4
2013
Den Dekker Stands To Gain If Nieuwenhuis Lands On DL
An article by 
Opportunity could be knocking for Matt den Dekker if Kirk Nieuwenhuis’ knee injury turns out to be more serious than just a bruise. We’ll know more on that later today.
The Mets will consider all their options if Nieuwenhuis were to miss any significant time, but one could make a strong argument that den Dekker could have a leg up on his competition because of his stellar defense which can impact a game as much as a solid bat. His glove-work is that good. Here is what I wrote about that this weekend…
Original Post 3/2
If you have been watching the Mets at all this spring, one thing has become evident – Matt den Dekker deserves a shot to be the Opening Day centerfielder.
Throw the offensive stats out the window for just a second and ask yourself who you would want out there chasing down fly balls. After seeing a few highlight reel catches already this spring, it becomes more and more evident who should get the nod.
Now let’s take the spring stats into consideration. Here is a breakdown of how the Mets outfield competition is playing out so far this Spring:
(Games played through March 1 – Note: Nieuwenhuis should read six strikeouts.)
The common argument when looking into spring training stats is that they should be taken with a grain of salt. In other words, don’t put too much weight into whether a player gets off to an extremely hot start, or an extremely cold start.
While that argument holds some validity, because spring stats are not factored into any regular season awards and does not factor into the race for the pennant, when you have a situation like the Mets have, where it’s an open audition for an outfield job, spring stats will definitely impact the decision of who is standing in the Mets outfield on opening day.
With that being said, looking at the stats shown above, only a couple of guys have gotten off to hot starts in the outfield–and one of them (Valdespin), has yet to get any reps in the outfield.
Den Dekker’s spring stats are comparable to the other players vying for an outfield job with the exception of Collin Cowgill and Marlon Byrd. However, defensively, den Dekker sticks out like a sore thumb amongst his colleagues, and I mean that in a good way.
Terry Collins should be looking at ways to strengthen the team’s defense up the middle, and the best way to do that right now is by having den Dekker out there. Having a defensive player like den Dekker in center will make the pitching staff that more effective. Having a gold glove caliber outfielder in center will also take the pressure off the other outfielders, and help cover some of the defensive gaps that may exist when Lucas Duda or Byrd are out there with him.
Den Dekker has made a living making highlight reel catches.
Having solid defense up the middle will also let the pitchers pitch the way they want to pitch. If a pitcher has too little confidence in the defense behind them, they will try to strike every hitter out. This inevitably leads to more walks as they try to nibble corners (unless they are a power pitcher) because they are afraid to let the hitters put the ball in play. So by having a defender of den Dekker’s quality in centerfield, pressure is not only taken off of the other outfielders, but the pitcher as well.
If den Dekker can perform offensively as well as the other outfielders on the roster, then why not just have him join the team right out of spring training? Right now, is there any reason to believe that he can’t perform as well offensively, or maybe even better than the other outfielders on the Mets roster?
I did my weekly MMO Prospect Pulse on Matt den Dekker, and while I noted I wasn’t sure he would ever be a .300 hitter at the major league level, I do think he has the potential to be a 20/20 player; a 20/20 player that can win a gold glove. Maybe we are starting to see why the Mets may have not pulled the trigger on Michael Bourn after all.
The only argument I can see being made about den Dekker being given the keys to the centerfield job with the Mets this year was his performance when promoted to Buffalo last year.
However, as I noted in last week’s feature, it has been a trend across his career thus far to go through an adjustment period when promoted. During that adjustment period, his offensive stats tend to take a dip. However, after the adjustment period, his offensive numbers are at an all-star level. Mix that in with that solid defense, and there is only one man for the job this year in centerfield.
There is no reason to start den Dekker at Las Vegas this year. Throw him in centerfield, bat him in the eight hole of the lineup where he will experience minimal pressure, and let him do his thing. He will figure it out. The best thing for his development would be to let him adjust to the major league pitchers and the major league level while taking advantage of that ridiculous defensive skill set.
The Mets need den Dekker’s glove in centerfield, and when his bat comes around, they will be able to use that too. But the Mets have to stick with him. They can’t send him down to Las Vegas if he starts to go through an adjustment period at the big league level. Let the kid figure it out and entertain us with some jaw dropping catches while he’s in the process.
