Reese Kaplan -- How to Win a No-Win Argument

Every now and then a good argument evolves between fellow Mets fans about what the club has done right vs. what they have done wrong. This topic could obviously take a great many circuitous paths with emotion often overwhelming statistics and logic. Today, however, brought up a good subject about which each side had legitimate claims to be right.

Suppose I introduced a player to you who has had 1244 big league at-bats which have had their cumulative ups and downs. He is a career .246 hitter (which is obviously nothing to brag about). His long ball capability is erratic but in those two-plus accumulated seasons if he was a full time player he would have averaged 23 HRs and 90 RBIs. That's pretty commendable run production, yet after parts of six seasons at Citifield he was never given a full time job.

Then there was another ballplayer whose career exposure is pretty similar. He's logged 1305 at-bats but merely achieved the cringe-worthy level of a career .218 batting average. His power is most definitely for real, having clubbed 67 HRs and driven in 190 over that more-or-less equal period of time.

What is fascinating about the second player is that he earned a cumulative 1.4 in WAR for what he has done (including that .218 batting average). The first player who had a reputation for stellar defense only has racked up a 0.2 WAR for his superior .246 career average.

So we come back to Side A and Side B. Many felt that the first player out of the New York media spotlight (and capable of playing his natural position of first base) will now flourish supporting a cast on what's projected to be a last place team. Side B advocates point out that using a flawed hitter properly in a platoon role can result in much higher productivity than as a regular, and thus is more valuable to the team.

Oh yeah...when Side A's player became a free agent he last earned just shy of $4 million for what he did. Side B's player whose performance metrics are superior now earns $1.5 million.

A hefty prize awaits the people who correctly identify the first player as former Met Dom Smith and the second one as current and newly slimmed down Met Daniel Vogelbach.

Where the Vogelbach fans truly trumpet his achievements both working the counts and pumping the long balls while correctly positioned as a lefty-against-righty platoon DH.

I'm not really sure where the Smith supporters clamor about heralding his lack of achievement except to excuse him for having had injuries, first base blocked by Pete Alonso and learning outfield on the fly while resembling Todd Hundley out there.

No one here is jumping up and down celebrating having Vogelbach taking the majority of the DH at bats instead of the club having gone out to sign a switch hitter or veteran capable of doing well against both righties and lefties. 

In a way this debate is kind of like taking a strong position of advocating for long leftover sausages, just as likely to have you enjoy them as they are in making you sick.