The redesigned New York Mets are having a first base problem. When they decided that Pete Alonso was too expensive and not defensively adept enough for their new "run prevention" roster build, they turned to former middle-infielder Jorge Polanco to fill the gap.
This was a gamble because Polanco had a total of one play worth of experience at first base. He also had spent the entire 2025 season as a designated hitter, so his overall fielding skills would be rusty and his knowledge of the first base position was limited. During the spring, he spent the first three weeks on the backfield doing drills and had no competitive repetitions. Then he slowly built up to playing half games in the last two weeks. Once the regular season started, he started a handful of games before being relegated to the bench to nurse a sore achilles. This left a hole at first again.
Since that time, the Mets have fielded a variety of first basemen in their lineups, including Mark Vientos, Brett Baty, and Jared Young. Much like the spring when Polanco was on the backfields, these substitutes were rotated through the position like a revolving door with none seeing enough repetitions to become proficient. Each has shown some capability, but the truth is that none of them, including Polanco, is showing the kind of anticipation and range at the position that makes a first baseman great. Vientos and Young have both made some great scoops of errant throws in the infield, but we all remember that Pete was good at that too. Pete turned in negative DRS and OAA numbers, and these replacements are on the same track.
Anticipation of where the ball is going is a mixture of good baseball IQ and a lot of experience in position. I will not judge any of the candidates for their baseball IQ, but I will say that the Mets need to pick one player that they think is best and stick with him to develop the skill. Range is related to quickness and although it is helped by anticipation, it cannot be taught.
Meanwhile, in the minor leagues, other first base candidates are not showing readiness. Ryan Clifford was touted as a big power bat that would eventually be ready for the position, but he has a huge problem with his K-rate in the minors which would lead to a worse problem against MLB pitching. JT Schwartz showed promise early in his career, but had a horrible offensive year in AA last year. He is probably the best defensive first baseman in the system, but unless he hits there will be no promotion. Chris Suero is an upcoming candidate who can play multiple positions including first, but he needs more seasoning right now. There are no easy call-up options.
Back in the majors, Vientos, Baty, and Young have shown highs and lows with the bat. When Polanco is fully healthy, he has the healthiest bat of the four. When Vientos and Baty are hitting well they are capable of contributing to the offense, but it needs to be consistent for the offense to deliver.
This leads me to the question of the day: Who should the Mets plant at first and leave there?
Brett Baty - currently hitting .231/.222/.327
Mark Vientos - currently hitting .263/.293/.395
Jared Young - currently hitting .350/.391/.450
No one - continue rotating the players through the position
I look forward to your comments.
8 comments:
Rotate. Someone usually shows who is best in class. Or “least worst”.
Let Young play for now. It’s likely his only chance to prove himself & I’m reading that Soto isn’t running yet so he is likely out for longer than initially expected.
Let’s see if young put additional pressure on vientos.
Baty will play enough - RF on the short term.
After Mark Vientos had his encouraging 10 for 21 start, in his last six games he is oh for 20. Good grief! Really. Good grief!
To follow up on my previous comment, think of the NBA, where you are an eighth or ninth player, and you’re doing fairly well. Now all of a sudden there are some injuries and you’re pressed into a starting role. Do you fold like a tent or do you step up? Mark is a tent that is folded up.
I am on a roll here. The “lowly” Miami Marlins have four guys hitting over 300, and another five guys hitting 250 or better. And then you look at the dreck in Queens. Simply stunning. What is the difference? I think it’s the pressure, the pressure of franchise failure over and over and over again, and the players feel it from Lindor right down to Vientos and.Benge.
It might be the pressure & I get these guys are human & playing a really hard game. That said, collectively, they are paid $350M so there is a much shorter tolerance for not handling pressure. You sign the big contract, get the big money & fold under pressure - it’s all on the player. Find your spine Mets players. Dig deep. Figure it out. Be the winner you can & should be. Look in the mirror.
Sometimes is not just the best talent but rather a group of players that come together not because they are the best players but because they found a way to come together and outplay their expectations. To me, the 2024 team was that team. They rooted for each other, always played hard and had a great chemistry. High energy players like Jose Iglesias and Brandon Nimmo kept the them going. Then the resident G E N I U S GM decided that he was going to not add to this group but improve it. The 2025 Mets team was barely above 500.
For 2026, our GM again decided that he needed to improve the defense by bring in Semien for 2B. Is Semien better defensibly than McNeil? sure, but McNeil could play all over the field and play it well while hitting at a respectable level. Then the Bichette thing happened. If upgrading the IF defense was the idea, how is an overpaid Bichette the answer for 3B?. In what planet was Semien better than Nimmo?. What good is it to have a potential Ferrari in Robert Jr. if it is in the garage most of the time?.
Stearns is a good GM for team with low resources because that's where he shines by constructing a team with smart draft picks and trades. Here, instead of fixing the pen once and for all with an abundance of top quality arms available, he went cheap and the team is again paying for it.
I could go on but its early in the morning and my other love, Formula 1, is also going down hill fast so back to fixing my old house for entertainment.
Many times over the years, when the Mets have dug deep, all they areleft with us a deep hole.
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