Mike's Mets - Thoughts on the Mets Opening Day Roster - Position Players

 

By Mike Steffanos

With the MLB regular season merely days away, we look at the position players who will break camp on the Mets' 26-man roster.

In our last post, we attempted to forecast which pitchers might travel south with the Mets when they open the season in Miami on March 30. This time, we'll look at which position players will join them in the "Magic City" when things get underway next week. While there are far fewer decisions to be made with the 13 position players the Mets will likely carry, there certainly are a couple of tough choices for Buck Showalter, Billy Eppler, and the rest of the club's brain trust.

As expected, Francisco Álvarez will open the season with the Syracuse Mets. It was pretty clear heading into camp that only a spectacular spring by the young catcher would possibly change that outcome, and that didn't happen. While Ronny Mauricio has yet to be assigned, it's quite likely that he will join Francisco in Triple-A. That leaves two prospects with a chance of breaking camp with the New Yorkers, Mark Vientos and Brett Baty.

Mark Vientos certainly has a chance to earn a Major League roster slot, but I think it's unlikely for reasons I laid out in my piece on Baty from earlier in the month. I don't believe the Mets can find enough ABs for Vientos as the short side of a DH platoon. It's tough to ask a kid to break into MLB playing a couple of times a week. You'll see bad teams do that sort of thing to save a few dollars. However, a contending team like the Mets will generally opt for a veteran ballplayer for that role, especially one with a track record of handling the job.

On the other hand, Brett Baty looks to me like his bat is MLB-ready, and his glove is improving significantly. Even if the Mets decided to platoon Baty with Eduardo Escobar, that would still allow Baty to play the majority of games at third. It's the way I would like to see them go, as laid out in that earlier post.

Without further ado, here is my prediction for the 9 starters on Opening Day in Miami. Since RHP Sandy Alcantara is almost sure to be the Marlins' starter, the left-handed bats will get the nod:

(C) Omar Narváez

(1B) Pete Alonso

(2B) Jeff McNeil

(SS) Francisco Lindor

(3B) Brett Baty

(LF) Mark Canha

(CF) Brandon Nimmo

(RF) Starling Marte

(DH) Daniel Vogelbach

I'm making a couple of big assumptions here. One, I believe Baty is ready for the Majors. While I have nothing against Eduardo Escobar, he doesn't hit RHP well and would provide usefulness in a utility role. Escobar can get the start at 3B against southpaws, fill in at 2B at times, and get some starts at DH, too. Look, it wouldn't surprise me if Eppler and company sent Brett Baty to Syracuse for at least a stretch of time at the start of the season. I understand the case for making that decision. But it wouldn't be the best choice for the 2023 Mets. With the loss of Edwin Díaz, the Mets' bullpen takes a substantial hit. It would be in the team's best interest to score more runs. In my opinion, Brett Baty — once he settles into the big leagues — gives them a chance to improve offensively.

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