Good morning.
Let’s play a game…
Let’s say that the comments made by David Stearns about poor Mets field
defense are true and there will be a concerted effort to improve in this area
in 2026.
How would that look?
Let’s go position by position and do an
analysis/speculation:
(stats from Fielding Bible)
1B – there is NO first baseman in baseball with a LOWER DRS than Pete Alonso. It’s -9-DRS in 1403-innings. You can’t possibly say you are going to improve defense and not deal with this. Ryan Clifford is not ready, Mark Vientos has proven nothing at this position, and there is no one else on the 26 that could step in here.
Free agent wise, Carlos Santana (+12) is second in the
league to Matt Olson (+12), but he’s turning 40 in April and
actually has a lower batting average than Pete.
Ty France (3rd in
league with +9-DRS) hit .257, but hit only 7-HR (0.9-WAR). He turns 32 in July.
Cody Bellinger (+7-DRS in CF) plays impeccable
defense in center and is considered an above average defensive first baseman as
well. His 2026 stats include a 5-WAR, 29-HR, .272.
A good trade candidate could be Cincinnati’s
Spencer
Steer. He was 4th in the leaguer with +8-DRS, will play
2026 as a 27-year old, and hit .238/21-HR in 509-AB.
My money would be on Bellinger,
who has a player option in 2026.
2B – We all are
anticipating a solution to this position when Jett Williams is ready, but he
won’t be until well into the season. Actually, the Mets have the 15th
ranked second basemen (+5-DRS) already on tier team and he actually
accomplished this in only 434.1 innings played there… LuisAngel Acuna. The 21st
ranked was Brett Baty, with a +3-DRS in 373 innings. Jeff McNeil produced a +2-DRS in 575.2
innings played. That combines for a +10-DRS in 1,382.2.
My money is to let things alone
here, with emphasis on Acuna played more than he did last season.
SS – no analysis needed.
You get what you paid for with Francisco Lindor and he is going nowhere.
Oh… he’s ranked 82nd with a -1-DRS.
3B – Both Brett Baty (ranked 16th,
573 innings) and Ronny Mauricio (18th, 292 innings) produced
+4-DRS. Baty showed huge improvement here and Mauricio put up remarkable
numbers in the very limited time he got to man the hot corner.
Defensive purists will point out that Nolan Arenado is opting out (ranked 8th,
+6-DRS in 880.2 innings, but this would take on a huge salary vs. two team-controlled
players producing a total of +8-DRS themselves.
My money is to keep Baty your
starter and, frankly, give Ronny a chance to start by finding him a home
elsewhere.
C – this is a defensive
problem… no one is denying the fact that Francisco Alvarez will develop into a
potent bat on this team. What is in question is his defensive potency. Yes, he
has become a better heaver to second, but he ended 2025 with the 12th
WORST producer of DRS, with a -5-DRS in 596 innings. The good news is this was
balanced off with the fact that their backup, Luis Torrens, was ranked 3rd,
with an +11-DRS in 640.2 innings. But. Torrens will never hit at the acceptable
major league level.
My money is to stay with these
two. Both bat from the right side, so a platoon is out of the question. I would
have my coaches (if I had some) work tirelessly in the off-season on improving
Alvarez’ skills, but, if they didn’t improve early on, I would play him more as
DH going forward and sleep better knowing my #9 hitter wasn’t gonna screw up
the soup.
LF – I found this
pleasantly surprising. Brandon Nimmo came in ranked 12th
at +4-DRS in 1268.2-IP. I can’t imagine finding anyone that would take on the
remaining years in this contract. Both AJ Ewing and Nick Morabito are a year off and I
see Ewing as Nimmo’s replacement here by, latest, opening day 2027.
My money is leave things alone in 2026.
Nimmo is the whipping boy of MetsTwitter, but he did put up a remarkable offensive
year in 2025. I would give him next season until Ewing was ready and then turn
him into the exclusive designated hitter for the Mets going forward. Morabito
would eventually become my OF4.
CF – All Mets World is
waiting on Carson Benge to graduate and make them forget about PCA. In
2025, Tyrone Taylor produced a +7-DRS in 783 innings which was ranked
10th. He shared time with Jeff McNeil, who only produced a -2-DRS in
209 innings.
My money is to play Taylor primarily at
this position until Benge is ready. Bat him one slot ahead of Torrens and live
with it. For now.
RF – No, no, no! This guy
is going nowhere and he would never accept a DH role at this point in his young
career. -7-DRS in 1374 innings. Own it.
28 comments:
It is remarkable that a guy like Vientos, who started out briefly at SS before shifting to 2nd and 3rd, and finally first, can’t be at least league average at first. But, besides weak defense, he is slow afoot. Too many liabilities, it seems.
Bellinger would be good but Jacob Reimer could make a good 1B. He is listed to have a 55 rated hit tool, with good power, and does have some speed. So, maybe you DO go with Vientos for one year and let Reimer be your 1B in 2027.
Acuna? In 315 AAA and MLB plate appearances, he had ZERO HRs, and just 14 doubles and a triple, and walks infrequently. Somehow, he hit into 10GIDPs at both levels in effectively half a season. So, his defense shines, but he hits like Bud Harrelson with fewer walks.
An option but seems a reach
Shouldn't there come a time where this team should stop inventing positions for their players?
Baty, yes. But Mauricio cannot hit as a righty, at all, removing any left/right platoon benefit he might have with Baty. I could quickly see him rather than Acuna as a utility guy, if he can learn this winter to play a competent outfield, too. Mauricio needs that position versatility. Model himself after Jeff McNeil.