Enjoy this recent den Dekker highlight-reel catch from last week’s Grapefruit League action!
In case you missed it, check out my exclusive MMO Prospect Pulse on Matt den Dekker.
Follow MMO Minor League Analyst Mitch Petanick on Twitter at @FirstPitchMitch for even more Mets Minor League and prospect coverage.
About the Author: Mitch Petanick
Mitch is currently an Editor and Minor League Analyst for Mets Merized Online. His baseball experience includes being a former All-Conference collegiate baseball player who had numerous professional tryouts, and he is currently a hitting instructor. He has been involved with the game of baseball for over 30 years now as a player, coach, and consultant. Mitch is also a former Featured Columnist on Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @FirstPitchMitch.
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NL East Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Braves | 24 | 18 | .571 | - |
| Nationals | 23 | 20 | .535 | 1.5 |
| Phillies | 20 | 23 | .465 | 4.5 |
| Mets | 16 | 24 | .400 | 7.0 |
| Marlins | 11 | 32 | .256 | 13.5 |
Last updated: 05/18/2013
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Yes, yes, yes.
Please.
and Thank you.
i agree….I dont think Nieuwenhuis is ever gonna figure it out. He’s never gonna cut down on his K’s, and Baxter is ok, but NOT as an every day player. Very excited abt Den Dekker. He will become an offensive threat, and we all know his defense is gold glove caliber
If they ruin Capt Kirk here by trying to change him into something he’s not I will bet you if they give up on him he will turn it around with another organization who will just let him hit the way that got him here throughout his minor league career and only interfere just like any other player, when they are struggling and need some assistance from a coach.
I agree totally.
How does Kirk have 0 SO when I saw him K twice in the Nat game?
Typo…fixing it now – he has 6Ks
Duda, Cowgill and Byrd should start out the season with Valdespin and Baxter coming off the bench.
Brown, MDD and Kirk come up when they are tearing up AAA. .
MDD deserves to be in CF on Opening Day. All due respects to Byrd, but he is no longer an ML starter–or in my view, even a bench player.
In what way has he deserved to be the opening day starter?
Sure he is a terrific CF, but he needs to show he can hit AAA pitching first, something he failed to do after being called up last season.
Look at the chart it really makes no sense to get down on his BA because he is still the 4th best hitter on that chart! LOL
He has the Good glove and defense to play CF. Not really something you can say about the others, adequate yes but GOOD DEFENSE? Hardly…
The danger here is this is the MLB squad we are talking about and if he follows his historical trend and struggles making the jump he will probably not get into the game enough to make the adjustment to reclaim his BA as he did in the Minors…
So in that sense Mitch I actually agree….
If you keep him on the 25 man then you HAVE to play him, Everyday, Take the lumps on the BA until he catches up to the level and hope it happens sooner rather than taking an entire season.
If they think they will be able to jump him up and down between AAA and MLB he is likely never going to make the adjustment and you could ruin him for good.
That said they might want to start him off at AAA, let him get some gaudy hitting numbers there and then bring him up while he is hot with the bat and hope that heat will carry over to his MLB PA.
One thing they should not do is play him sporadically. That will just slow down the time it takes for him to adjust to the new level as he has in the past.
Bingo…all the back and forth could be worse. He has shown the ability to adjust at all other levels so we have to assume he will do the same at the big league level – and why waste time sending him to Las Vegas to prove something when we can use his defense right now
Yes. You make the great point that his glove improves the pitching, the other outfielders, and solidifies the critical up-the-middle D. We need his glove. And i’m a believer in the guy’s bat too. He’s done it at every level and at ALL-Star caliber.
I like UpperDecker too but he’s going to have to hit this spring to win the job. It’s still wayyyyyy too early but if he’s struggling badly at the end of the spring how can you justify bringing him up North. I would like to see it but there’s a lot o baseball to be played still and don’t forget that Kirk could turn it around still (by hopefully ditching this approach they are force feeding him)
I still think his defense makes up for the minimal difference in offensive output that may take place between he and other potential outfielders.
i don’t disagree Mitch,
but if his hitting is completely non-existent you can’t bring him up. But if he’s just struggling a bit hitting .230 or so and maybe showing some power than yes i would give it a try.
LOL Bayonne you know your wrong….
This FO doesn’t care if he hits at all just as long as the OBP looks good!
