Major League Baseball released the nominees for the 2020 All-MLB First and Second Team Thursday morning. There are five Mets on the ballot; first baseman Dominic Smith, second baseman Robinson Cano, outfielder Michael Conforto, starting pitcher Jacob deGrom and relief pitcher Edwin Diaz.
Fans can vote for the candidates of their choice beginning today through Friday, November 13th at 2:00 p.m. Winners will be announced in early December on MLB Network. Voting can be done by clicking on this link or on the MLB App once every 24 hours. The complete list of candidates are available at MLB.com.
Smith has already gained some recognition this offseason when he was named as a finalist for the 2020 Hank Aaron Award. Smith, who played first base, left field and designated hitter this season, led the Mets offense in doubles (21), RBIs (42), OPS (.993) and slugging percentage (.616).
Cano had a resurgence after an undesirable 2019 season. He was able to play 49 games, hit a slash line of .319/.352/.544. Cano also mashed 10 homers and drove in 30 runs.
Conforto established himself as a premier offensive threat this season for the club, hitting .322/.412/.515. The right fielder smacked nine homers and drove in 31 runs. However, his season was cut a bit short due to a hamstring injury.
deGrom was phenomenal once again for the Mets. The two-time Cy Young Award winner led the National League with 104 strikeouts to go along with his 2.38 ERA and .956 WHIP over 68 innings of work.
One of the biggest surprises of the season was the work of Diaz. After trading away top prospect Jarred Kelenic for Diaz and Cano, most fans expected the reliever to be a mainstay at closer for years to come. The Mets finally caught a glimpse of that guy this season.
Diaz completed the season with a 1.75 ERA, six saves and 50 strikeouts over 25.2 innings pitched. Although his season wasn’t completely perfect, he took a major step in the right direction and figures to be locked in at closer next season.
