With the Mets obtaining Robinson Cano, and the Mets stated preferences to have Peter Alonso, there was an open question as to who would be the Mets third baseman. Between Todd Frazier having a down and injury-plagued year, and Jeff McNeil bursting onto the scene, the decision did not seem clear-cut.
Today, at the Winter Meetings, Mets Manager Mickey Callaway answered the questions by naming Frazier the Mets 2019 third baseman, saying, “As we stand here today, Todd Frazier is going to be standing at third base.”
While Frazier had his struggles at the plate, he did not have issues in the field. In 954 innings, he had a 2 DRS, which would rank as third best among National Leaguers who will play third base next year.
At the moment, Frazier is the lone right-handed power bat on the 40-man roster. This very well may have an impact on the team’s decision making with the team having so many left-handed hitters.
With respect to McNeil, he is expected to be on the bench, and Callaway is “excited” to use him as a weapon off the bench. Even with him coming off the bench, Callaway wants to get McNeil’s bat into the lineup, and he can envision him playing across the infield and in left field.
Of course, with how aggressive Brodie Van Wagenen has been this offseason, this is all subject to change.
