  Waiting in the wings with an injured wing is T.J. Rivera. 

SS

Should Amed Rosario experience some medical malady (though for once it’s not old age and/or a history of past injuries that is cause for concern), they have three equally unattractive alternatives in Cabrera, Reyes and Flores.  If they want stronger defense, though he's been switched to play 2B in the minors, Luis Guillorme came up as a SS.  

3B

Todd Frazier has been a picture of health throughout his career, so it’s natural that something unexpected would affect him once he dons the orange and blue.  See shortstop alternatives above for who would take over and throw in T.J. Rivera as well.  In general, the infield seems fairly well covered.

OF

Assuming the starters are indeed Yoenis Cespedes, Michael Conforto (when healthy) and Jay Bruce, they have a strong offensive trio.  Defensive whiz (and perhaps reinvented batsman) Juan Lagares and the walking man Brandon Nimmo should round out the five men with lots of range to cover.  Jose Reyes and Wilmer Flores are expected to get some spring innings out there, but in the latter’s case it would likely be an emergency situation akin to Todd Hundley out there.  If any of the big boppers in the outfield go down, Lagares, Nimmo & company are OK for awhile but there would most definitely be big drop off in run production. 

C

The starting duo of Travis d’Arnaud and Kevin Plawecki are the current major league alternatives.  Down in the minors you have ex Nationals’ backstop Jose Lobaton as well as the up and down bat of Tomas Nido who had a sip of coffee with the big club last September. 

SP

Tread lightly here, my friends.  We saw what happened last year when only Jacob deGrom emerged unscathed.  Rather than going pitcher by pitcher, what have they done for their depth?  Well, Jason Vargas for one big thing…yes, as a friend recently told me, he’s not the second coming (and left handed version) of Tom Seaver, but he’s not going to hurt you in games.  That’s a big step forward from many who took starts last year.  Can we forget Tommy Milone, Chris Flexen, Rafael Montero and others?  Hopefully a long winter of rest (and NO World Baseball Classic) will help Seth Lugo.  Robert Gsellman kicked it into a higher gear in September.  Chris Flexen gets a chance to regroup and try again in AAA which he’s skipped en route to the majors.  Corey Oswalt will also be in the mix down there as well.  Marcos Molina is another year removed from his TJS.  The depth is better but with four starters coming back from injury it’s not something on which to bet the ranch.

RP

Well, the club was forced to see how they fared without Jeurys Familia for most of last year.  Then they had Addison Reed.  Now it’s AJ Ramos.  He’s a credible if somewhat lesser option.  The closer position seems well covered.  After that it’s newcomer Anthony Swarzak and returning lefty Jerry Blevins.  So you start off with four good bullpen options.  After that’s a dogfight between the starters who don’t crack the rotation, Paul Sewald, Hansel Robles, Jacob Rhame, Jamie Callahan and even some non-roster invitees like Kyle Regnault, David Roseboom, P.J. Conlon, Drew Smith and Kevin McGowan.  The depth seems better than when alternatives included guys like Erik Goeddel, Josh Smoker and others.  The only quality arm to depart was Chasen Bradford. 

Conclusion

I guess I’m buying into the company line – that with healthy starting pitching this team is probably competitive.  Without it, they’re not.