Todd Frazier started the season on the DL, giving young JD Davis a chance to play.
Given the opportunity, J.D. Davis started the season slowly.
Tough early season pitchers, nerves, who knows. JD was 3 for 20 and 2 walks out of the shoot.
Since then, though, JD has hit 17 for 47 through Thursday, with 9 walks. That is a WHOLE lot of getting on base.
I firmly believe when guys get on base, it is like synthetic oil for an engine - the team's hitting engine purrs.
Todd Frazier, as I have indicated in the past, hit just .213 in 2017 and .213 in 2018. Thus, to me it was no surprise that he hit a weak .238 in 13 minor league rehab games, mostly in A ball.
He since has been called up and, no surprise to me, he has hit just .188 in 32 at bats, with no walks, just 2 runs scored (on homers) and 7 RBIs.
And upon Todd's return, J.D. Davis has done a lot of sitting.
Frazier played his first game for the Mets on April 22.
In that and the subsequent nine games the Mets scored a weak 3.6 runs per game. Please recall that last year, the Mets' offense, in which Frazier was an active participant, was also quite weak.
Prior to those recent, 10 low scoring games, the Mets in their first 21 games averaged 5.4 runs per game.
So, I lay out a case for you to make a choice:
Which of these two should be the primary 3rd baseman starter, JD Davis, on base 26 of his last 56 times up (.464 OBP), or Todd Frazier, on base just 7 of 33 times?
I don't give a hoot who is getting paid what, based on PERFORMANCE, who should play? Who will help the Mets WIN?
I don't give a hoot who is getting paid what, based on PERFORMANCE, who should play? Who will help the Mets WIN?
My choice?
J.D. Davis.
J.D. Davis.
What's yours?
Before I go, and as an aside:
On the subject of infielders, what is the deal with Gavin Cecchini, listed as active on his MILB stats page, but clearly not? Doubt we ever see him on the Mets again, but just curious.
Interestingly, in the 2012 draft, when Cecchini sadly was picked 12th by the Mets, who was picked 17th? J.D. Davis.
You mean you expect a team to put its best possible players on the field? That's heresy, young man! Next thing you'll be telling me that Juan Lagares and Keon Broxton shouldn't play at all ever again. :)
ReplyDeleteI mean its clearly JD Davis. Frazier is done after this year and we control Davis for a long time. He's shown he can perform on the big stage and is young and has a MUCH better chance of improving than Fraziers declining trend lines. I think it's got to be Broxton or Frazier that goes. Lagares is quite good (mostly in the field) when he isn't hurting himself. When Lagares does hurt himself its usually from his all out play. If the Mets want to win this division they can't do what they normally do and let an old vet play terribly for months before doing something about it. Broxton does have the worst WAR on the team so far however at -0.4...
ReplyDeleteI think we are going to see a lot of Frazier at least until Lowery gets back. The Mets need to award performance and not worry about contracts but that may be too big a culture change to ask Brody to implement.
ReplyDelete