One thing that’s gotten lost in the shuffle of last night’s drubbing against the Nationals is how the first inning – and likely the game – could have been different if the Mets had a real first baseman in the field. For years, New York sports fans heard the phrase, “past a diving Jeter.” We can update that, or make a Mets version to say, “past a diving Wilmer Flores.” There were two balls hit to him in the first inning that got by him. If he fielded those, there are no runs scored in the inning and the bullpen parade doesn’t start.

Casey Stengel once said, “I don’t like them fellas who drive in two runs and let in three.” Flores is pretty good when he has a bat in his hand. Unfortunately, he’s not very good with the glove. The Mets keep moving him to less important defensive positions and yet somehow he doesn’t arrive at one where he doesn’t cause pain. And there’s no more rightward move along the defensive spectrum for him to make. The only move left is to DH and they play real baseball in the National League.

It was one thing to play guys ahead of the non-waiver deadline in an effort to boost their trade value. It made sense for the Mets to play Flores and Jose Bautista on an everyday basis, hoping they could flip them for some C+ prospect. But either the market wasn’t there or the Mets overplayed their hand. Regardless of why nothing happened, the end result is that these two are still on the roster. But just because they’re still Mets doesn’t mean the Mets should play them every day the rest of the year.

After 85 games, Flores has a 0.5 fWAR in a season where he has a 108 wRC+ – better than what he did last year and the second-best mark of his career. If you doubled that to approximate a full season, he would be comfortably above replacement value yet equally below average. To me, that’s a fair summation of his baseball ability and it’s past time to pretend that he’s anything more.

If the Mets advance to the playoffs again in the near future, it’s a near certainty they will do it with someone besides Flores playing first base. The team has two of its top prospects as first baseman and they are both playing in Triple-A. Currently, Peter Alonso is playing 1B and Dominic Smith has moved to the outfield. One of those guys should be the starting first baseman in Queens right now.

Alonso is the current darling. He’s followed up a solid 2017 with an even better season this year. It started in Spring Training, when he impressed everyone with his raw power. And he crushed the ball in Double-A, earning a promotion to the top minor league level. He also turned heads with a massive home run in the Futures Game. Alonso struggled in his first exposure to Triple-A but he’s back to hitting with authority. He has 6 XBH in his last 11 games and has a 1.048 OPS in his last 51 PA.

Smith has more experience than Alonso but his results the past 12 months haven’t been as exciting. Former General Manager Sandy Alderson called Smith out publicly and then signed a guy with a fork in his bat so he wouldn’t have to play Smith in the majors. Meanwhile, Smith didn’t pout when the GM jumped him. Instead he got himself in better shape. But he showed up late to a Spring Training game and was rightly held out of action by the new manager. Shortly afterwards he got hurt and he’s seemingly been playing catch up ever since.

Alonso might deserve the position right now more than Smith. But Smith might be better equipped to handle major league pitching. It’s not an easy decision to make.

Most people view Smith’s major league trial last year as a failure. It’s hard to describe exactly what it was but failure doesn’t seem to be the right word. Smith’s debut was fluky all the way around. He hit for much more power than expected and a much worse average. The hits simply didn’t fall in. Prior to his promotion, most felt like hitting wouldn’t be a problem but the worry was that he couldn’t provide the power that a first baseman should.

My preference now would be for Smith to get another shot at consistent playing time as the Mets’ first baseman. If the perception right now is that Smith’s a failure, what happens if Alonso comes up and suffers the same fate? Then you’re left with two of your best prospects falling flat. It’s better to give Smith a shot to redeem his 2017 effort while giving Alonso more time at Triple-A.

If Smith succeeds – great! If he doesn’t, then you’ve got a more experienced Alonso ready for his shot in 2019.

And Flores can get starts the remainder of the year when a tough lefty is on the mound. And he’s a pinch-hitting option for all kinds of pitching late in the game. He still has the chance to come through late in the game, which his supporters claim as a strength. It’s just that we won’t be subjected to his performance the first eight innings this way.

21 comments on “Flores, Smith, Alonso and the 1B position going forward

  • Steevy

    I can’t help but feel Smith has been mishandled.Gonzalez should never hav been signed but even so,once it was clear the Mets were going nowhere Smith should have been handed the job to see what he could do.

    • MattyMets

      Steevy took the words out of my mouth.

  • Michael

    Wilmer might have cost them the game last night??? Yeah, I am 100% certain that Matz would have settled down and pitched a gem. The only thing that prevented a complete game was his high pitch count. And you can blame Wilmer for that too.

    • Brian Joura

      Anyone who reads what I wrote carefully knows that’s not what I said.

