Which Mets bench player is a Least Valuable Player nominee?

As we finish our look at the worst players of the 2014 New York Mets roster, we arrive at the bench. It’s an unsung hero type of position. Players that ride the pine have to share playing time and wait for their chance to make a big play in order to earn more playing time.

The New York Mets have had about 15 players that have played in what could be considered bench roles. Among those are some very bad numbers in some very limited opportunities. While number of plate appearances has to be factored in, it doesn’t excuse all of these players.

Three in particular stand out as the worst of the worst and for various reasons. They are Bobby Abreu, Andrew Brown and Josh Satin.

First is Bobby Abreu. The Mets signed him as a free agent last offseason in the hopes that he would catch fire with his swing and relive some of his glory days. While he showed flashes of the player that became a household name in the 2000s, he never really panned out in Queens.

The career .291 hitter batted .248 with the Mets while hitting one home run and driving in 14 RBI in 133 at bats.He posted a .342 OBP, second worst in his entire career. The veteran drew 20 walks but struck out 21 times in an uncharacteristic ratio.

He was released in early August due to his poor offensive showing, but rejoined the team just a few days later after no one signed him. He chose 2014 as his last and quietly rode off into the sunset at the close of the season.

Next is Andrew Brown. The question is often asked by fans concerning him “what can Brown do for you?” and the answer is actually “make an out”. He did that frequently in his chances this past season. To the tune of a .182 AVG with 15 strikeouts in 44 at bats. In other words, 1/3 of his chances ended in a strikeout.

When he did make contact, he belted two home runs and drove in seven RBI. However, he posted a .245 OBP and only drew three walks. He’s been in the league for four seasons and that .182 AVG is his lowest during his career. He’s done it twice, this season and his rookie season of 2011.

Finally, we come to Josh Satin. Expectations were high on him when he first came up a few years ago. Now he’s been relegated to a September call-up for the last few seasons, never really taking full advantage of his late season chances.

During his 2014 stint, Satin looked lost. He batted .086 in 35 at bats and struck out 14 times. That’s nearly half of the time. His .256 OBP combined with his .143 SLUG % made him a dreadful player overall. While two of his three total hits were doubles, he only reached base 11 times in 43 plate appearances. That’s roughly 25% of the time. There’s not much to hope for in 2015 with numbers like that.

In the end, all three were terrible in their given roles and opportunities. While all three made the minimum salary, they also gave minimum production. To choose one as the worst is certainly a difficult task.

Abreu was supposed to be the veteran presence to compete for an outfield spot. He failed miserably. His failure opened the door for Juan Lagares, so that can’t be too bad for the team. The team knew they were taking a chance on him and with it not paying off, there was no real loss.

Brown was supposed to be a solid glove and consistent bat off the bench. He really only provided the glove. His bat took him from the bench to the minors in a hurry. He hasn’t exactly been given the best chances, but in two seasons in Queens, he’s had enough time to make an impression. That impression: unreliable and replaceable.

Satin was supposed to provide some flexibility in the field and some consistency at the plate. He did neither. He, like Brown, ended up in the minors before too long. His window may be closing much sooner than Brown, as he’s had more opportunity and been in the system longer.

With his inability to make the proper adjustment to the Major League level consistently, the team may be running out of patience with him sooner. This makes his opportunity in 2014 that much more important and his failure in 2014 that much greater.

With that said, Josh Satin is the Least Valuable bench player nominee for the 2014 New York Mets. That brings us to the home stretch next week, where the nominees will be reviewed and an ultimate worst will be chosen.