Ed Delany/MMO
Just as it has every year since 2016, the prospect of an initially loaded New York Mets’ depth chart “working itself out” has again come into play – this time just a week into spring training games. And while the injuries to Jed Lowrie (knee capsule sprain) and Todd Frazier (oblique strain) have not been explicitly defined as either long-term or worthy of a stint on the injured list, this is a definitely a familiar script for the organization’s roster, coaching staff, and fanbase.
Both Lowrie and Frazier, who entered camp expected to comprise both the corners of the Mets’ infield as well as (potentially) the middle of the order, immediately have left holes that, fortunately for the Mets, can be filled in-house. With that said, however, there are a handful of different routes skipper Mickey Callaway can take in constructing a lineup that, while unlikely to pose the same threat offensively, can at least suffice on the other side of the ball.
Any adjustment to the depth chart likely begins with former infielder-turned Swiss army knife Jeff McNeil, who would vacate his post in left field to assume duties at the hot corner. General manager Brodie Van Wagenen even confirmed this assumption in a discussion with reporters earlier today. Despite just 16 innings at third during the regular season last year, McNeil’s career .950 fielding percentage and 2.56 range factor per nine innings in 151 minor-league games doesn’t deviate too badly from Lowrie’s .967 and 2.53 in 145 big-league appearances.
Taking McNeil out of the outfield would also have its benefits for both Michael Conforto and Juan Lagares, the former of whom would wind up occupying his natural position in left with a path to everyday action in center opening for the latter. Not to mention, McNeil would be spared the labor of immediately hopping into a position that – at least on the professional level – is still foreign.
Of course, as both Lagares and Keon Broxton move up the food chain from their prior roles as fourth and fifth outfielders, a spot on the bench opens up as well. Though non-roster invitees Rajai Davis, Grégor Blanco, and Rymer Liriano all stack up as passable worst-case replacements, the Mets would be wise to take a stab at either Denard Span or Carlos Gómez, who both remain on the free agent market. Span would be an especially useful depth addition, at least relative to the aforementioned three, and having already reportedly drawn interest from the Mets, a small-scale deal is certainly realistic. With a 5.5 fWAR and .748 OPS since 2015, Span could prove a solid find for any interested ballclub.
Frazier’s more recent injury has opened the floor for a conversation about potential replacements at first base. While top prospect Pete Alonso continues to slug his way onto the map, there remains little doubt that, even if they are to give him a starting job in the near future, the Mets would wait until after the first two weeks of the regular season, at which point they would not have to sacrifice a year of team control.
As a consequence, the club’s first 11 games remain up for grabs. J.D. Davis and T.J. Rivera both have an opportunity to prove themselves capable of holding down a spot on the active roster with such an opening, but the real window of opportunity belongs to Dominic Smith. After losing out on regular playing time thanks to both a quad injury and a clear preference for whatever two months the club could get out of Adrián González, Smith has become an afterthought of sorts on the Mets’ 40-man roster.
A .665 OPS and 79 wRC+ in 332 big-league plate appearances will do that to anyone, though Smith’s status as MLB Pipeline‘s 55th-ranked prospect prior to the 2017 season tends to fall by the wayside with his name. And rest assured, the odds of Smith running away with the first base job at the eleventh hour are slim-to-none if Alonso keeps up at his current pace. Even so, a torrid spring and impressive two weeks to open 2019 would leave the organization no choice but to keep Smith around in some way or another, perhaps even as a corner outfielder.
A defensive alignment that would call for McNeil, Smith, and Lagares all chipping in on a regular basis assumes that both Frazier and Lowrie remain sidelined over the course of the next month and a half. It should be reiterated that neither player is necessarily expected to miss extensive time, and such a means of shuffling around is merely speculation. Nonetheless, the worst-case scenario, as it currently stands, might be worst-case in name only. There are still players worthy of starting time at the Mets’ disposal.
