12
2013
Who’s Down For Matt den Dekker Making The Team?
An article by 
Do you remember when Citi Field opened the Mets vowed they they were going to build around pitching and defense? Then, they immediately signed Jason Bay, who played well defensively, but that wasn’t the point.
Enter Matt den Dekker, who doesn’t have the inside track at making the team as the center fielder despite being the their best defensive outfielder.
Terry Collins managed arguably one of the greatest defensive center fielders in history when he had Jim Edmonds. Collins said they compared favorably in their ability to chance down fly balls in the gap with their speed, “although nobody got a jump like Jim Edmonds … it seemed like he took two steps before the ball was hit.’’That comes from knowing the hitters and the pitch, so maybe that part of it will come to den Dekker. However, and this is the rub, he’s not even close to Edmonds at the plate and it could cost him a spot on the roster.
Den Dekker made another spectacular catch Monday when he went against the wall in left-center to rob Detroit’s Austin Jackson of extra bases. It is one of several he’s made this spring, each one seemingly more scintillating than the previous.
Den Dekker told reporters later in Lakeland he was “just doing my job,’’ but for a team lacking in offense, that’s only part of what the Mets need from him.
“If you are going to be a platoon player, you got to be able to do something off the bench in the National League, and that’s not just play defense,’’ Collins told reporters.
Why not?
Center field in Citi Field – even after the fences were moved in – is a vast area of real estate. Plus, the Mets have a young pitching staff in need of any help possible. The Mets also have a defensive liability in left fielder Lucas Duda. Having den Dekker in center addresses all those factors.
At .220, Den Dekker has not hit consistently this spring, but perhaps in this era of statistical analysis, the case could be made he saves a considerable amount of runs. Add runs saved to RBI and that’s a productive player.
The problem is the Mets don’t have enough offense elsewhere to where they could carry den Dekker. It is an offensive game, until it is lost with poor pitching and defense.
Den Dekker is ideal as a late-inning defensive replacement for a loaded team, but seriously, how many games will they realistically be in for that to matter? The fact is more games are lost earlier than in the last two innings. That’s when they’ll need his glove.
Last season at Double-A Binghamton, den Dekker hit .340 with eight homers and 29 RBI, but with 64 strikeouts in 238 at-bats. At Triple-A Buffalo, he hit .220 with nine homers and 47 at-bats, but with a staggering 90 strikeouts in 295 at-bats, roughly once every three at-bats.
General manager Sandy Alderson said strikeouts are acceptable if they come with high on-base percentage and power numbers. The selection of run production potential over strikeouts applies to Ike Davis and Duda, but den Dekker hasn’t shown that upside, yet.Den Dekker has tinkered with his mechanics, such as widening his stance, which leads to a shorter stride and consequently a shorter stroke. All too often he’s given away outs with a long, looping swing.
Den Dekker struck out twice more yesterday to give him ten for the spring, but also had a two-run single against lefty reliever Phil Coke.
“He’s working on some things, he’s really trying to be a little more selective at the plate,’’ Collins said. “He’s making huge progress and defensively, I am not sure we have anyone better.’’
Defensively, the Mets don’t have anybody better, and as they struggle to find runs they might consider looking at the flip side and run prevention. Also, remember we’re not talking about den Dekker’s offense compared to Mike Trout’s, but to that of Jordany Valdespin and Mike Baxter.
Put in that context there’s even less of a disparity. Put that way, the question becomes: How many more runs will Valdespin, Baxter and Collin Cowgill generate with their bats than den Dekker saves with his glove?
About the Author: John Delcos
I am an active member of the BBWAA and have covered Major League Baseball in several capacities for over 20 years, including ten in New York working the Mets' and Yankees' beat. I covered the Baltimore Orioles for eight years and the Cleveland Indians before that. I currently serve as an editor and senior staff writer for Mets Merized Online. Follow me on Twitter @jdelcos.
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Surprisingly there seems to be no love as far as comments for your post John. I blame the title. You should of went with “You Down With MDD To Make The Team”?
