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5/31/18

Reese Kaplan -- The Right Man For The Job



It’s no secret to any kind of Mets fan that there are two prospects just tearing up baseballs in AA, Jeff McNeil and Pete Alonso.  McNeil was gracious enough to grant an interview to our own Tom Brennan, but today’s article is about the big masher Alonso. 

After being derailed earlier in his career due to injuries, Alonso has responded to his streak of good health with the kind of hitting the Mets have not seen in quite some time from their farm system.  Right now Alonso is 5th in the league in batting at .333, leading in HRs with 14 and second in RBIs with 42.  He’s second in OBP with a .460 mark and second on OPS with a 1.092.  Extrapolating his numbers for a full season would suggest a 42/126 run producer.  Yeah, I think the Mets could make room for him.

One of the things people have pointed out is that he is both a right handed hitter and a right handed thrower.  Traditionally first base tends to go to lefties as it is a better defensive posture for infielders and easier for the throws when they are required.  While I can buy into that thinking to some extent, I got curious thinking about other 1st baseman who somehow managed to overcome their right handedness and go on to lead normal lives and productive careers.  Do any of the following names ring a bell?
  • Jeff Bagwell
  • Orlando Cepeda
  • Jimmie Foxx
  • Paul Goldschmidt
  • Hank Greenberg
  • Johnny Mize (batted left but threw right handed)
  • George “High Pockets” Kelly
  • Harmon Killebrew
  • Dave Kingman
  • Eddie Murray (switch hitter but threw right handed)
  • Tony Perez
  • Albert Pujols
Methinks he can somehow manage being a right handed gloveman.  Now, like many Mets, he’s not known for his defense, but then again if you can contribute with the bat then, like Daniel Murphy, Mike Piazza and others who have worn a Mets uniform, the good will outweigh the bad. 

Do you remember when they jumped Michael Conforto from AA to the majors to jumpstart a somnambulant offense?  It’s time to employ that strategy once again. 

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8 comments:

  1. Tom BrennanMay 31, 2018 at 10:08 AM

    I made a comparison of Alonso to Harmon Killebrew a while ago - honestly don't remember who it was - I wonder if that person would still feel Pete's becoming another Killebrew is far-fetched.

    I truly wonder what is going on with Dom Smith - his numbers seem lifeless, and I wonder if he is depressed. I hope he turns it around.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Tom BrennanMay 31, 2018 at 10:12 AM

    No one plays 162 games anymore, but extrapolate his 51 game results over 162 games, at his current pace, he'd have 45 homers, 28 doubles, 140 RBIs, and 111 walks.

    Numbers Mets fans are very unfamiliar with.

    ReplyDelete
  3. HobieMay 31, 2018 at 10:25 AM

    Gil Hodges... how quickly we forget.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Reese KaplanMay 31, 2018 at 10:29 AM

    I could use the "before my time" excuse but then I did cite Kelly, Greenberg and others. My bad.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Mack AdeMay 31, 2018 at 10:49 AM

    Peter has improved a lot defensively this season.

    In 2017, he made 19 errors in 729.2 innings played.

    So far this season... 5 errors in 337.2 innings played

    ReplyDelete
  6. Eddie from CoronaMay 31, 2018 at 3:53 PM

    wow tom In my life time we have not seen numbers like that since Piazza and Few before

    ReplyDelete
  7. Mike FreireMay 31, 2018 at 3:59 PM

    I think he is a Jeff Bagwell clone......cool that you used the comparison in your list of righty first basemen.

    Bagwell was pretty decent in his prime, right?

    ReplyDelete
  8. rds900May 31, 2018 at 5:28 PM

    hard to believe you left Gil Hodges off your list. Only one of the best all time and you included Kingman, primarily a left fielder.

    ReplyDelete