Reese Kaplan -- The Mets Outfield Quality Is Highly Questionable

For all of the whining and haranguing fans and media have given the Mets front office about their approach to starting pitching, relievers, DH, the Baby Mets and the bench, you don't really have to plunge too deeply o find a potential Achilles Heal when you start to examine the Mets outfield.

On paper right now it consists of Brandon Nimmo being shifted from center field to left field, Gold Glove (and lead bat) Harrison Bader moving to take over center field, and recovered but still needing to prove himself Starling Marte in right field.  Let's look a little more closely at this trio and the folks who back them up should the need arise.

Back in the day when a non-baseball performer in a high school was selected first by the Mets in their draft for future talent, many folks were taken quite a bit by surprise.  He didn't offer up a wealth of experience playing the game, but the indications provided by the scouts about a great batting eye, good speed, adequate defense and a little bit of pop seemed to add up to a reasonable choice if there was a bit more of a track record to study.  

Still, as he progressed through the Mets minor league system he seemed to be showing what those scouts initially saw was not a mirage.  Yes, his defense could use some work and his long ball hitting was a bit substandard.  That being said, the running speed and knowledge of the strike zone were very much for real.  Whether or not they were first round caliber talents was still the great unknown.

As he worked his way into the majors he showed he was an on-base machine and by laying off the out-of-the-strike-zone pitches he was enabling himself to feast only on the ones over the plate and hittable.  His batting average was steadily staying about .270 and with his on-base work he had converted himself into a true asset.  

What came as a something of a surprise last season was the never before seen 24 home run achievement and just as importantly, he managed to stay on the field for the full season which had always been an issue in the past.  He got a long term contract paying him over $20 million per season for the next seven years.  With less pressure on him to man the captaincy of the outfield defense in center field he's made himself into a true asset to the club though many would like to see him at least cross the 10 stolen base mark for the full season.

This well trod ground isn't going to reveal anything new.  He can steal bases.  He can take over the outfield defense, making it look easy.  His problem is his batting average and his ability to stay healthy.  Back in 2021 when Bader earned his Gold Glove he hit an all time plateau with 16 HRs and 50 RBIs while hitting for him a robust .267.  Given that he's a .241 career hitter, that's quite a jump.

Unfortunately for Bader, his inabilities and physical health let him demonstrate that the 2021 production was an exception and not the norm.  As a matter of stats since then, he's hit .241 in 611 ABs with 12 HRs and 70 RBIs while stealing 37 bases.  

The defense and speed are why he's earning over $10 million for 2024.  It is not power nor run production.  Remember, those 611 ABs constituted a total of two full seasons.  If the Mets intend somehow to platoon him and only have him face southpaws, then he's not going to get very many ABs again.  It also calls into question who takes over when he's not in the starting lineup?

Again, there's not a lot of new ground here as everyone is well aware of what kind of defensive player Marte can be when he's fully healthy.  By a report from none other than David Stearns it was revealed that he was fielding once again like Starling Marte.  Surprisingly in 2023 while battling injuries and migraines he only played in a tad over a half season's worth of games, but surprisingly his base running speed was actually better than it had been during his All Star season of 2022.

Going forward, no one could transform this team's offense more than a fully recovered Starling Marte.  He has home run power, blazing speed, can hit over .290 and provide star caliber defense.  Now expecting that all to happen at age 35 is placing a deep wager on someone who may or may not have a bit of either a health relapse or some age related decline.  Still, he is capable of being a solid asset to the Mets outfield.

Right off the bat everyone is fully aware of DJ Stewart and what he can deliver with the bat when on a hot streak.  Unfortunately he's never really worked his way into a full time starting role during his career.  His best ever effort was coincidentally also in 2021 when he gave the Orioles more than 300 ABs, delivering 12 HRs and 33 RBIs while hitting a scant .204.  That was his best effort.  

Last season with the Mets he had more than 100 fewer ABs but delivered a similar 11 HRs and drove in 26 while hitting for him a more solid .244.  Unfortunately he's not a center fielder on his best day, so his left handed bat is not really an answer to a platoon with Bader unless those days Nimmo shifts back alongside Starling Marte.

Tyrone Taylor is not very well known to Mets fans as he too was mostly a part time player during his career.  His most robust season happened in 2022 when he parlayed his strong defense and home run power into 373 ABs, ending the year with a paltry .233 average but accompanied it with 17 HRs and 51 RBIs which along with stellar defense suggests he would not be a bad substitute when called upon to be in the lineup.  Unfortunately for him he is a right handed hitter, so he's not a Bader platoon partner for that reason alone.

Jeff McNeil has shown the ability of playing corner outfield when asked to do so.  While he's no Roberto Clemente out there, he's certainly adequate to consider taking some reps in left field with Nimmo shifting to center if they want the equivalent of a platoon with Bader since he is a left handed hitter.    He doesn't provide a lot of power either, but can hit close to .300 in his sleep.  

Behind them in the minors you have some older veterans like Trayce Thompson and Ben Gamel available if needed.  Neither are going to set the scoreboard on fire, though Thompson has shown 20 HR power if he played full time if you can swallow a .212 batting average.  Gamel has less power falling below the 10 threshold for his annual output, but does so at a better batting average of .252 swinging from the left side.  Neither would be ideal solutions but perhaps their presence in Syracuse can help some of the younger players learn what it's like to be a veteran major leaguer.