I’m down with MDD to make the team.
Pitching and Defense wins.
P&D wins, but with weak options already at LF and RF can we afford a 5-6-7-8-9 of Duda, Buck, Baxter, Den Dekker, Pitcher?
That spells disaster to me.
is winning 70 games really all that different than winning 65?
Lrets face it they aren’t winning anything no matter what they throw out there so might as well let MDD face and adjust to the pitching so if and when they COULD win something they don’t have to carry a weak hitting CF while he adjusts….
I’m looking at this entire season as a developmental excersize….
If we were concerned with making a team that has a chance the time to do that was in the offseason not now….
We passed so this year should be all about development of players, Auditioning keepers and losers to make room for whatever is everyone thinks is going to fall out of the sky to make 2014 the year of the Met!
You can a ruin a player with that kind of logic. Mejia’s career might be ruined by stupidity. No reason to do it twice…
You call him up when he’s ready regardless of how the team. If he’s ready now surely he’ll show it in AAA right?
Your comparison is not even CLOSE to being in the same ballpark…
First off Mejia came up fro AA and played his way onto the team….
MDD has already been exposed to AAA…..
Second Mejia was a starter they tried to make a Reliever against MLB batters…
MDD is going to be doing here what he did in AAA and everywhere he has been in the Minors….Your not changing what he needs to do in any way shape or form.
Agreed and like I said as well what really is the value or cost of 5 – 8 wins if you are not a playoff team. Let us see players who could be keepers and additions to the core.
Lets see what mdd can do, what spin can bring and if cowgill, kirk, duda have game.
There is no doubt that Den Dekker is a fantastic defensive player and an improvement over everyone else defensively.
That said, there so many more reason why he should not be on the team
1) he hit .210 and struck out 40% of the time in AAA,
2) he would need to be added to the 40 man roster
3) Valdespin is more deserving
4) it would start his service time early
5) The Mets arent winning anyway so no need to rush prospects
I keep telling John he needs to loosen up little, let his hair down, don’t shave for a few days… lol.
I’m always telling him his title’s are as boring as watching paint dry….
“…let his hair down, don’t shave for a few days”
http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mcbsk0O7MD1rqbdjwo1_500.jpg
Don’t expext to see him in the majors until late June. Call it the “Super Two Trot”.
This will give him the time he didn’t have last year to adjust to AAA pitching…….and to see how the planned centerfield platoon works out.
I don’t want the platoon to work out, because “The Left Handed Human Highlight Reel” should be the only person playing in center field.
+1
I vote for “The Left Handed Human Highlight Reel” making the team.
Man that would be exhausting to say everytime he came to the plate. Now batting Matt “The Left Handed Human Highlight Reel” den Dekker.
Well you can use similar variations. “The highlight Reel” “human highlight real” “DD island” he shuts down center field like revis shuts down receivers.
Well if he made the club I can see eventually fans nicknaming him DareDevil after some of his catches and showing up with Den Dekker DD shirts like this.
http://images.superherostuff.com/image-tsddredlogo-1-watermark.jpg
I want to see Duda/Cowgill/Valdy, with a sprinkling of Baxter and Byrd on the Major league roster. Once Duda tries to lift and end table or Byrd gets busted for using an non-MLB authorized hand sanitizer, then you can bring up MDD or Kirk. Not sooner though.
In the case of Den Dekker I wouldn´t worry about “Super Two” or “free agency”.
The kid has already turned 25 and won´t be a free agent until after his 31st birthday anyway.
That said, if a couple of months at AAA help him become a better and more complete player for the next 6+ years, that´s where0 he should open – even if he´d certainly be the best defensive OF on the roster.
For now, I´d open 2013 with Duda in LF (final chance), Cowgill in CF and a Valdespin / Byrd platoon in RF with Baxter on the bench and Valdespin or Byrd starting at times in CF as well. Nieuwenhuis, Den Dekker, Lagares, Hoffman, Brown & Co. should open at Vegas – but be available at any point when help is needed or something apparently doesn´t work. Valdespin and Byrd look good now – but if they struggle for the first 5 or 6 weeks, I wouldn´t hesitate to make changes.
