Reese Kaplan -- How to Solve the Mets DH Problem In-House

When the Designated Hitter (DH) role was implemented back in 1973 everyone was up in arms about this structural change in the lineups and the fact that an extra hitter would now take the place of the pitcher coming for his turn at the plate.  No one knew what to expect nor how it would be best utilized, but quickly it became apparent that a hitter with limited defensive skills could better serve a team doing that one thing he did best while minimizing the damage he would cause while in the field.  

As a New Yorker, the first standout DH in my memory was Ron Blomberg.  The man could certainly hit the ball and finished his injury-shortened career with a lifetime .293 batting average while exhibiting decent power and run production.  Since he was not well regarded as a first baseman or outfielder the DH role seemed tailor made for his abilities.  He was a platoon DH getting about half-time usage in the lineup and he truly made the most of it while opening folks eyes to the fact that a younger man really could assume a hitting-only role while becoming a functional asset to the team.

So, if by definition the DH position was created to generate more offense and excitement into the game, why have the New York Mets not quite understood the history and purpose of the role?  I won't bore you with the laundry list of DH failures the Mets have inserted into DH-duty, but none of them will make you forget Harold Baines, David Ortiz, Edgar Martinez nor Frank Thomas.

Obviously despite a Friday 10-run outburst the Mets offense is not using all of its cylinders on a regular basis and sacrificing 4 ABs per game by failing to assign a potent hitter to the role simply exacerbates the struggle to score runs.  

Many folks have wondered aloud about whether the Mets would use Mark Vientos in this role since 1st and 3rd are already occupied by Pete Alonso and Brett Baty.  Some people advocated using Eduardo Escobar who has power but his extended slumps since wearing a Mets uniform make many fans quiver between hostility and nausea at that suggestion.  One thing nearly everyone agrees upon is that neither Daniel Vogelbach nor Tommy Pham aka VogelPham are the answer.  

With the return of defensive whiz Tomas Nido in place of the past-his-prime Gary Sanchez, it would appear that Francisco Alvarez may not relinquish his number one role as the catcher of the future but could be thrust into that DH role when projected starting catcher Omar Narvaez returns.  In effect it means trading off VogelPham for Narvaez in terms of offense.  I don't see that this change would be a quantum leap forward in terms of improvement.  

If you're continuing to look past Mark Vientos then there is another DH candidate looming who has major defensive problem -- Ronny Mauricio.  This infielder already has 11 errors in the first two months of the season but it's not impacting his ability to swing the bat nor run the bases.  In 2022 for Binghamton he hit 26 home runs, drove in 89 and stole 20 bases.  He's off to an even better start this year with 7 HRs, 33 RBIs, 9 SBs and a .351 batting average.  

So if Jeff McNeil is going to play second base, he can't play there.  If Francisco Lindor is going to play shortstop he can't play there.  So what about making a 22 year old designated hitter who doesn't bring costly fielding into the equation anymore?  Then you are trading VogelPham for Mauricio straight up in the lineup.  Mauricio is a switch hitter so he could play every day or simply platoon the DH position with Mark Vientos.  Either of these two approaches should increase the potential for scoring runs and hitting the ball over the wall, something neither Vogelbach nor Pham have been doing in 2023.

If the Braves can bring up young talent and have them play with positive results, why do the Mets place artificial roadblocks on players' careers at the expense of poorly performing veterans?