Johneshwy Fargas might be the Mets center fielder of the future

Center field has been an unsettled position for the Mets in recent years, dating back to when Carlos Beltran was patrolling the outfield pastures and terrorizing opposing pitchers. This year the Mets have really had to dig deep down on their center field depth chart. This was due to the nearly unprecedented injury wave that struck the Mets this spring, and hit the center field position particularly hard. By my count, seven different players have manned CF for the Mets in the space of a month.

To briefly recap, incumbent CF Brandon Nimmo suffered an injured finger via HBP on May 3, and he is still on the IL. Albert Almora Jr., perhaps the best defensive outfielder on the team, smashed into the wall trying to run down a line shot on May 11 and he too has been out of action since then. Kevin Pillar, who took over for Nimmo, was having an excellent May until he was hit by a fastball to the face, breaking numerous bones in his nose on May 17. Next man up was Johneshwy Fargas, he of that first name that must be a handful for autocorrect. Fargas was doing well both defensively and offensively until he charged into the center field wall on May 24, resulting in shoulder injury that has sidelined him ever since.

We had to then endure Cameron Maybin playing CF for a week or so, and he managed to produce one hit that barely trickled down to third base. Kevin Pillar then made a near miraculous return before May was out. Billy McKinney, more of a corner outfielder, and Mason Williams have also played some center field in this stretch.

Sometimes a player who gets a chance due to injury will blossom and become a starter. Is there anyone in the parade of center fielders the Mets have trotted out over the past few weeks who has the potential to be a starting center fielder for the Mets for a few years? We do know that Nimmo is a productive hitter. We also know he is somewhat injury prone and that he is more suited to a corner outfield slot. We must acknowledge that right fielder Michael Conforto could be gone via the free-agency route next year, potentially opening an outfield spot other than center for Nimmo.

The incredibly tough Pillar has had some key hits this year, and he was an excellent fielder a few years ago when he was in the discussion for a Gold Glove. However, he is 32, an age where defense is in decline, and his overall offensive stats this year are underwhelming, his slash line is just .248/.283/.356. That being said, Pillar could, and maybe should, be signed as a backup outfielder for another year or two.

The real gem amongst the platoon of center fielders just might be Fargas. He only played seven games before his injury, but in that short time frame he managed to accumulate a DRS figure of two, while playing errorless ball. At the plate he showed some power, smacking 3 doubles and a triple in his just 22 PA. His line is .286/.286/.524. The speedy outfielder is only 26. If he plays at all like he did in his injury-shortened audition, he will be a good ball-hawk type of defensive outfielder with some extra base power and basepath skills.

Those batting stats are for a very small sample, and Fargas has not shown that kind of power in his minor league seasons. He has demonstrated premium speed. In 2015 in A-ball he swiped 59 bags. For the Syracuse Mets this season before he got called up, he was 8-for-8 in stolen bases.

Although Fargas has only played seven big league games this year due to his collision with the wall, he has been right in the middle of some important action. In the May 17 game against the Braves, Fargas took over mid game for the injured Pillar and he delivered a key RBI producing double as the Mets won 3-1. In the May 21 6-5 win over the Marlins, Fargas smacked a base hit as part of the 12th inning rally that led to the victory.

Nimmo is an offensive force when healthy, but the consensus is he is better as a corner outfielder. In the past the Mets have shown interest in acquiring a natural center fielder. Just this past season the names of George Springer and Jackie Bradley Jr. popped up. Springer has only played four games this year due to injury. Bradley has seen a lot of action for Milwaukee but his OPS is an anemic .504, so it is just as well that neither one was signed by the Mets.

It is at least possible that the Mets do not have to go shopping for their center fielder of the future, the answer to that need might be in their system already, in the form of the still-developing Fargas.