I thought the same thing. You don’t worry about super two on guys like DD or V-Spin or Kirk…
If MDD could could just get to 250/340/450 at the MLB level he’d be a very useful full time player as long as you had a solid middle of the order bat come in at one of your corner spots. If he could do that slash with about 15 HR a year and a good number of double, triples and stolen bases he would look a good bit like BJ upton, but probably a better defender with a bit less pop and hopefully a better on base. I don’t think that’s a crazy projection.
Also, while we’re on the outfield I’m not sold on Duda. I think he’s going to be the offensive version of Mike Pelfrey. He’s got potential and will show it periodic stretches but I bet its on one year off the next year just like Pelf. Also his defense is TERRIBLE. We can’t afford that even if his bat is consistant unless he starts putting up Adam Dunn numbers every year.
Also regarding Duda, I’m hoping they put Bryd in the 5 hole behind Ike because Duda does not give Ike any type of protection, not that Bryd is the best 5 hitter in the world, I just think he’s the best of what will be our 25 man come April 1st. I am glad to see Ike showing a good eye at the plate and not striking out a lot this spring because without a real 5 hitter to protect him I don’t want him to start chasing bad breaking balls on the outside again. If d’Arnaud mashes in AAA I hope to put him in the 5 hole when he comes up. Its a big assigment for a rook who just came up but I think dA’rnaud had enough to handle that spot.
That’s not going to be easy, to bat .250 and have a .340 OBP.
I don’t think he could hit that roght out of camp. MDD has a history of getting promoted, struggling then owning the level he struggled at the previous year. He owned AA, then struggled at AAA last year. I think he masters AAA first hald of the year and then comes up to MLB and stuggles through the end of the year.
I could easily see him fail but I could just as easily see him turn that 250/340/450 line with the big club next year.
I think you missed my point. It’s not easy to hit .250 and then still have a .340 OBP.
A lot of hit by pitches!
You’re right TRS86, didn’t realize an OBP of 340 was quite that big of a stretch for a 250 average but it makes sense when I catually look more in depth at the numbers. I’ll revise that to a 250/325/450 line then. Still very useful, you just might have to bat him later int he lineup.
Don’t worry about the OBP. If he continues to work on his HITTING, as long as he is able to hit and get the batting avg up, his less important OBP will automatically start getting higher. This is a kid that has potential power with RBI potential. He should be working on his batting eye with the emphasis on becoming that type of hitter although i also see some versatility in him too.
I don’t want him to become the next Fred Lewis in where he gets his stupid on base percentage up but his hitting and hitting with power is simply not major league material.
OBP makes a hitter look better than he actually is.
“OBP makes a hitter look better than he actually is.”
No, OBP is what it is. If you are a good patient hitter, you’ll have a high OBP.
Unlike RBI, which relies heavily on his teammates.
Runner on 1st and 3B, 1 out, tie game, 9th inning.
3-2 count….
the weak part of the lineup is coming up…
Lucas Duda is on 3B
ball comes on the outside part of the plate…
would u rather take a WALK or a take a chance at a basehit or a SAC FLY?
a WALK increases your OBP, a SAC FLY does nothing but add to your RBI total ( and win the game )
“Runner on 1st and 3B, 1 out, tie game, 9th inning.
3-2 count….
the weak part of the lineup is coming up…
Lucas Duda is on 3B”
You’re ridiculously specific example is irrelevant. How many times will that actually happen? I’d rather have a guy who is going to make sure we don’t end up in that type of situation.
“ball comes on the outside part of the plate…”
would u rather take a WALK or a take a chance at a basehit or a SAC FLY?”
If it is a pitch he can drive, I want to see him drive it. Last I checked, you don’t walk on the first pitch. Otherwise, why swing at the first pitch if it isn’t something you can drive?
I can easily take everything you said and make it that MDD hits a grounder to 3B, holding Duda or creating a double play. Is that better than a walk?
