The second base situation for the Mets has seen some great stars and solid performers over the years. Edgardo Alfonzo put in a tenure at second as well as other positions. Daniel Murphy was a regular there for quite awhile. Some were only good with the glove like Doug Flynn. Others are great with the bat (at least in 2020) like Robinson Cano. The question facing the Mets is whether or not they want to bank on the elder statesman to continue to play second base from now through 2023 as the former Yankee and Mariner closes in on age 40.
Some people are going crazy for the hot start Andres Gimenez has made with the major league club. No one expected him to be able to handle hitting at a .280+ level while continuing to make highlight reel defensive plays and showing off his baserunning ability.
In 2019 playing in the Eastern League he was able to push his power output to 9 dingers which was a career high at that point. He also managed to swipe 28 bases. Throw in the great defense and you can see why people were enthused about what he might have to offer in the majors.
On the down side, unfortunately, Gimenez needs to work on his running game as with the 28 successful thefts he also was nailed 16 times. That's not a great success percentage. Currently the Mets in Queens do not embrace running very much, but we don't know how that could change under new ownership.
The other issue which is more concerning is that as he ascended to a stronger level of pitching he suffered with his bat. He finished 2019 with a mediocre .250 batting average which dragged down his minor league career tally to .278. That's not bad, but that's also in Ruben Tejada territory.
Now many people might question why I'm referring to Gimenez here when the question is about second base and not shortstop. Some are ready to dump Amed Rosario for chump change based upon both his poor defense, his non-existent baserunning and his underwhelming offensive output during this strange 2020 season. They think you stick Gimenez in at shortstop and force Rosario to change positions (or teams).
For someone who grew up playing middle infield, it would seem natural to see what would happen to Rosario if he played at second base alongside Gimenez. The position is not quite as defensively challenging as shortstop and he did most definitely show a strong bat in 2019 and towards the end of 2018 as well. It would seem unfair to make one poor season count for more than one partial strong season by his competitor.
Second base is not Rosario's only option. Assuming they are not counting on Todd Frazier to be a regular at third base, that position is unsettled as well. Then there's the ongoing challenge of centerfield where Nimmo is now ranked at the bottom in all defensive metrics.
If you did move Rosario to the left or right of Gimenez in the infield, what then becomes of Jeff McNeil, J.D. Davis and the big fish, Robinson Cano? Now some clubs might look to cash in on Cano's hot 2020 season and pay down his contract a little bit to get an AL team to embrace him as a DH as he closes out his days wearing a uniform. That would open up one infield slot now and also keep a position potentially available for Ronny Mauricio when he makes his way up the ladder.
So what would you do with the second base role? Do you want Amed Rosario to get a shot there? Should Jeff McNeil return to what he did so well earlier in his career? Is Andres Gimenez ready not only to play regularly in the majors but also to show he's advanced in his ability to contribute? Are you ready to cash in on Cano's hot 2020 season and take a little financial hit to move him in trade while someone else absorbs the triumvirate years of his waning career?
Reese, here's my only half-tongue-in-cheek solution:
ReplyDeleteIf you can't get Realmuto this off season, convince Rosario to CATCH. He'd have the whole winter to learn. The job would be his for years to come. He'd become a wealthy man.
IF Logjam eliminated.
And no, Dominic Smith, as much as you want to, you can't catch.