Reese Kaplan -- A Further Look at Center Field Options Out There

Along with the frequent chatter regarding the acquisition of Luis Robert, Jr., another name came up even more frequently of late, Carl Yasztremski’s grandson named Mike who happens to play for the San Francisco Giants.  Despite the Hall of Fame lineage, Mike is not quite like his old grandad.  An average season for that Yaz would bring you a .285 average with 22 HRs and 90 RBIs, though many years were far better than that.

The now 34 year old new-look Yaz isn’t quite as good.  His HR power is on par with an average yield of 25, but the RBIs drop to 75 and the batting average is just .240.  Currently earning $9.25 million to be the center fielder for the San Francisco Giants, he’s better that what the team currently has in-house, but given his age and modest production the replacement of Jose Siri or Tyrone Taylor for this Yaz isn’t going to cause dancing in the streets.

Going back to Luis Robert, Jr. for a minute, bear in mind he’s just 27 years old.  While consistency is not yet part of his game, a Silver Slugger and a Gold Glove are.  That means the guy can hit and play his position among the best in the game. 

The question for the Mets is whether or not they have a hitting lab equivalent to the much heralded pitching lab that can somehow push the young Robert, Jr. into becoming a fixture between Brandon Nimmo and Juan Soto.  Thus far the club has not excelled at improving the offense of players within their system with the exception of the 2024 breed Mark Vientos, but thus far that output has not been replicated.

So the question arises as to who else is out there playing the game who is young, superb defensively and whose skill with the bat already or should become potent?  

A great example would be former Met prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong who can patrol defensively with the best of them but who cannot hit for a batting average necessary to make his employers take notice. 

Byron Buxton of the Twins is another example of a crazy talented defender with a solid bat, but unfortunately one who spends a lot of time each year on the IL.  He’s hit as many as 28 HRs in a season and stolen as many as 29 but those numbers were fairly isolated among his IL-stint seasons.  For that the now 31 year old is earning a hair over $15 million per season with incentives taking it as high as 26 million.  I’d think he’d be an easy “No!” from the Mets.

The very talented Brenton Doyle of Colorado can provide you with 20+ HRs, 75 RBIs, 30 SBs and give you near Gold Glove defense.  His salary is from his pre-arbitration years, so although he’d be a nice fit, the Rockies would hold the Mets hostage for a HUGE trade balance if they’re giving up someone who could be a part of their team inexpensively for now and in the future. 

An even bigger haul would likely have to be shown to the San Diego Padres for their superb center fielder, Jackson Merrill.  In his rookie season last year he hit 24 HRs, drove in 90 and batted .292 while contributing 16 SBs as well.  He’s just 22 years old and there’s no way you’re going to get the Padres to bite at trading him away unless you can provide several players of similar talent from your farm system.  Ouch.

Perhaps the best pick of them all is the 2023 Rookie of the Year for the Diamondbacks, Corbin Carroll.  He fields quite well, hits for power and steals bases like a maniac.  He had an inconsistent 2024 during which he was invisible at the plate in the first half and red hot in the second.  He seems to have carried that aspect into the early 2025 campaign with 5 HRs already to go along with a .324 average.  He is a prime chip in the Arizona arsenal and you’re looking at names like Brandon Sproat, Jett Williams and others of that ilk to even get the folks in Phoenix to answer the phone. 

The cheapest of the lot would be Pete Crow-Armstrong, but you have to ask if he’s significantly better than Jose Siri?