Kelly Johnson did not start last night for the Mets. That’s not a big surprise, as Johnson had started the three previous games and you can count on the fingers of one hand the times he’s done that since being acquired by the Mets and still have fingers left over. This despite the fact that the Mets have had numerous injuries and Johnson can play both the infield and outfield. And the fact that Johnson has been extremely productive when he gets to the plate.
After performing well for the Mets down the stretch in 2015, the club seemingly did not make much of an effort to bring him back this year. Johnson ended up re-signing with Atlanta, the third time in his career he joined that organization. Johnson’s family lives there and it seemed to be a good decision all the way around.
But the Braves were awful and Johnson was not much better, as he had .215/.273/.289 line in 132 PA before being reacquired by the Mets. The two clubs pulled the trigger on the Johnson swap before the June 15th deadline for trading free agents, meaning that Johnson could have stalled the deal. But he gave permission for the transaction. Some thought Johnson didn’t really want to be in New York but that shot a hole into that theory.
Johnson went 2-for-4 with a double and a walk in his first game with the Mets, setting the tone for an extended stretch of good play. In 63 games and 160 PA, he has a .278/.344/.486 line. Among the 17 players with at least 100 PA for the Mets in 2016, Johnson’s .830 OPS is the second-best on the club, behind only Yoenis Cespedes’ .929 mark. Meanwhile, Jay Bruce’s .597 OPS is the second-worst, ahead of only Kevin Plawecki.
Since joining the Mets, Johnson has played 2B, 3B, SS and LF. It’s at least a little bit interesting that the two places that Johnson has experience playing but has yet to play for the 2016 Mets are 1B and RF, perhaps the two spots in the lineup where the Mets have struggled the most since he’s been acquired. It didn’t make much sense for the club to use him at 1B early, with James Loney off to a hot start. But if you had to see someone at first now, you’d certainly rather see Johnson.
Right field is a little trickier. The Mets gave up a lot to get Bruce, who was leading the league in RBIs when he was acquired. Bruce should have a longer rope but how much can you give him when you’re fighting for a playoff spot? Bruce played in the first 21 games after he was acquired, making 20 starts. But he hit just .169 in that stretch.
Bruce sat in two of the next three games. Since then, in his last six games, Bruce is hitting .350 with a .931 OPS in 21 PA. Yes, it’s a tiny sample. But he didn’t hit over .250 in any other six game stretch since being acquired by the Mets. So, after getting some time on the pine, Bruce has responded in a good way.
Perhaps Johnson is being utilized in the best way possible. He’s not being asked to start 20 times in 21 games and the results have been terrific. Actually, he’s come off the bench in 33 of his 63 appearances with the Mets.
So, what is it about Johnson that allows Terry Collins to use him in this fashion, when he doesn’t do it with any other player, with the possible exception of Wilmer Flores? And the results with Flores have been good, too. It would be nice to see Collins take this approach with his outfield, where both Bruce and Curtis Granderson should see some time off and Michael Conforto should get some consistent ABs.
There are 29 games left in the regular season. Hopefully Johnson gets 16-18 or so starts the remainder of the year. These should be split among 1B, 2B and 3B, as Collins doesn’t need to drive Jose Reyes into the ground, either.
And there are 58 starts between CF and LF to divvy up among Bruce, Conforto and Granderson. Not one of them should reach 25 starts. Despite his mini hot streak, Bruce didn’t start last night and the Mets emerged with a 3-1 win, aided by a big hit from Granderson and a strong defensive play by Conforto.
Among other things, the fate of the 2016 season will rest with how Collins utilizes his roster down the stretch. He’s shown with Johnson that he can successfully do this with one player. But can he do it with eight or 10 guys, depending on how you view the catching situation? Hopefully the results with Johnson – and to a lesser extent here lately with Bruce – will lead to an answer in the affirmative.
Grandy on the bench provides a good opportunity for ph and double switches…. He can bat and then play cf. I’d hope for more starts for Conforto and Bruce.
De’Aza is again odd out…. Which is fine… Too bad one of the lefties can’t be trusted with a 1b glove. It’s a large negative replication to have 4 lh of bats who play only of
I like De Aza but it’s hard to recommend any starts for him the rest of the way. I don’t see why you’d force feed one of the OFers at 1B now when Johnson already has experience and rosters have expanded.
Granderson’s drawing walks and hitting for power the last 15 games. Not sure now is the time to make him a full-blown reserve.
Kelly Johnson should be getting more playing time especially with the injury to Walker. Against LHP he should be getting starts over Loney and vs RHP he should be getting starts over Flores. Mix in a rest day to Reyes and rest for the injured Cabrera and there are enough at bats available.
Johnson as a versatile veteran and should be asked back in 2017. He can be signed after the rule 5 draft in December so that the Mets maintain a roster place for a prospect. He signed last year for $2m on January 8,2016 so this should not be a problem.
Regarding the outfield: Conforto > Granderson > Bruce with the majority going to Conforto. DeAza gets the short straw.
KJ is a pro and I hope the Mets keep him for next year as well. He has seen probably 90% of the pitchers he faces from all his time all over the league and is not fooled easily. When he plays, he plays well, and does not hurt at any position. Bat is clutch.
This has been a jigsaw puzzle team this year with the injuries, and the whole L/R switch matchups thing over and over again.. I recall in the old days, the manager would put out his best 8 position players and let them play, not many platoons.
The Mets would have had so many interchangeable parts without the injuries. Still, with the injuries have managed to survive right into September. TC gets no credit, but if this team makes the WC and actually wins that game to go further, TC needs to get Manager of the year votes, for sure. After that, time to get all the stud pitchers healthy and get ready for 2017. Oh, and of course sign the ‘Lion King’…!!