In 2012, the Mets selected shortstop Gavin Cecchini with their first round pick in the MLB draft. The hope was that he would develop into exactly what he has — a solid middle infielder that hits for a high average and got on base. After hitting .317/.377/.442 in Double-A last season, he’s off to a .320/.401/.447 start in Triple-A this year. With low strikeout totals throughout his minor league career, Cecchini has a knack for putting the ball in play. When you throw in that he’s not an elite defender and somewhat overlooked as a prospect, Cecchini is in many ways the minor league version of Daniel Murphy.
And like Murphy, Cecchini could be headed elsewhere soon. Cecchini’s chances as the Mets’ future shortstop looks bleak. The Mets have Asdrubal Cabrera under contract through 2017, and his likely replacement is the fast-rising Amed Rosario. At second base, Cecchini seems to be blocked by Dilson Herrera, who has hit even better than Cecchini in the minor leagues and is regarded as a potential impact player at the next level.
The Mets seem to like Wilmer Flores as a third base/utility role hybrid, and he’s under contract through 2020. And speaking of that role, the Mets have a team option on Jose Reyes for next season. Considering the Mets owe him the league minimum, it’s likely they exercise it if he can keep up what he’s been doing so far. Long-term, Luis Carpio is a 19-year old middle infielder that scouts seem to like at least as much as Cecchini even with a torn labrum that has knocked him out for all of 2016.
So that leaves Cecchini most likely without a spot on the roster until 2018. Now it’s possible that Flores gets traded or some one gets unexpectedly hurt, but if the Mets have shown anything over the last few seasons, it’s that they aren’t too keen on giving young hitters playing time on their infield. If Herrera still isn’t in the major leagues, then it’s unlikely Cecchini will get there before him.
It doesn’t take much to add it all up and see where that leaves Cecchini in the Mets’ future plans. The Mets have a win-now attitude. Cecchini is the team’s top prospect who appears available for trade. He also is unlikely to have a substantial role with the Mets until at least 2018. However, he can be considered major league ready and could potentially start right away or by the end of 2016 for any team he is traded to.
When the Mets drafted Cecchini in 2012, their middle infield was in disarray. Now when he’s on the cusp on promotion, the middle infield is perhaps the deepest part of their team. But that doesn’t mean Cecchini won’t have an impact on the Mets. If he’s traded for something that can get the Mets back to the World Series, he’ll have served a very important role on this team — trade chip.
