There has been a change in the outfield of the New York Mets recently. His name is Darrell Ceciliani. When he was called up in May, many fans either had forgotten about him entirely or never even heard of him. That has since changed. He was supposed to simply take on the role of lefty bat off of the bench that Kirk Nieuwenhuis failed to take on this season.
He didn’t start out too well, though, going 2-16 in the month of May. As the
weather heated up, however, so did he. He’s been feeling more relaxed, and it
shows. In June, he’s gone 10-25 with a home run, three stolen bases, three RBI
and four runs scored, prior to Wednesday night’s game in Toronto. He’s made it
extremely difficult for manager Terry Collins to keep him out of the lineup.
In fact, he’s been used almost everyday this month, and more recently, he’s
started four of the last five games in two different outfield positions. He’s
responded with solid play as a result. His addition is a very important one for
a few reasons: it adds an energy that seemed to be lacking, it strengthens the
outfield and it balances out the lineup.
First of all, saying that the Mets clubhouse had been lacking energy in the past
few weeks would be an understatement. Whether it be fatigue from a long stretch
or injuries catching up to them, the Mets didn’t have that same skip in their
step as they did earlier this season.
Now as we approach the middle of the season, it becomes imperative for this team
to have some fresh blood infusing itself into that clubhouse to combat the
draining feeling of a long season thus far. Ceciliani offers that.
He plays the game with sheer, reckless abandonment and heart. He offers a
grittiness that this team was lacking. He always gets him uniform dirty. In
addition, he plays smart baseball, for the most part. Even as a rookie, his
mistakes are learning experiences that he will not duplicate.
For example, a few days ago, he was doubled off of second base because he took
too big of a lead and couldn’t get back in time after a line drive was hit to
the short stop. He has, since, taken shorter leads.
He knows how to adjust to the game. He backs up plays when teammates fail to do
so. He always hustles and is often rewarded for his efforts. He’s a smart player
that knows how to rely on his instincts to adapt during the game.
Next, his defense has been a welcomed addition to an already strong outfield.
Curtis Granderson is not as fast as he used to be and Michael Cuddyer does not
track down deeper fly balls as well as Ceciliani. While Juan Lagares is not the
same as he’s been in years passed, he’s still Juan Lagares and Ceciliani’s speed
lined up next to him makes two-thirds of the outfield nearly unhittable.
This allows for the defense to be able to successfully administer proper
defensive alignments versus specific batters, particularly in the later innings.
For example, they can use Granderson to hug the right field line for a
dead-pull, lefty hitter and rely on the speed of the others to cover the exposed
outfield. That’s especially advantageous in a division that is stacked with
solid lefty bats. This is something they haven’t been capable of doing too
often.
Finally, Ceciliani helps to balance out the lineup. He is a lefty that can hit
for contact. This offers another bat for hit-and-run scenarios or alternating
righty/lefty bats in the lineup. His speed helps him stretch singles into
doubles or go first-to-third and set up a RISP opportunity that normally
wouldn’t have existed. This adds scoring chances and helps give run support to a
strong pitching staff that desperately needs it.
A contact hitter is a necessity in any part of the lineup. Whether he is used
near the top to help set the table for the heart of the order, in the middle of
the order to continue the offense along or at the bottom of the lineup to offer
a valid bat the pitcher can bunt over, it’s an important asset.
In closing, Darrell Ceciliani offers more than youth and speed. He is everything
that Terry Collins wanted from Kirk Nuewenheis. If he continues to improve at
the MLB level, particularly against left-handed pitching (.200 AVG) he may not
only be a mainstay for years to come, he could make other prospects that the
organization had high expectations for (Nimmo, Conforto, etc) become expendable.
Even this season, should he continue his pace, it’s not out of the realm of
possibility that, with enough at bats, he could be in the Rookie of the Year
discussion by the end of the summer. That would give the Mets two in a row
after, rookie pitcher, Jacob deGrom‘s masterpiece last season. The last time
that happened was Darryl Strawberry and Dwight Gooden, an outfielder and a
pitcher..
