Where does Luis Guillorme fit into the Mets infield puzzle?

Sorting out the 2021 Met infield is somewhat like assembling a puzzle. There is an array of pieces, and where they are going to fit is yet to be determined. First base is up for grabs, with Pete Alonso and Dominic Smith duking it out for playing time. The Robinson Cano piece fell off the table, due his suspension for using banned substances. Now Jeff McNeil could slide into second base full time… maybe. At shortstop there is Amed Rosario trying to fend off Andres Gimenez, and third base is uncertain. J.D. Davis, or perhaps a trade target/free agent could end up playing there. Then we have the interesting puzzle piece of Luis Guillorme, who could fit in at 2B, 3B, or short, although perhaps not as a starter at any of those spots.

Guillorme first came to prominence in Spring Training of 2017, when he snatched an errant bat in mid air as it rocketed into the Mets dugout, saving a player or two from a collision with said bat. That incident is in the past, since then the 10th round draft choice has shown he is a major leaguer.

Guillorme has always been known as a defensive force. He has decent range, a good infield arm and off the charts quickness in his hands. He’s made more than his share of highlight level dazzling defensive plays in his years in the minors and with the Mets.

As to batting, Guillorme made big strides last year, although his stats are likely unsustainable. In limited play in the shortened season, he slashed .333/.426/.439 in 68 PA. Guillorme was frequently overmatched by MLB pitching prior to last year, which resulted in his altering of his swing for 2020.

That alteration resulted in a more level swing, which made sense since his build is not the type to produce big power. He has but one homerun in his MLB career. The combination of those incredibly quick hands and the more level swing made for his pretty good offensive numbers. FanGraphs shows 39% of his batted balls in play were hard contact, with soft contact less than 10% of the time in 2020,a pretty good ratio. Some of those hard contact line drives were hit into the gaps, which resulted in Guillorme smacking six doubles in just the 68 AB, making for a pretty good percentage.

Guillorme tends to make the opposing pitchers work, he is a pesky hitter. He is capable of fouling off good pitches to extend the count, and he has a good eye at the plate. All through his career this approach has earned him more than his share of bases on balls, his 2020 OBP was an impressive .426. His batted ball zones look the opposite of a pull hitter, the lefty batter hits 46.3% of his balls in play to the opposite field, with 31.7 to center, and 22% to right field.

So where should Guillorme fit in the Mets 2020 infield plans? An obvious answer would be as a utility infielder, capable of giving good defense at three important positions, second, short and third, and respectable hitting as well. A player who can play three key defensive positions well, like Guillorme can, will always be valuable to a team, especially a contender as the Mets aspire to be. But if he can keep those line drives coming when he bats, he should not be ruled out as a candidate for a starting spot in the infield.

Guillorme will turn 27 years of age during the 2021 season, that is typically when a player is right in his prime.

Davis got a lot of reps at third the past two years. He certainly has good power at the plate, but he is shaky defensively at the hot corner. If he does start at third, Guillorme will get opportunities as a defensive replacement late in the game. If Guillorme keeps spraying out those line drive hits at the same rate as he did this year, it is at least a possibility that he could become the starting third sacker.

If that were to be the case, a Met fan could salivate at the prospect of an infield of Smith/Alonso at first, McNeil at second, Ginenez at shortstop and Guillorme at third. That would be the best defensive infield alignment the Mets have had since the late 90s, when their all-world infield was John Olerud at 1B, Edgardo Alfonzo at 2B Rey Ordonez at short, and Robin Ventura patrolling at third base.