Seriously I know some here think that you have to have an MVP .near .300 hitting all star at every position but the truth is we got away with much less and won championships with it provided the defense was there to not give UP runs!
99.9% of the players with negative WAR all have it due to the loss of runs on Defense!
It’s hard to lose a run with a bat in your hand!
Unless your hitting into DPs all season long, and I’m not even sure that gets factored into WAR
Well, someone had to be the first official ban.
LOL
It’s only a matter of time till the claws eventually come out. It’s always been that way.
Cue The Real World “…find out what happens when people stop being polite (ignoring the MMO Alert) and start getting real.”
Hey, maybe you can help. By any chance do you have tlagee’s email? For almost a week I’ve been trying to chase him down (even on other sites), doesn’t seem to have a Twitter, he keeps missing my attempts to catch him. I don’t even think he knows he won. If you do, please pass it along. Thanks!
Sounds like “Where in the World is Carmen SanDiego? MMO edition”
darn, now I can’t figure out which was the magic post. And who is gone.
Maybe Joe can start a list to keep track?
Already? O_o
Who was the unfortunate soul?
That was to Mitch. Didn’t stick on the reply. Hmmm.
Anyway, on to the topic. Everyone knows where I stand on this issue since I’ve been very adamant before camp started on Den Dekker being the man in CF. I just wish he would rake. I highly doubt he’ll strike out 200+ times. He’s not Stubbs bad.
Well the reason I stated for starting him in AAA is not to prove something to us but to prove something to HIM!
Him hitting well in AA should not be any indicator to the FO that he is a good hitter in fact they should not need any proof at all they should know at this point the kid can hit once he gets adjusted….
But you can not dismiss the psychological advantage of being in a hot streak with the wood when you get the call up.
Your body, eye, mechanics all in tune will give him enough confidence to reduce the pressure of being an MLB player and facing MLB Pitching…
And I wasn’t suggesting he SHOULD or that was the ONLY way to go, Just that if they feel they can’t commit to him as the everyday guy based on what he does in ST that it is better to put him down there till he gets hot, play him everyday and then bring them up when they WILL commit to him everyday.
But I personally think if you have been in AAA for a year there really isn’t anything else you can learn down there that can’t be learned and improved on the MLB level facing the pitching that you NEED to face to be a successful MLB player….
So the only reasons for sending a player down there is you can’t/won’t play him or you feel he needs some confidence before he faces the big boys. And if the latter you had better be quick to bring him up when he gets hot down there.
But I would be perfectly fine if they kept him and played him everyday in CF.
If he fills that hole, and Duda starts hitting the way we all think he should then we ARE that one player away and just need to get the RHPB to play RF that I have been screaming they should get for two years now.
Agree totally!
Last season we had Bay .165, Torres .230, Duda .229 as our outfield. Can MDD be any worse? And at least he’ll save runs which you can hardly say about the current crop in camp. A run saved is as valuable as a run scored. At least that’s how it used to be before Bill James came along. Not sure if that rule still applies.
Duda just hit a BOMB !!
I dont think guys wearing 68 or 77 or 80 make team out of camp.
Guys wearing 1 and 6 will.
Have another beer.
Opening day nod?? Are you kidding me? He hasn’t even hit a lick in AAA yet, not to mention every spring I’ve seen him it’s abundantly clear that he isn’t ready to hit MLB pitching, not even close. I love his defense, but at some point he’s got to prove he can hit above AA. He has yet to do so!
Neither has any other outfielders on the Mets roster…so take the defense and let him work out the kinks at the major league level. Hitting at AA and AAA isn’t much of a difference. The major difference is from A to AA. AAA is just a holding pattern for players who aren’t good enought to earn a roster spot yet and they don’t want the players riding the pine at the major league level because that hurts their development…they should 100% give den Dekker the job full time.
I’m sorry, but thus far it’s not even close in the OF competition thus far. Cowgill and surprisingly Byrd are hitting the ball far better that MDD. And while neither is as smooth in the OF on defense as MDD they are exactly slouches out there either. I’d take better offense, with average or better defense any day. Simply put, the Mets would have far more opportunities to SCORE more runs with better offense than MDD could remotely hope to prevent by the sheer fact of far more opportunities to do so!
I respect what you are saying but I just don’t think that over the course of an entire season there will be much offensivley that separates any of the guys on this roster – that’s why I say just let the kid play.
