New York Mets end of September Bench Report

Nearly mid-way into the 2015 season, the New York Mets’ pitchers had a higher batting average than their bench. Think about that…the pitchers were better than the people who are paid to be some of the most clutch players on the roster! It seemed that fans would rather have Jacob deGrom pinch-hit with the bases loaded down by three in the bottom of the ninth than Kirk Nieuwenhuis or John Mayberry Jr. The bench was egregious, and it seemed there was no fixing it. However, the Mets were able to improve their bench as the trade deadline approached, and it is a major reason that they are National League Eastern Division champions.

Instead of having scrappy players on the bench as the season was coming into its most important days, Terry Collins had actual major league talent ready to play. Instead of names such as Nieuwenhuis, Mayberry, Darrell Ceciliani, etc., the Mets bench consisted of Michael Cuddyer, Juan Uribe, Kelly Johnson, Juan Lagares, and Ruben Tejada. These are players that baseball fans actually heard of, and each of them has been considered a key player at point in their careers.

By having a bench made up of players who were actually game-ready every day, the Mets were able to have faith in pinch hitting for a pitcher and putting in a late inning defensive replacement. The Mets did not have a single pinch-hit home run all season until Uribe, and their bench has been pretty reliable since. Players have come up in key roles, and actually contributed to the team in positive ways. Down the stretch, that is exactly what the Mets have needed.

A bench made up of major league talent also forces the Mets’ starting lineup to play better, because they do not want to lose their jobs and/or get platooned. If Michael Conforto struggled, he knew that Cuddyer or Lagares could swoop in and take his job, so he played his heart out in order to keep his job as a rookie. Daniel Murphy was platooned at one point, and eventually won the job back from Wilmer Flores and Johnson. However, if Dilson Herrera was on the bench instead, Murphy would have probably not been platooned, because Murphy gave the Mets the best chance to win.

In the post season, it is vital that the Mets follow the same method when building their bench. The bench needs to be made up of major league talent that can actually make a difference in a game, rather than scrappy ballplayers who will only get a hit once every ten times at bat. The only questionable talent the Mets need to have on their team is Eric Young Jr., because he brings something the Mets have almost none of on the team: speed. With a bench made up of Cuddyer, Johnson, Uribe, Tejada, Lagares, and Young, the Mets will have a much better chance when playing the Dodgers in the NLDS due to favorable matchups against Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke.