Reese Kaplan -- More Spring Training Observations (Good & Bad)

With real preseason games now having started against real Major League Baseball teams in Florida (and Arizona for folks who follow those desert-based ballclubs), it's finally beginning to feel real that baseball is back.  Having watched some intrasquad games on the Internet proved once and for all that the Mets have a long ways to go.  The pitching after Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer is still a bit in flux as the hitters were teeing off on some of the rest with a lot of long balls flying over the fence.

Part of me said that the offensive display should feel like good news since there was a certain amount of anxiety concerning the ability for the Mets to produce runs.  This early indication is that the offense can indeed produce when required to do so but there's a huge caveat.  They were, for the most part, slugging impressively only when the opposing pitching was second and third tier.  Granted, Jacob deGrom is arguably one of the top 2-3 pitchers in all of baseball but against him they looked like a bunch of sandlot rejects, not professional hitters.  

A few things popped to mind while seeing the club play in live action.  J.D. Davis appeared to have slimmed down during this off-season.  I never thought weight was a problem for him, but a better physique might make bending for ground balls more possible.  

Watching Eduardo Escobar called to mind Jonathan Villar.  He was taking his time in the box, making the Mets pitcher in the intrasquad game work hard against him.  He hit a few loud foul balls before working out a long and well deserved walk.  I remembered times when Villar would do similarly, although Villar had more baserunning speed when he got to first base via walk or hit.  It's kind of understandable why they wanted the slugging Escobar here, but at this point it's still not clear what they will do with incumbent J.D. Davis with Cano slated as the primary option at DH.  

The stories broke this past week about Dom Smith having played with a partially torn labrum which could account for his big downturn in offense after solid efforts in 2019 and 2020.  Over that period he hit .299 with 21 HRs and 67 RBIs in less than 400 ABs.  He certainly teed off on Max Scherzer with a pair of home runs.  The same question arises about where and when he'll play if Cano gets the majority of the time as the left handed half at DH.  

What is interesting during Spring Training is to watch the progression of the outfielders looking to get a seat on the Major League bench.  Khalil Lee most definitely has the speed to be a major threat on the bases and handles the outfield well in any of the three positions.  His power is late in developing but is a welcome addition.  Anyone who can steal 53 bases and hit in the mid-teens with the number of home runs may have potential for success in the big league.

In a way, the more interesting and unknown one to watch was former St. Louis Cardinal Nick Plummer to whom the Mets gave a major league contract and 40-man roster spot after the Redbirds cut him loose.  Last season he hit .280 with 15 HRs and 54 RBIs in just 386 ABs.  That output suggests a power output north of 20 per year.  Surprisingly, he also stole 13 bases.  He was a first round draft pick who had injury problems requiring multiple surgeries early in his career and the Cardinals ran out of patience.  In 2021 he certainly demonstrated why he was regarded so highly.  

The scary part of Spring Training right now is pitching.  Normally the guys on the mound arrive earlier than the hitters and are noticeably ahead of them in preparation.  This year it's not that kind of schedule and the majority of the pitchers are working their way into game shape.  One hopes that things improve with the limited time available, but the Mets are in no different situation than any other team.  Consequently it might not be as bad as it seems.

Let's Go Mets!