“a WALK increases your OBP,”
And keep the inning alive. And in your silly scenario, loads the bases and forces the pitcher to give the next guy something to hit.
“a SAC FLY does nothing but add to your RBI total ( and win the game )”
RBI is a garbage stat. It is a by product of a run scoring, not the cause. And a sac fly is a lucky accident. If you are up there trying to make an out, I want you off the team.
And if I see a guy trying to make an out, I want him off the team.
Lets see mdd eclipse the player peter bourjous on the angels is.
It takes a double-digit walk rate to hit .250 and get on 34% of the time. I just don’t see it in the cards for MDD. Remember he’s not 22 or 23, he’s going to be 26.
However, he doesn’t even have to be .250/.340/.450 to be useful with his projected defense.
Yeah that was my point. I think Freddie Freeman may have had the lowest BA to still post a .340 OBP last year in the NL and his was .259.
I would take .320 from MDD if he can hit for power, run the bases, and play his defense. He can hit seventh.
If he is going to have onp of .320 to me I want him to hit .275 or .280.
If Den Dekker could hit 270 – 285 then the next thing i want to know about…….IF you are interested in winning ballgames…….is his power numbers.
The LEAST thing to concern yourself is how many time he’ll be left on base in a scoreless inning – his obp.
There are plenty of guys with good careers that didn’t hit a lot of home runs. MDD has shown respectable pop, but not the kind that makes him a middle of order hitter.
So there is BA, OBP, SLG, OPS.
Which are relevant for mdd.
Explain
Bay you know you and I are not going to agree on this may as well not get started.
I mentioned this in another post that all things being equal I can see going with MDD as the everyday CF but so far up to this pont I don’t see MDD playing over Cowgill and I think many would agree it is not in MDD’s best interest to be on the bench as a platoon player. I would want him to play everyday if he came North and right now I don’t see that happening.
I’m torn on den Dekker. As much as I think he should go to triple A to work on his plate discipline, I really want to watch him play centerfield every night. If we’re not gonna do anything offensively anyway, and there’s no better options, might as well have the gold glove caliber defense at one of the most important positions, especially in Citi.
I don’t think anyone would complain if MDD can be Drew Stubbs from the left side, which I think is probably his ceiling. High K, low average, good pop, great defense and base-running. The differences being Stubbs walks more, and den Dekker has at least shown competency against LHP, where Stubbs is pretty useless against RHP.
He’s going to go to AAA, put his “adjustments” to work, and DESTROY Vegas.
This is why I want him in the Majors, just let him adjust here, he will be fine.
If he goes to Vegas it shouldn’t be for a long time, no matter what JV1 or Cowgill are doing. The second he shows competency I say get him the hell up here. If JV1 or Cowgill are absolutely tearing it up that’s one thing, but let’s be real.
den Dekker hits 210, Cowgill 240, Neuwenheis 230. What’s the differrence? 5-10 hits over 300 at bats. None of them can hit.
den dekker might hit .210, and the after his adjustment period he’ll probably hit .280 the rest of the season.
I have no issues with MDD making the team but it is wrong unless they commit fully to him…
You can not put him on the team and then stick him on the bench…
Nor does it make sense to platoon him….
If he is here it is for a PURPOSE….To get adjusted to MLB Pitching and be the CF for at least the next 3-4 years or until Nimmo takes the job from him, whichever comes first.
If MDD had no history of being a good hitter then it would be one thing but the guy hits albeit poorly on each level jump until he adjusts. If he was still in AA and had never seen AAA maybe you give him a year in AAA….But thats not the case. SO let him play and do his MLB adjusting and add some defense between two players who on most days will be defensively challenged.
If as Terry says he does not have the offense for the bench then make him the everyday guy and use one of the other guys like Byrd ort Baxter to be the come off the bench/Platoon guys.
SO I would not have any problem with them bringing MDD up north….
But he HAS to play and if they do not commit to that then better to send him down where he WILL play everyday until his bat is so good they have no more excuses to keep him down and keep him from what is an eventuality…His having to adjust to MLB pitching….