While Ceciliani will never be a Darryl Strawberry type, he could become a Lenny
Dykstra type. The last time the Mets had that, we all know what happened.
You’ve been hitting the indica twould appear…lofty dreams bro
Wow, a Lenny Dykstra comparison.
Did not see that coming.
I remember reading about Lenny when he was 20 years old down in Lynchburgh, I think it was. High-A ball.
He stole 105 bases, walked 107 times, K’d only 35, and put up a slash of .358/.472/.503.
My hope is that Darrel can make someone I know finally learn to let go of Matt den Dekker.
Darrel has 12 hits in 44 ABs.
You might be jumping the gun on “a major key this season.”
I’d be happy hoping he’s a decent 4th OF.
all due respect Frank, I mean really:
“Even this season, should he continue his pace, it’s not out of the realm ofpossibility that, with enough at bats, he could be in the Rookie of the Year discussion by the end of the summer.”
That’s delusional. Its so far from possibility that it couldn’t even be measured. Syndergaard had 100x the possibility, and he’s not even on radar presently. Have you seen what Peterson (Dodgers) and Bryant (Cubs) are doing as full time rookies?
Are you his press agent? It is too soon to jump on the ROY bandwagon let alone anointing him even the 4th OF position. I like what he has brought to the table so far but his minor league stats don’t justify such lofty expectations. It would be wise to bring in a veteran 4th OF for the pennant drive as insurance for the two veteran corner outfielders.
. . . or let Conforto help the team he’s already on.
We have serious outfielders making their way up the system- Conforto probably next year, Nimmo 2017. They will push out Granderson and Cuddyer. Good outfield over the next 5 years. Or, Nimmo becomes part of a trade, packaged with Niese and Reynolds for a serious mid-career outfielder.
Conforto, Lagares, and Ceciliani as the starting OF in 2017? Probably not, with Ceciliani falling into the role of 4th OFer. And Granderson’s last year is 2017.
Wow! this guy might be a better prospect than Nimmo and Conforto? Wow, where do the Mets find all this talent?
OK, not to play grammar/usage police, but the phrase you’re looking for in this piece is “reckless abandon,” with “abandon” being a noun meaning “uninhibited enthusiasm.”
“Reckless abandonment” would be the process of abandoning someone/something without giving any thought to the act. I guess. But it’s really not a thing…
Like leaving a pet, or Kirk “Nuewenheis,” in a locked car in the summer!!!!!
I hate to be be the bearer of bad news but Nimmo is a bust. The majors does not suddenly make you a superstar. If he put up the same production now as in the majors he is forth outfielder at best. He still strikes out a ton, doesn’t hit home runs and hits for low average. It’s been 5 years and the “he never played HS ball” excuse is over. I was high on him for a long time but he just isn;t going to be what we want.
I don’t think we really know the answer to this question yet.
Name me one star player who spent 5-6 years in minors.
Edgar Martinez
I never realized that, and looking at the numbers he wasn;t very good. Hopefully I am 100% wrong then.
The confusing thing here, Robby, is that you carve out a pretty broad territory between labeling Nimmo “a bust” to the idea that he “just isn’t going to be what we want.”
Even more confusing for me is that you used to be high on him for a long time, whereas to me I’ve been pleasantly surprised by his steady progress. I’m actually higher on him now than I was three years ago. He played well last year, he’s added muscle, and he was doing well this season before the knee injury threw him off track.
My hope is that he’ll be a good corner outfielder with a decent OBP and just enough pop where you don’t worry about it too much. I worry that maybe he can’t hit LHP at all, but often that’s a skill that comes late. If superstar was your expectation, he likely won’t get there. But I think it’s possible, even likely, for him to become a good MLB player. Teams need those types, too.
He might even be seen as a triumph of the system. But like I said before, we won’t know that for a couple of years.
Ceciliani is now down to .232/.306/.321 and falling fast and is showing no hints of being a major leaguer. This is why you don’t overreact to a few good games.
From “possible RoY” to DFA in 7 months….that’s quite a fall…