Travis d’Arnaud and the Mets’ offense are at the crossroads

Travis d’Arnaud is at a crossroads in his career. Is he the reliable offensive threat like he was in 2015 when he posted an .825 OPS with 12 home runs in a half season of playing time? Or is he the 2016 version of a .645 OPS player that is mired in the eighth spot in the batting order? d’Arnaud appears to be warming up in July with an .872 OPS and two home runs. If the Mets are to fight off the other four playoff teams, the Dodgers, Marlins, Cardinals and Pirates, they will need a productive d’Arnaud.

The Mets infield offense is a compilation of slightly above average offensive players that also have some pop in their bats. James Loney, Neil Walker and Asdrubal Cabrera are all near league average in OPS and Jose Reyes has gotten off to a very good start. Wilmer Flores is finally hitting with a .764 OPS and deserves maximum utility playing time. This can easily be achieved by platooning with Loney at first base and once a week subbing for Walker, Cabrera and Reyes. The Met infield would stay well rested through the dog days of August with this rotation.

The outfield offense is centered around their superstar player, Yoenis Cespedes and reliable Curtis Granderson. Cespedes has to remain healthy and keep producing like he has been since becoming a Met. Granderson has to keep on chugging along and producing an .800 OPS but it would be beneficial if Alderson could secure a right handed veteran outfield bat to occasionally rest Granderson’s 35-year-old body.

The other outfield spot is the hole in the offense. These players should be the 8th batters in the order and not d’Arnaud. Brandon Nimmo/ Juan Lagares are the primary platoon with both having sub OPS averages. Lagares has the most potential to improve as he is a .742 career OPS versus left handed pitching. This year he is a very substandard .679 OPS against lefties, which could be the effect of the thumb injury. Nimmo brings energy but his shine has worn off and he should be sent back down for more development. Alejandro De Aza is hanging on by a thread but if the Mets obtain the right handed hitting outfielder then maybe Nimmo goes to AAA and the Mets incorporate a center field platoon of de Aza and Lagares. This would at least eliminate Cespedes taxing his injury in the larger center field. The platoon does not solve the hole in the batting order. That can be addressed if Michael Conforto is promoted and produces and platooned with the newly acquired right handed hitting outfielder. If Conforto is not up to the task then slide the veteran left hand hitting Kelly Johnson and his career .752 OPS into the lineup.

There are two holes in the lineup, left field and catcher. The Mets are built on their pitching and that pitching combined with an average offense should keep them in the playoff hunt. Left field can be solved with a little ingenuity. Catcher will be much harder to solve without disrupting the major and minor league rosters. A solid “2015 like” second half by d’Arnaud would assure that the Mets are on the right road to the playoffs. d’Arnaud is at a career crossroads and how he responds will define his future and the 2016 Met season.