One of the questions surrounding the Mets’ 2016-2017 offseason is, “What the heck are the Mets going to do at second base?” There are certainly many options, a popular one being to bring back Neil Walker, who played very well before having his season cut short by back surgery. There were many injuries like his that ravaged the Mets in 2016, however there were also many pleasant surprises as well. One surprise’s name is T.J. Rivera.
Rivera, who slashed .333/.345/.476 in 33 MLB games, showed a lot of versatility as an infielder as well. Specifically, he played an impressive second base, playing 26 games (170.2 innings) there and making zero errors in 78 chances. Paired up with Wilmer Flores, they could make a formidable platoon at second base.
Rivera would serve as the starter against right handed pitchers. He has had reverse splits in his career, meaning he hits better against righties than lefties. In his 33 MLB games, he has hit .386/.397/.600 of right-handed pitching, compared to .227/.227/.227 against left-handers. This is consistent with his career numbers, as in the Minor Leagues, he hit .329 against righties and .312 against lefties.
Wilmer Flores, though also a right-handed batter, has fared especially well against left-handed pitching. In his career, Flores has hit .268/.321/.509 against lefties and only .253/.287/.374 against righties. Since 2015, however, his splits have really started to improve against left-handers. In 214 plate appearances against lefties, he has hit .325/.369/.655 with a home run every 11.11 at bats. He has a better eye against lefty pitchers as well, drawing more walks (6.1% to 4.9%) and striking out less (12.1% to 13.5%).
At second base, T.J. Rivera has a career .979 FLD% in 2707.2 innings, and Wilmer Flores has a career .990 FLD% in 576.0 innings. They have both shown that they can play a solid defensive second base, and they have value elsewhere as they can both play virtually any infield position. If one is needed to fill in for David Wright, Asdrubal Cabrera, Jose Reyes, or any other infielder that needs a day off, the other can start at second in his stead.
It seems to make sense to have these two platooning at second base. If the Mets can go out and get a star-caliber second baseman, like Ian Kinsler or Brian Dozier, that would be great. However, if that can’t happen, the Mets could have a viable option at the keystone in T.J. Rivera and Wilmer Flores.