I’m all for skipping that step, bringing him up with the team and let him start adjusting now….
But it means they have to commit and I don’t trust them to do that!
That’s the reason that I don’t think it’s a good idea yet. To me it’s setting him up for failure. IF they believe he is the actual real CF of the future then let him go tear up AAA and hit against RH and LH, not rush him up here and most likely have him in a platoon and most likely worsening his skill vs LHP.
Let the current group battle it out for CF and then let the chips later fall where they may.
But dos he really need to prove he can hit AAA before you will let him go through the adjustment in the MLB?
If the guy had a history of not hitting I might agree he needs the AAA work…
But his history is he DOES hit! Just slumps for awhile till he adjusts to the level jump.
What could he possibly hurt struggling with the MLB team? His worth?
Well if he can’t hit MLB pitching now nothing about more time in AAA is going to change that!
So might as well find out what he is NOW where the season isn’t at risk than wait till 2014 when it might be if all the Sandy folks are right!
If he had never seen a AAA pitcher it would be one thing…
If he has never hit historically as well….
But he has just after a struggle early on a level jump.
There is nothing to be gained by waiting for him to hit AAA Pitching before you let him struggle against MLB pitching….
Get it out of the way NOW when the games are being played with 2014 in mind and don’t matter because we already gave up on this year with our Offseasonal lack of moves!
No better time than the present to expose him to the MLB and let him adjust so when the games are meaningful again he is all ready and the hardships and adjustments are behind him.
LoL, and just like that there are 25 comments. I guess the title change worked.
I think we all know my thoughts on this one…I’m the captain of the MDD bandwagon
*clears throat*
Sorry Mitch, but I lay claim to that title.
they will want him to have some success in AAA before they bring him up. It’s what they do.
This is starting to become redundant.
Den Dekker definitely deserves to be the starting CF without a doubt in my mind. The #1 thing the team needs to focus on with it’s OF this season is DEFENSE. If this team is gonna exceed some low (and with some fans, ludicrous) expectations, defense is gonna carry us. It’s weird how people always bring up Den Dekker’s high K rate, but yet he has the ability to hit for a high BA and slug 16-20 HRs. It’s ironic that he robbed Austin Jackson, a man who has struck out over 100 times at practically every level, yet succeeded. Last season should be an example: .300 BA, 16 HRs, 66 RBIs. You cannot tell me Den Dekker couldn’t pull that off. With that said, WHO CARES if he hit .220 late in AAA? There’s virtually no point to start him there when he’ll eventually be up here, where he’ll need to adjust AGAIN. Let the kid get his feet wet. It worked for Ruben Tejada, didn’t it? What did he hit in his first year, .213?
And yeah John, you missed the boat on the topic title. Jersey got that slogan stuck in my head the other day with “You down with MDD?”
Any chance we can get a graphic of that later in the season, Joe?
“.300 BA, 16 HRs, 66 RBIs. You cannot tell me Den Dekker couldn’t pull that off.”
Considering he just .220 in AAA, expecting him to hit .300 as a rookie is absolute lunacy.
Way to completely miss the point.
no you’re missing the point.
You are assuming that his struggles in AAA are solely because of an adjustment period and not because of the possibility that he simply isn’t a good enough hitter.
If he is as ready as you all think, then he should come out really strong in AAA, play his way onto the Mets and by the end of the season he’ll have gone through his adjustments at the MLB level and be ready to be our everyday CF in 2014.
I see no downside whatsoever in having him earn a spot on the team like Valdespin has thus far…
“You are assuming that his struggles in AAA are solely because of an adjustment period and not because of the possibility that he simply isn’t a good enough hitter.”
Or maybe it is because it’s a repeat of last year, where he stunk in AA, but tore up AA going into the next season. If he starts in AAA, he’ll be there as long as Ike Davis was.
If he hits like Davis did then by all means call him up. But he’s done nothing with the bat in AAA or ST, to warrant consideration.