      • Michael

        No runs scored in the inning and the bullpen parade doesn’t start? You could have easily made your points about Smith and Alonso without bringing up last night’s game. Flores had the good fortune of getting sick and having little to do with the debacle.

        • Brian Joura

          He didn’t field two balls and if he fields those the other team doesn’t score six runs. You don’t think that’s relevant?

  • TJ

    I think, for better or worse, Jay Bruce needs to be in the mix for 2019 first base. But, like Wilmer, and like Alonso, who had a very poor fielding reputation, the defense at 1b will be a concern. Smith may be the only trustworthy glove of the crew, and he has not impressed in his limited MLB action.

    There are many many variables in the 2019 equation, but they need to find a way to pay more than lip service to what is league bottom defense for the 2nd straight year. Especially if they retain all the starters.

    • Madman

      Center field has been a terrible hole. It took them a long time to realize that,which makes one wonder how clueless they ate. Dendekker couldn’t hit and Austin Jackson is way past his prime. Speaking of defense when are they going to work on Syndergard and Matz holding base runners on. Another case of wondering if these guys know what they’re doing.

  • Madman

    Flores is a good bat/no position guy. Even at first he is a liability and he is arguably one of the slowest runners in baseball. His bat doesn’t make up for his shortcomings. About Smith, gotta think Mets encouraged him to go for the homers and while that was successful it resulted in a much lower batting average. At this point I say the Mets should throw him out there every day. However,I also think they should DFI Reyes! No one listens.

    • Pete In Iowa

      Enough with the Reyes bashing already! Look, the man is hitting .180. That’s not bad for a pitcher. He just needs to work on that 54.00 ERA.

      • Mike Walczak

        That’s funny Pete.

  • Chris F

    Flores is another of the classic Mets square peg round hole players. We can have a half dozen outfielders, none are centerfielders. We have have half a dozen infielders, all sub standard keystone players.

    To be competitive, this team needs to address: C, 1B, 2B, 3B, CF, RP (and maybe SS given how poor Rosario has been thus far). Along the way, the players need to catch and throw much better, and hit much better.

  • Pete In Iowa

    Agree completely with your take Brian.
    Flores must go. Not only can he not play defense, he simply has no baseball instincts which costs him as much as his limited range and Little League arm. Oh, and he can’t run at all either. As a hitter?? Just look at his batting line for the season. And there is no excuse that he isn’t getting playing time this year. Do him and the club a favor and ship him to any AL club which would have him, regardless of the return.
    Without a doubt, Smith — even though I haven’t liked what I’ve seen from him at all — should be the everyday 1B right now.
    Call up Alonso in September and try to get him 50 or so AB’s.

    • Madman

      Flores wouldn’t have brought back much. Isn’t enough of a hitter to be a DH for a good team. Probably worth more to the Mets than anybody else at this time. Sad.

  • Steevy

    How about a manager who thinks a guy with a sub .290 OBA should bat leadoff?

  • Eraff

    Matz: I don’t see a lot of Sparkle in his pitches, and he’s absolutly and plainly failing to advance as an Adult Pitcher. The stuff is so-so. The execution of pitches is poor…so many Grooved pitches. No Move to 1st….totally oblivious to baserunners—no variation in timing on his stretch to release. I’m disgusted with the guy.

    • TJ

      He has disappointed for sure, but health is always an issue with him. I feel Wheeler has separated himself somewhat.

  • Eraff

    Rosario: I’m gonna defend the kid on general principals. I felt that he would struggle along at a 650 or so OPS..maybe advance a bit as the season progressed.

    He hasn’t bailed… that’s huge—but he’s now in a lineup that is fatigue free for pitchers.

    Have special patience for a young, skill position player cutting his teeth on a 90 loss team. This is how you get better.

  • TJ

    Gus is gonna be real bummed out by this thread.

    • Brian Joura

      I certainly don’t speak for Gus but I think he approaches this with his eyes open. He’s advocated for Flores to get consistent playing time and he certainly has since he came off the DL.

      But Gus also takes Flores to task for not working harder when he’s getting time at just one position. I haven’t looked but if memory serves, he can’t have played much more than 2 or 3 games at a position besides 1B since his activation. He should know where he’s playing and only has to prepare for one position. And the results are less than good.

  • Chris F

    After tonight’s game with Atlanta:

    Mets assistant general manager John Ricco said the team will use these final two months to evaluate whether Flores is a viable starting option.

    “Wilmer has been a valuable guy for us. He’s one of our better hitters, he factors in, as to where, we’ll have to see,” Ricco said. “First (base) is probably his best position now.”

    Dont worry, we’re contenders in 2019!!!!!!!

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