You are right that it’s early. I still think MDD can win the job.
I’ve not been Duda fan simply because of his glove. Not so worried about his slow start in this spring, especially him getting comfortable with a new swing. But the Mets brass think it should be Duda, then rest of the outfield should consist of our best defensive options. So, its a no brainer that MdD should be the CFer. Kirk N has a slight edge at the field, but MdD is much better defensively. In RF, I think the edge goes to Valdy. I thin Valdy has the edge at the plate. Defensively, Valdy has plenty of range, and will get better on jump and route with more reps. I think Cowgill and Byrd should backup. I like the veteran leadership someone like Byrd can bring and hopefully can be a mentor for a hothead like Valdespin.
Not sure that 10 to 20 AB in early ST should have any sort of impact on any sort of decision re: the opening day roster.
What I’d like to see is Duda getting his last chance in LF, Cowgill starting for good in CF and Valdespin starting in RF.
With Baxter and Byrd on the bench.
And Kirk, Den Dekker, Lutz, Brown and Lagares at AAA.
And then be willing to make changes if sth doesn’t work…
Agree- Duda, Cowgill prob platoon VSpin and Byrd.. If they wanted to start MDD in the bigs for a few weeks in April until things get sorted out and be defensive replacement I could live with it but he needs consistent ab’s to get better AAA, there’s still some experienced gained just being up so i dont think its a total waste. Still early in camp thou maybe Kirk starts to look good or a Lutz/Brown catches fire towards end and they keep him, we’ll see
Let the kid play, hell let Wheeler, Spin, Flores, and Travis all play what do the mets have to lose? Without our young studs we aren’t going anywhere this year anyway but with them our chances improve a lot! At least the mets will be exciting even if there 500! Except for MDD
whose more then ready with a glove the other prospects are ready or almost? AAA in Vegas
with the thin air is just going enhance there stats and Wheeler might even get hit and thats
not going to help just mess up his head! Being the mets are not going anywhere this year
let them learn in the ML’s so next year when the Wilpons(” un “) spend the money they say
they will(I wouldn’t hold my breath) these guys will all have a year under there belt!!
Love that attitude Craig…I feel the same way. I think they should keep a couple guys down for at least a month to get that extra year of control before aribitration eligibility, but I am with you.
Unless there is an overwhelming reason to compell them to send a kid down they really almost owe it to themselves to start the kids because if your rebuilding you would rather have them acclimated to the MLB pitching sooner rather than later….
And we already mentioned SOME reasons that would apply…
Wheeler and D’Arnaud as an example of Clock Starting…
Not being able to play the kid everyday (a Flores would fit as an example here)
Just needs more work (which could apply to Familia or Mejia)
But barring any of that there really is no reason NOT to play them.
If you want to build from within then BUILD from within!
At least test the guys you say you want to build with and see if the materials are materials you can use or not and if not, need to be traded away for something you CAN use.
With Wheeler & d´Arnaud the reasons are pretty obvious why you´d at least keep them down in April. Delays free agency for a full year and thus gives more leverage in negotiating a longterm contract going forward – that can easily be worth 10+ million $ each you may be able to save and thus spend later. And that for an extra month or two in the majors on a team that´s probably not playoff bound anyway. And for two players with less than half a season at AAA.
For anyone else, the key should be playing time or being prepared. Unless David Wright is hurt, Wilmer Flores needs to play at AAA. Den Dekker probably would be overmatched in the majors right now and could benefit from working on things at AAA. Let him spend half the season there to figure out that level too and remain on the track he´s been on for the past couple of seasons.
Otherwise, any other young player should play if a spot is available. I´d very much like to see Familia in the opening day bullpen. And if Santana opens on the DL, I´d much rather have Mejia or McHugh take his spot initially than Hefner or Laffey. Likewise, it´d be nice getting Zack Lutz onto the major league bench.
I disagree with this. You’re saying the defense could make up for the offense, but Den Dekker could easily end up hitting 200/230/370. I think he needs time in the minors to work on his strikeouts and plate discipline.
I agree, my argument is that all the Mets outfielders on the roster could end up with that stat line…so go with the defense
Eh.. That’s kind of an exaggeration. And I’m sure dd’s obp will be much worse than anybody else’s. I like the defense though.
