Reese Kaplan -- Martinez Changes the Known Mets Lineup

While most of the folks focused on the New York Mets will be obsessing over the ”Who will they cut?” question regarding the impending arrival of J.D. Martinez from his late start, injury recovery and cups of coffee at various minor league locations, there are other questions to address going forward as well.  Honestly, if Zack Short or with-an-option D.J. Stewart took their final major league AB for the Mets on Wednesday, would it honesty make a dramatic difference?

No, the bigger question now is assuming it is somewhat later in the year and everyone has had sufficient time to get into a hitting groove, how do you construct the lineup with Martinez now an available member of it?

It has been reported that Carlos Mendoza wanted to slate Martinez to hit behind Pete Alonso in the cleanup position, though that arrangement would put two slugging right handed hitters back to back.  Normally managers want to split up the left handed and right handed bats, but when the bats in question here are as formidable for run production as Martinez and Alonso, it doesn´t seem like an overly big concern.

Assume for the moment that Brandon Nimmo remains as the leadoff hitter.  He had been fairly regular in that role since he started playing regularly and sporting an enviable on-base percentage.  There doesn´t necessarily seem to be any outstanding need to change that plan.

The newly revitalized Starling Marte was a mostly number two hitter during his hot 2022 season with the Mets and he appears to be well suited to resuming that setup role here.  He has a bit more speed than Nimmo and about the same amount of power, but here you have two guys who can wreak some havoc both at the plate and on the bases.

Now comes the tough choice.  Francisco Lindor has been the number three hitter with Pete Alonso behind him while Martinez was unavailable.  Now you have to consider whether you want him to remain in that role which would keep Alonso at cleanup and pushing Martinez down to number 5.  That approach might make some sense during the long Francisco Alvarez absence.

Given that sequence it would likely leave Brett Baty or Jeff McNeil for number six.  Right now Baty has more HR potential than does McNeil, but McNeil has a higher batting average history.  Both are left handers and if you accept back-to-back righties at 4 and 5, then do you wind up with back-to-back lefties at 6 and 7? 

At 8, 9 you need to figure out where to play center fielder Harrison Bader and the catcher of day in Alvarez’s absence. 

Now Mendoza could throw all of us a major shakeup but taking the risk to put Baty or McNeil higher in the order or using them to break up the righty-righty pair in the middle of the order, but neither of these lefties have run production pedigree to sit between Alonso and Martinez. 

Overall, the front office and Carlos Mendoza have a very nice problem to solve.  Imagine replacing the less-than-dynamic-duo of Short or Stewart with a 30 HR/100 RBI bat?  It is increasingly unlikely there will be more 10-0 shutouts on the near future horizon.