With Spring Training just beginning, there have been numerous balls flying out of the yard, and batters running around the bases. In yesterday’s game against the Houston Astros, newly acquired Neil Walker hit a home run coming from the left side of the plate, and last week, Dilson Herrera hit an inside-the-park home run against the Miami Marlins. With Herrera getting some time during Spring Training, it will bring up the question of how much time will he receive playing second base in the majors this season?
Walker has been solid in his career against right-handed pitchers, but has struggled versing southpaws. This may open the door for Herrera, however Wilmer Flores is on the bench, and will most likely get a couple of at-bats during the season against lefties. So it seems that it is unlikely that Herrera will get many big league at-bats, but there is a reason why it would be smart for the team to give him some experience.
Last season, we saw a highly-talented prospect in Michael Conforto come up when the team was struggling to provide offense. The Mets hid him away from left-handed pitching, because they wanted to play to his strengths, plus they had Michael Cuddyer playing left, and then Yoenis Cespedes. Even though Conforto played mostly against right-handed pitching, the experience he got will prepare him for this season. He is expected to play against lefties, and he should be ready to produce at a high level this season.
As for Herrera, he has gotten a couple of glimpses in the majors, but he has not stuck for the long-term. This could be because the organization wants him to continue to play and develop, therefore leaving him on the bench at the major leagues would hurt his growth. This season is different for Herrera and the Mets. Daniel Murphy held down second base since the 2012 season, so there has been no need to give Herrera playing time, unless if Murphy was injured. Similar to last year, the Mets have a second baseman who will not be a part of the long-term plan, as Walker is set to become a free agent following this season. If the Mets are sold on Flores starting at second for years to come, then Herrera could get plenty of time Triple-A Las Vegas, but that does not seem likely. Herrera is the second baseman on the future, and should get plenty of at-bats down the stretch in order to prepare him for 2017, and the years to come after that.
Ever since becoming a Met, Herrera has been touted as a highly rated prospect, as MLB rated him the eighth-best second base prospect in 2014. His speed and defense up the middle has not been seen since Luis Castillo played on the team, but that was after Castillo’s prime. Herrera is going to be the Mets second baseman of the future, and they should follow the process that prepared Conforto to be a key contributor this season, as Herrera is going to be playing second for quite some time.
I can give you 10 million reasons he wont get much time at second.
Now that I’m thinking about it, Herrera’s career is starting to remind me of Fernando Martinez…
Random fact: F Mart is younger than deGrom
I’ll take the over on that.
If, and it is a big if, that Herrera forces his way onto the major league roster because of a sensational spring, then he would be the platoon with Walker. That is around 25% of the time along with some extra starts if Walker spelled Wright at third. Conforto is a LHB who was starting 75% of the time which was enough at bats not to impede is development. Hererra would not be getting enough at bats and it would impede his development. I would be extremely surprised to see Herrera break camp .
I count myself as one of the bigger Herrera fans out there but there’s no sense in carrying both he and Flores as backup infielders unless you go with an 11-man pitching staff. The other backup to go with Flores needs to give some defensive difference, preferably a guy to play at the corners.
Aside from injuries, there’s one other possibility that could open up for Herrera. What if, come July, Dilson’s hitting .350 in Vegas and playing solid defense? In the last year of his contract, Walker would not be a hard guy to trade to a contender. Provided Wright and Cabrera are healthy, you’d still have Flores and maybe Tejada (barring a significant injury I see him getting traded) as insurance.
Great point Matt. If Herrera produces at a high level, and Walker is playing decent, the Mets may want to make room for Herrera by trading Walker. If the Mets are out of contention (which as of now, there does not seem to be a reason to suspect that), they could give Herrera more seasoning for the 2017 season.