Not really…Kirk and Duda both got sent down last year and can’t seem to get it together…Byrd and Cowgill (although Cowgill has looked great this year) have a lot to prove…and a scout went on record last year as saying that MDD was better than Torres already, and Torres was our starter last season.
It really depends on what they are struggling with?
If it’s MB Pitching then they won’t benefit from facing MiL pitching again…
If they hit in AAA and struggle in MLB there is nothing really to gain from AAA except player confidence that may be lost from his MLB futility.
If the issue is they are struggling and needing to adjust vs MLB pitching there is really only one way to fix that…
Face MLB Pitching and coaching the hell out of him!
I think they may ave a platoon in CF. If MDD were to stay he would get plenty of ABs. I could see Cowgill playing center against lefties and another spot against righties sometime. But lets wait and see if the good springs continue.
If MDD was a guy who has always been weak with the bat you might have a point…
But thats not his history, He DOES struggle early when jumping up a level then sorts himself out, adjusts and starts hitting.
Your going to have to go through that adjustment at some point in time no matter how well he does in AAA so if the glove isn’t a liability there is no reason to not have him go through his growing pains THIS YEAR where the team is not expected to compete anyway and one bad bad isn’t going to make it worse….
If we are wasting this season for a target of 2014 for competing then use this season to get MDD acclimated to the pitching and adjusted to hitting like he can so you don’t have to go through it next year when you think the team WILL be more competitive.
As much as we disagree, this couldn’t be more on point, I agree, 100% percent. There is no reason not to skip the adjustments he would make for AAA, and just make them for Major League pitchers, this is our best course of action, period.
(this isn’t towards what you said, just a general statement.) If Cowgill wants to be a mainstay, let him take the right field job away from whoever its “suppose” to go to.
Note to JoeD..
Since you got rid of the offending post please feel free to delete my post as well…Will only confuse the other posters….
I love defense too, but he won’t hit 20/20 if he can’t make contact.
Didn’t one scout say MDD might strike out 220x in the majors right now?
You can survive with one dead out in a lineup, but I don’t think we have a strong enough cast to make up for MDD. TC already said Duda is in LF, so we just have to hope he figures it out. Then if Byrd makes the team, and Cowgill looks like a lock, we’d need two more guys from a mediocre group. I like the idea of Neiuwy or Baxter in a platoon against righties in CF and/or RF. There rly isn’t any room for Den Dekker as a full time guy. Makes more sense to let him figure out AAA first.
There’s no reason to throw Den Dekker down in AAA. Last year, when he got called up, he struggled as he does every time he’s moved up. Whose to say the adjustments he makes won’t benefit him at the Major League level and we could realistically have a .260-.270/ 5-10/45-55 guy out there, who will win multiple gold gloves in his career. With every reason to believe that bat will only get a lot better.
I think Den Dekker could be a .280 / 15 / 75 guy(obviously potential to be better, I think this is where he will balance out at) which is pretty solid when you throw in his glove, let him get his career started, who knows, that stellar glove could light a fire under some players to start making things happen, rather than wait for them.
Regarding your post Mitch I begrudgingly agree despite it probably coming at the expense of Kirk N. that MDD already is the best defensive center fielder we have so all things being equal if no one else is clearly showing signs that they look further along at the plate hitting that the Mets might as well go with the better glove.
Exactly the point I was trying to make MNJ. If there is someone head and shoulders better offensively, then by all means, that person deserves the job…but if they are all offensively equal, you gotta go with MDD.
It doesnt HAVE to take time away from Kirk because you can always play him in RF….
Lets face facts though the guys who play will largely be determined by lefty/righy concerns more than actual performance.
Out of those 8 outfield options you listed…they are a combined 23 of 87 (.264) with a .288 OBP, and a .348 SLG (.666 OPS). They have a combined 8 RBIs and 28 Ks…I think, at this point, Mitch Petanick, Hitman, Bayonne Mets Fan, Mr North Jersey, or myself have a shot at being the opening day CFer on this awful team. At least they have a decent starting rotation and a few prospects to keep us interested this season. Prediction: 73-89.