Tom
You are missing the point
This was an exercise in defense only
I never said all these moves should be etched in stone.
I just determined how you could improve defense for most positions
I think Reimer would be a good first baseman. If you play 3rd, how hard can first be? You’re already used to infield ball speed coming off the bat. BUT…they’d have to be convinced of his bat. But his bat is rated higher than Clifford.
Given my choice, I always go with defense from utility players
There is no better late inning infielder on this team than Acuña
Alvarez, I blame to a degree on his hand injuries. It was remarkable he played at all. He HAS to avoid dumb things like hands-first slides. Then we can see what sort of defender he can actually be,
Torrens was terrific defensively. Hitting a lot of long outs drove down his Citi average,where he was sub-Mendoza. I can think of a dimensions solution there that could make him be an above average catcher defensively AND offensively. I never thought of it before, but when he throws to cut down base stealers, it is usually to the second base side of the bag, which slightly shortens the throw distance. That split second, probably makes a difference in a lot of these bang, bang plays at second base. Alvarez needs to do the same. Don’t throw to the bag….throw 3-5 feet to the right of it.
Nimmo is very smart. He knows his weakness (arm) and maximizes his skills. He is also 6’3” and has HR-robbing leaps in his repertoire, which improves DRS. He learned that running into fences is self-defeating. I very much still like Brandon as a both-ways weapon.
Owning the idea of Soto in RF for the foreseeable future is the reasoning behind signing a guy like Siri. They need a stud defender in center to cover the right center field gap that Soto can't cover. Unfortunately it seems most elite defensive center fielders can't hit very well. I like Taylor a lot, he's a great defender and hustles on every play. I too would keep him in center until one of the youngsters is ready. Even the mention of trading Nimmo makes me sad because he's such a positive presence on this team with his endless hustle and great attitude. I know baseball is a business and shedding Nimmo could make sense in coming years, but he's one of my all time favorite Mets
Jon, Nimmo struggled in clutch situations this year uncharacteristically, but I want to keep him. I am content to wait a little while for Benge for CF. He has good speed and a rifle for an arm. Clocked at 96 MPH in college. That helps DRS. And he will hit. Taylor can then be what he should be - a 4/5.
Well, the Mets can carry 13 hitters. I am solid with Acuna as one of the 13 as a defensive replacement and pinch runner. That’s it, with very few game starts, until Jett gets here, with better defense than Jett demonstrated in 2025. Jett is better, but he needs to continue to improve his glove, and further cut down his errors.
My dimensions were greatly reduced after my prostate operation
I do too... until something better comes along
1. Nimmo is going nowhere
2. Taylor is needed to offset Soto. Benge will do this even better someday
I am very happy with Francisco Lindor at short. He may not have the range anymore to achieve a high DRS, but he still is tied for 9th in MLB in Outs Above Average (OAA) which rewards steady over flashy. I also love his on-field leadership, which is an intangible for the defense.
There is also an immeasurable defensive factor called "baseball instinct" that you can see, but can't put a number to. It is that quality a player possesses to always be in the right place at the right time. Remember Jeter's famous running cutoff flip to the plate in the world series? Some Mets have good instinct: Lindor, Taylor, McNeil, Acuna. Others completely lack it: Vientos. So you can have good numbers for the lucky times the ball comes to you, but you help the team by always being in the right place so it is not just luck.
Ya know...
I did this exercise totally based on D
Then I added in a tie breaker of offense
It's funny
Vientos never came close to being in this
Mack, I think people are mystified by Vientos. He started his pro career in 2017. How much of it is insufficient training intensity v. How much is simply not correctable. We all agree he will never be average fielder at this point. Bad defense being a Cohen elimination priority, my guess is Marks Mets days are numbered.
To me
Vientos is the new Nieuwenhaus
I cannot understand how you can pay a guy what Soto’s being paid, and he’s here for another four years at least, and people are worried about whether he would “accept” DH’ing 70-80 times? Where is he going to go? Is he going to sulk for four years? The guy is the worst regular RF in the league? $50m per year? He plays where you tell him to play.
Mack, Nick Madrigal should return in 2026. He profiles similarly to Acuna, and would be cheap ($1.5 million or less in arbitration). Would trading Acuna, and using Madrigal for half a season as a back up IF make more sense, until Jett is ready? He was hurt almost 8 months ago, so They should know if Madrigal will be healed up for 2026 by now.
Like Matt Allen healed?
Ernest: Do the Mets still have a post-season development camp for its prospects about now? Never see nor hear of anything.
Hey Mack, don't get defensive LOL. Besides, I’ve always wanted to visit Madrigal, which they tell me is somewhere between Madrid and Portugal.
The reality boys and girls is that the solutions to the Mets problems are already in the minor leagues but you would have to wait until late 2026/2027 to start graduating those players.
Injuries to key players killed the Mets in 2025. In 2026, if the same players were all healthy, the Mets are at least a WC contender in my opinion. But you can't lose your best BP arms and most of your starting pitching and win. McLean is ready, Sproat is almost there, Tong needs more time.
Soto simply has to DH. A lot. He’s statistically the worst defensive RF in the league. If Pete’s back (also the worst defender at his position) he needs to DH a lot as well. You simply cannot have the two worst defenders at their positions on the same side of the field at the same time.
Adam, fans want to see Soto, not sitting in the dugout. He is “Box Office”. That said, I’d DH him at times on he road.
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