Mickey Callaway said the following yesterday about Peter Alonso, as noted in the NY Post:
Peter Alonso ... needs to win the job, according to Mickey Callaway, because the organization isn’t taking the approach the spot is his to lose.
“[Alonso] has to earn it, just like everybody else. Everybody in camp has to earn their way, and I don’t think they want it any different," Callaway said.
What do you think about that approach?
7 comments:
I believe they are realists, number one.
And number two, I think Brodie hopes Alonso establishes himself there.
Realistically, it makes sense -- because of Frazier -- and stupid MLB rules -- for Alonso to start season in AAA for a few weeks, a month, whatever is the Super 2 deadline.
During that period, Frazier (others) will have an opportunity to earn playing time. If Frazier is hot and plays with focus and determination -- if the team is winning, playing well -- hey, that's great.
But I kind of doubt it. Or, at least, don't see that as sustainable.
The biggest concern is that Alonso needs room to fail, struggle, grow, succeed. He can't get yanked around after a rough week. So when they go with him, my hope is that he's given the support to succeed (which means: the support to fail).
Yes, he should earn the job. It might take some time. He might play poorly. If it's very poor, he might be sent down. It's a fine line.
Like Vargas, we know the best possible outcome is for Peter Alonso to come in, play well, establish himself as a power-hitting ML 1B -- earning the league minimum. If I were in charge, I'd try to gently steer things toward that best possible outcome. But you never know!
Jimmy P
It seems they are setting the table: if you, Mr. Alonso, are anything short of great, you won't be on the opening day team unless your competition (Frazier, Smith) are awful this spring.
I have already said it, but the one short video clip I saw of Dominic Smith made it look like he was down to around 200 pounds - meaning the fear of God is in him that his career could be cratering and he is smartly all in now to prevent that - it will be interesting to see how he plays this spring, to see where he ends up.
I still do not see how he fends Alonso off for very long.
Frazier? If he could hit like it was 2-3 years ago, he wouldn't be in his current precarious predicament. Will he snap out of it...or falter and be gone like Adrian Gonzalez was last year? I dunno.
I suppose it is possible that Smith plays well in ST and Brodie finds a way to flip Frazier.
Not betting on it.
Jimmy P
I'm rooting for Alonso, but I've seen this first base prospect before as soon as we drafted Ike Davis in 2018.
Ike spent less than three years in the minors and hit 19 home runs in his first parent season (2010). The highs of the 2012 season was his 32 homers and 90 ribbys but his .22t BA that year warned which direction his career was beginning to go. His last full season was 2014 (217-AB) and a miserable .205 batting average.
Just a warning not to get too ahead of this.
Super Two issues aside for the moment, it's refreshing to at least hear (whether or not it's true) that rookies will have an equal opportunity to win a job. That was not the case under the previous front office and manager.
More interesting to me is the statement by Callaway that he'd rather go with 13 pitchers and a 4-man bench. If two of those men are Lagares and Broxton, a backup catcher is the third then who is the 4th? J.D. Davis? Dominic Smith? Luis Guillorme? T.J. Rivera?
With a bench that short, unsigned Marwin Gonzalez would sure look good in the orange and blue right now.
Thirteen pitchers? That's why they need a 26 man roster. Frankly, that is good for JD Davis, as he really could be the 13th (desperation) pitcher - and be a hitter too.
Mack, I am hoping Alonso is no Ike Davis. Ike's last year in the minors was solddid not compare to Alonso's 2018 offensively, yet Ike hit .264/.351/.440 in his first season with the Mets. I'd take that from Alonso, for sure.
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