I would love to take part in some kind of reality show like the one on MLB Network about the next Knuckler to find the next Mets Outfielder
I just may join you. During my playing days i was a leadoff hitter who played CF and walked a lot. I had a GREAT eye (which came natural nobody taught me) and I loved to walk even though deep down i wish i was bigger so i could be a slugger, lol. The irony is this FO would have loved the type of player i was. But the thing is you cannot make everybody have the same approach i did. I can absolutely verify that it is impossible to make everybody have the same approach and that’s my beef with this holier than thou trio who i despise.
Like to see valdespin get a shot in cf
right field. not center. other than that, agreed.
Spin has CF athletic ability
I agree. if they are going to keep him as an OF, they should be looking at CF where his value would be much higher.
Den Dekker is a much better option in center, no point in getting spin comfortable in Center, when he will be moved when Den Dekker gets the call up anyway, I’d much rather have both of them in the outfield.
Or do you mean you hope den dekker is much better.
Yes den dekker is a premium defender.
Can he hit mlb pitching – not sure.
What I’m saying is, they should both be out in the outfield at the same time, with Den in center, and Spin in right.
I think the jury is still out on whether Valdespin can hit major league pitching. Too early to tell.
I don’t know how great Valdy will be … But he has proven he has an approach (low walk, some pop, hacker), and shown something we are missing…SPEED & POWER!
Have him share lead off with Cowgill, and have them swipe a few bags, while protecting their splits when necessary. Hopefully stretch the lineup a little.
There is still time for Kirk & MDD to develop, and they haven’t proven they can hold their own yet.
I’d like nothing better to see MDD’s defense starting out there in CF at Citi but I don’t think it’s happening. Not in April anyway.
Could change though. There’s a month left to ST. All things being equal, if Matt’s bat is no better/no worse than Kirk’s, I’d bring Matt north and send Kirk on his way to Vegas.
The reality is though, I think both probably start in Vegas.
Right now I’m guessing it’ll be Duda, Cowgill, Spin, Byrd and Baxter going north.
On a practical level you have to deal with the 40-man roster issue. They could easily need 4 spots for Atchison, Hawkins, Feliciano, and Byrd. Who gets dropped? Likely candidates: Havens, Germen, E Ramirez,???. Or a trade will happen to clear space involving Turner, or Lutz, or somebody else– not sure who.
off subject:
Duda is starting to find it….
Great news for the Mets.
I hinge our whole season on how well Duda performs. If he hits like he did in ’11, we will compete. If he hits like he did last year we won’t.
well, there are other factors, but Duda can really change the dynamics of the offense.
if he is lost like at times last year, it will bog down.
If he hits like he did in the 2nd half 2011, or takes off from that, the lineup will be very deep with actually big strike capability. Especially vs. RHP!
Maybe it’s time the Mets showed the patience a guy named Hodges showed with another centerfielder named Agee. Tommie Agee got off to a horrendous offensive start as a Met. Yet, Gil Hodges saw something legions of Met fans didn’t and gave his future star time to ‘figure it out.’ Hodges also knew the Met movement at that time was built around pitching, and he understood Agee’s defensive prowess would help solidify his emerging pitching staff. The current status of the Mets has a similar feel to that earlier version of Mets. I’m really not sure what the centerfield situation warrants but the concept of denDecker making the team and playing in centerfield has merit. I watched him in Binghamton, and he was dynamic. The kid is a great baserunner who can steal a base, too. That’s something we could desperately use. Yes, he tanked at AAA, but he was starting to come around late in the season. It will be interesting to see how the Mets play it because after a hot start Kirk struggled badly last season and he looks totally lost so far this spring.
You HAVE to prioritize offense over defense in the outfield. Yes, even Center. You know how many errors separated the best center fielder from the 20th best last year? SIX. that’s it – 6.
That’s a maximum of six games that can be impacted.
The offensive differences between the Best and 18th best CF’s last year were: 104 points on the average, 34 Homers, and 60 RBI. How many games do you think were impacted by those three guys?
Oh, by the way; what do you think a guy like that would mean to the pitches Wright an Davis see?
Give me a butcher with a bat every day of the week.
Christopher – I totally disagree with you. In RF/LF yes. But CF, no. First you cannot value an outfielder based on their errors. There is more to playing the OF than whether you drop the ball. You gotta get there first.
McCutch and Kemp are special players. You cannot expect your CF to be them.
Guys like Fowler, Jay, CarGomez, Bourn, Pagan are the 2nd tier CF in the NL. With Harper but he will move to a corner soon.
