Spring Training is the one time of year when it is socially acceptable to root against the Mets, for certain players to have an edge on jobs. At this point in the young season, most of the main questions have been answered- some not to the liking of the fans. The shortstop situation has resolved itself with the demotion of Wilmer Flores. Eric Young Jr.’s struggles at the plate coupled with Juan Lagares making a series of incredible plays have pretty much wrapped up the outfield configuration, and, while unfortunate, the 5th spot is most likely going to be handed to Daisuke Matsuzaka after his first successful outing on Monday (that is a topic for another day). The only problem that has not been resolved is the lack of a decision towards 1B. It seemed that the First Base situation was going to be an all-out battle between Ike Davis and Lucas Duda. This obviously never happened with simultaneous injuries to the duo and a month later the position battle is finally starting to heat up. Through this, the series of players that have replaced Davis/Duda have made a long-lasting impression that should put a feeling of warmth into the hearts of Mets fans.
I have never been a big fan of either Duda or Davis, but I tolerated the duo because of the possibility of 60 homers between them — this never happened. Now it becomes a problem that the best production the Mets can give is a .230 hitter with 15 homeruns. I am all for giving one of the two a final chance in order to fill out a platoon and my personal preference between the two would be irrelevant however it would seem (using career splits) the two are shockingly similar versus right-handed pitching. Duda has a .255/.356/.456 slash line while Davis has a .256/.356/.471 slash line. The only major difference is the slugging percentage. That being said the biggest difference an analyst could spot is that Duda has a considerably higher OPS on the road. My overall verdict would be Duda due to the lack of home wins in the recent years.
Behind Davis and Duda lies a hidden talent: Allan Dykstra. With 102 walks and 21 homeruns, a ponderous fan would have thought Sandy Alderson and Co. should have let Dykstra start for five months, but we know this has not been the case. Heading into his age-27 season, it becomes less and less likely that Dykstra can make a lasting impression in the big leagues. If both Davis and Duda fail to become at least average producers in the majors, Dykstra should be considered for a call-up.
In what seems to be a likely platoon between Davis/Duda and righty Josh Satin, it would be beneficial for the Mets to keep Satin as their man. With an .880 OPS against left-handed pitching it would follow as logical for the Mets to fill out the platoon with Satin. This man has become a fan favorite for not only his great offensive and defensive abilities, but his great eyebrows and fun catch phrase, “Hail Satin.”
If Satin cannot hold his own next season against right-handed pitching, there are an influx of right-handed players in AA or higher to take his place. Most of these players made a very intriguing case during Spring Training. Some of these players include Eric Campbell, Zach Lutz, and most importantly Wilmer Flores. The first two are heading into the prime of their career at 27-28 while Flores is still 22 and didn’t really play much 1B. Lutz and Campbell are actually very versatile – similar to Satin- with the ability to play first and third and Campbell can play a little bit of a corner outfield spot. Campbell hit extremely well against both righties and lefties but this could have happened because of Las Vegas; in 2012 (while in AA Binghamton) he hit notably better against lefties compared to righties. Lutz is sort of an anomaly because he hit significantly better against righties than lefties. In light of this, Satin should start the season on the MLB roster after proving himself last year, however, Campbell and Lutz should be considered for replacing him if he turns out to fail.
Besides considering the main suspects of First Base options, there is still a wealth of depth in the minors and majors that could fill the position for some time. These sleeper candidates could include Daniel Murphy, Andrew Brown, and even Dustin Lawley. Murphy should be considered for the job only if there are an unfortunate series of injuries. Brown was actually a First Baseman/Outfielder for a very long time until he was transferred to the outfield. His bat has already carried him to the majors this year and after some big hits last season, he could be given a chance at First Base. Finally, Lawley would come as a surprise because he has not played a single inning at the position in his professional career, but that being said, he hit 26 homers in the minors and his bat must come to the majors.
Almost every Mets fan knows that Dominic Smith is the future of First Base in Queens, with a small possibility of Jayce Boyd, so the Mets need to fill out the position for a couple years. There is a strong possibility that a strong platoon could occur and with all the above-average players it will be beneficial.
I’m looking for Sandy to thin the herd at first base. Campbell had the best spring.
Yes, the Mets have options. I personally feel that Davis will get most of the job — with him being spelled against the better lefthanders, that sort of partial platoon — and that he will respond with a solid season, a plus at the position if not an all star. We shall see.
The problem with having too many options, of course, is that a season can slip away while the team fiddles with this player or that. If the Mets fall back on their farm players, I hope they give whoever they choose time to settle in.
You mentioned Eric Young, Jr.’s struggles at the plate. He’s been doing great this spring from what I can tell. Granted a .256 average is not ideal for a potential leadoff guy, but that .347 OBP is impressing the heck out of me. Lagares is still my choice for the job, but to say Young is struggling is a bit of a reach. Good job highlighted the options at 1B.
When I wrote this article, he was batting around .230 with an OBP of around .320. He has gotten better since I wrote this.
I’d ask that Mets fans challenge the common assumption:
that a platoon between Satin and Dudavis works.
The argument for someone like Kendrys Morales still works – use one roster spot for an important position.
Get six or seven players that go 150 games, and develop a bench from there. You have a brittle (not very capable) SS, a 1B platoon that might blow up on you, a C that can’t seem to squat 100 games.
I’m sorry. That’s unacceptable to have 60% of your infield defense potentially changing every single day.