This talk of him making the team out of ST is laughable. He was terrible in AAA last season and he’s shown in ST that his bat is still not ready with his .222/.250 and 10 K in 27 AB
When the Mets fall out of contention again or the current OF suck, then sure call him up, but you don’t give a rookie a starting job out of camp when he’s done nothing to deserve it.
If I was den Dekker I would be taking till I get two strikes every single at bat I get this spring. To A) see as may pitches (spinners) as I possibly can, and 2) work on my two strike hitting and discipline. It’s clearly what’s gonna be the difference between him being a bum and being a very serviceable everyday major leaguer.
Nope. I’m not. Love the glove on a great offense. Not the bat with this offense.
I think he might be th best of the bunch but I do not htink they will do it. His history is that he fails at the next level and then the following year lights it up. He failed at AAA late last year. They may bring himup in June or something. I like him. Got a nice swing and looks like a ballplayer. They are obsessed with Ks. So many successful MLers have horrenous K ratios. He has a quick bat and good op. And he is already a premeir D guy.
**good pop
It’s not an obsession. It’s pointing out a fact.
Show me one good major league hitter, who strikes out 25% of the time. Sure, your power bats like Dunn and Reynolds do, but they hit tons of homeruns as well.
Some of the commenters here have the “anti-stats” approach, which is fine. But Den Dekker cannot be a regular without sabatoging the already weak offense.
I mentioned him before when everyone was talking about Bourn being signed. He has always been an elite defensive player that was noticed from his highlight reel catch in college. So when Den Dekker says that he has always made these kind of catches in response to the media he’s not exaggerating…….Den Dekker just might get lucky being on the right team at the right time that could allow for his defense to play while trying to adjust his hitting….Kirk N.and DD strangely are quite similar players in age 25 (both have birthdays in August) and skill set with DD being better defensively and less injury prone but they have similar K%. It remains to be seen who is given a shot between all the players involved. Interesting!
if he even holds his own with the bat, he will pretty much be Bourn. Who really does not do much offensively. The only number that is normally not mungy is steals, and even there, the last few years his CS% has been 25%, pretty much negating the benefit.
and as it relates to the MDD debate, Bourns 1st real year (as a starter) was coincidently when he was 25. and he put up the stellar offensive #s of .229/.288/.300/.588. with 5 HRs and 29 RBIs in 514 PAs.
to put that in perspective, as historically bad Bay was last year, he had a .536 OPS. So Bourn was far from a ML level player outside of his glove. His 2nd year though was quite a bit better, getting up to at least Luis Castillo level! Back when he was not a shell.
Bourns career OPS/OPS+ is still only .704/90, so he really has been living all these years (and now getting paid quite well) off his glove.
Anyone can see he is not ready with the bat, he can be sent down so that’s what should happen so he can work on cutting down on the montgsstrikeouts. He can up up later in the year. Cowgill will be fine if he can do close to what he is doing in spring training.
Clearly, NOT everyone can see that he isn’t ready. Typical spring training with people falling in love with pipe dreams.
“It is an offensive game, until it is lost with POOR pitching and DEFENSE.” i rest my case. Nobody on this team can carry the kid’s glove. He’ll save 10 games / year. And he’ll hit .220 10 hr / 40 rbi’s, steal 20 bases, score 70 runs, his first year in Bigs. Plenty.
Wow that is an amazing prediction, first off there is no way he scores 70 runs hitting at the bottom of this order, and yes he will hit there because he will strikeout close to 200 times and that will not happen at the top of the line up. He has options and they will send him down to get time in triple A. From what I can see Cowgill is way ahead with his bat and patience and while he is not as good defensively as DD, he plays good defense and makes the plays, it is an easy decision and by far the correct one.
Den Dekker usually adjusts to each level and starts to hit, so let him do that at triple A and cut down on the strikeouts, it is common sense. Some of you guys sound like this dude I heard on the radio talking about fixing the Yankees problems, he said ” why don’t we just trade Joba and Nunez for Joey Votto and the problem is solved” LOL