None of those players are electrifying with their bat but they make up for it with their glove in CF.
If you can hit like a big leaguer at CF, SS, 2B, C in the NL but you have a solid glove – your team is in good shape if they provide solid offense in the corners.
Horrible attitude.
First off, your decisions where to have the best and worst defenses on your team could depend on several other factors depending how you stack up on D elsewhere. Your also not considering bad jumps, arm, bad communication with other defensemen. Some guys pick up the ball better in some positions then others. I don’t think your pitchers would appreciate that attitude as well.
Defense & pitching every time over offense.
I’m not sure if that was a reply to me or Chris… obviously there are circumstances that impact this. But I guess what I mean is, defense is important and it’s more important to me to be strong up the middle than strong on the corners. I don’t value LF defense as much as CF defense.
I also think when you look around the league, 2B/SS/C/CF are becoming offensive deficiencies so yes if you CAN get a 2 way player, great but if not then a glove is vital. A solid defender in CF doesn’t just play CF, he helps pick up the slack from weaker defenders like Duda
Pretty sure he was referring to Chris
bingo, Mitch
I do agree that defense in the four middle positions makes up for some offensive deficiencies, but not as much as you may think. Catcher is overwhelmingly more important defensively, then Shortstop and 2nd are “more” important, followed by Center which is just not even close to the other three positions.
One third of all plays end without a fielder ever touching the ball (Strikeout, Walk, or Homer). The most active CF in baseball last year made three attempts per game. Three! The average National League team has a pitcher batting 3-4 times per game. That means a pitcher factors into more offensive plays than a CF does defensively.
Even a slightly below average CF will make a lot of the plays.
I know that CF defense is important, it’s just not AS important as once believed.
Well Chris I think you are thinking only in general terms and not taking the situation that exists into account….
Our LFer is considered a defensive liability…But WHY is that? Because he can’t catch?
NO! He catches and throws just fine when he can get to the ball…
It’s his speed that makes him a liability!
Statues can beat him in a race!
SO in THIS situation the CF is not just important to the Middle defense….It is also important to the left side defense by allowing Duda to cheat towards the line where his speed can’t cover when he plays straight away. Those are the extra base hits that Duda is the only one who can get to it so by putting a REAL CF out there in the middle that can cover ground it allows Duda to mitigate the speed issues and cheat his positioning making his liability much less of a problem without creating a hole in the Middle because you have a real CF to cover the ground Duda has given up by cheating towards the line.
why dont we grab an outfielder from the angels, they seem to have an over-abundance.
I don’t see the point here…
You bring MDD to the show too fast, without developing an approach at the plate… He may never become a regular.
He isn’t needed now. The OF is what it is… But he will be needed next year.
If MDD develops an approach at the plate and becomes an average hitter… Then he may be a viable starter, reducing our needs next year.
Give cowgirl, duda, Byrd and valdy the rotation out there to buy some time, and to see what we have. (Byrd is a virtual lock, just for the lack of veterans on the team)
AAA: MDD, Kirk, Lagares,Lutz, and Flores(LF/RF,2B)
Let some fail at the MLB level, then call upbthe hottest prospect, or if someone forces your hand.
Trial and error to earn you roster spot for next year.
I’m looking at 2014:
LF: better of of Duda/Flores/Valdy/Cowgil in LF
CF: best of MDD/Kirk/Cowgill/Valdy (settle for the best glove if the bat isn’t there)
RF: hopefully sign 1 of Pence, Choo, Cruz, or Beltan
It’s about next year…not now. Now is a perk, next year could be legit.
I think they baby the young players today to much! Remember the early 1980′s the mets
had Doc, Ronnie, and Sid in there rotation and Wally,Lenny, and Straw who were all very
young but Davey unlike TC was willing to take chances and gave young players a chance!
If Davey even thought a player was ready he gave him the chance! Whats the difference
between sending MDD to AAA or giving him on the job training when he will hit 8th for
now and the mets aren’t going anywhere anyway? It seems to me MDD can strike out
just as much as Kirk only MDD is faster and a better fielder! You need to see what you
have for next year so the mets know what FA’s to go after! Platoon Cowgill with MDD till he
proves he can play full time and please give Spin a chance in RF instead of 35 year
old Byrd who will run out of gas during the year and will not be a part of this team
next year anyway!!
Might as well… we have the worst OF in baseball.
I agree. If these are our OF options… why not go with the younger guys since we know what the other guys can do. I love Baxter but he’s a backup…
DenDekker in CF
Captain Kirk in RF
Duda in LF
Let Marlon and Cowgill play against lefties for the younger guys….and if there’s room on the bench let Baxter be the 3rd backup (and 1B backup).
[...] Mitch Petanick, MetsMerized Online Source: MetsBlog [...]
Best thing the Mets could do is put an all-star caliber defense in the OF and don’t even worry about the hitting. Duda? He will cost us more runs than he will produce. Put guys out there that can fly and who can get to everything, will take away extra base hits, and will throw guys out at home or going first to third. Mets might get lucky enough to grab the 2nd WC if their defense is stellar, starting pitching stays healthy, their bullpen is much improved (pretty much a certainty), and their IF shines offensively. Although I don’t think they enough will break right for them to make it…
you vastly overestimate the importance of defense.
I disagree. Den Dekker’s defense is outstanding, but if you throw a guy out there before he’s ready offensively you could destroy his confidence and his development. Let him hit AAA pitching well before you throw him into the frying pan called New York City.
.256 OBP at triple A last year. play him if you hate the mets. get it through your heads, people. offense matters. this guy should be as far away from queens as possible.
If Den Dekker starts hitting, give him a shot to play. If not and Byrd and Cowgil continue to hit, give Cowgil the every day job in center, with Byrd platooning with Valdespin in right. In that case hopefully Den Dekker follows his normal career path and rakes in Vegas. That way if Byrd or Cowgil flop, Den Dekker can be called up having hit at AAA.
I had said you can’t count on Kirk for CF- he’s constantly getting dinged up and missing chunks of time because of his warrior playing style. Plus, I think Kirk was exposed after awhile in the bigs last season and his bat is just as questionable vs. major league quality pitching as is MDD’s. I agree with RandomGuy- as it stands now I would go with a platoon of MDD & CC in CF and a platoon of Spin & Byrd in RF, Baxter on the bench.
he already looks like an all around better prospect than Kirk. They both strike out too much. But he has better bat speed, is a better base stealer, and wipes the floor with Kirk defensively—-and Kirk is not bad out there.
Just a note on MDD’s strikeout issues, unlike Kirk’s strikeout issues, MDD’s are attributed to him trying to be too patient at the plate – these are the words of Wally Backman. MDD tries to be too patient and sometimes finds himself in unfavorable counts, leading to strikeouts. So where most prospects have to learn to be more patient, MDD has to learn to be less patient…not really worried about that happening.
I think the Mets can’t go wrong with Den Dekker in CF. Defense is half the game. He looked good with the bat today. He’s always been a streaky hitter (I know this from knowing him personally since he was 11 years old). He will adjust and can steal bases and create runs like he did today.
Is it true Den Dekker has issues with stealing?
MDD has no issues wth stealing in fact he has no police record at all! Budumpbump!
As for Defense being half the game well it’s important but it’s also not hard to get replaced if thats all you bring…
We should look at MDD’s defense as it would impact the Offense…
If he can make up for Duda’s Statuesque speed in LF and cover enough ground to make Duda a livable option…What you don’t get from MDD with the bat you might make up for with Duda’s bat provided he hits for average and power like he seems capable of doing…
If a weak Bat CF allows us to play a strong bat at LF then in the end it’s pretty much a wash and anything MDD gives you at the plate is gravy!
He has hit at every level the only caveat is AFTER ADJUSTING….
Lets hope he adjusts and makes the Bat as much a reason as the glove to play him everyday.
MDD was arrested for stealing in college – google it
Sorry, made a typo. Should read “you’ve covered player past incidents that were not even close to being as bad as this one” with Milledge and Valdespin.
Sounds a lot more like a dumb drunken effort to get a date than an actual crime!
In any case I was making a joke….
Note the rimshot!
It shows makeup and character issues
No it shows alcoholic issues….
Nothig more….And since then he hasn’t been a problem issue in any way…
Your namesake can’t say that he got suspended just a month or two ago….
Alcoholism is a character issue
So is EGO but with alcoholism you can just stop drinking….
Egotists can’t stop thinking or they are clinically dead!