No, this isn’t an article calling for Michael Conforto or Brandon Nimmo to get called up to the majors so lets just get that out of the way first. Those two should not be called up to replace the ailing and aging Michael Cuddyer. Michael Conforto noted himself that he has things to work on in Double-A still. Sure he has torn the cover off the ball in general, including three hits last night including a home-run. However, he did encounter a rough patch over the past week or so (see: Michael Conforto Struggles Over The Past Week).
I know players have found success in the past coming up from Double-A straight to the majors but I am personally not a fan of this. Especially with a guy like Conforto. He is the biggest hitting prospect the Mets have had in a long, long time. Yes he is a quick to the majors guy. Yes he is a seasoned college bat. But why rush him just because the Mets don’t want to acquire any big-league talent?
Another prospect, Brandon Nimmo, is also off limits in my opinion. While he does have 400+ at-bats in Double-A, he did miss most of this season thus far with a knee injury. He has battled injuries his whole life and the Mets still hope he will develop a bit more of a power-stroke before his debut. Again, a top hitting prospect the Mets have no business rushing just because they don’t have other talent.
Now, lets get to the realistic options:
Kirk Nieuwenhuis
Kirk is a guy that the Mets are very comfortable with putting on the bench and striking out swinging once a game during a pinch-hitting opportunity. I love Kirk, but his bat is not major league caliber. His glove on the other hand is dynamite in the field, which is a nice change from Cuddyer. He has the ability to play all three outfield positions which is also a nice plus. While Kirk has been tearing the cover off the ball in Triple-A since returning to the Mets organization, we have seen that before. Another issue this time around is that he is no longer on the 40-man roster. However, the Mets seem to not be all that concerned with that at this point. If Cuddyer lands on the DL, I would imagine Kirk is the short-term replacement.
Travis Taijeron
The 26-year-old was an 18th round pick in the 2011 draft out of high school. He has been relatively consistent in the minors since then, batting slightly under .300. 2015 might be his best year so far as he is producing at a .297/.407/.545 clip with 13 home-runs and 40 RBIs. He has struck out 78 times this season, which leads me to believe this bat might be all-to-familiar to the one that rests in Kirk’s hands. However, I wouldn’t mind seeing him given a shot. He has particularly hit the ball well off of lefties, hitting .338/.452/.706 against them so far in his 2015 campaign with seven home-runs.
Alex Castellanos
Castellanos was drafted back in 2008 by the St. Louis Cardinals. I think something nice about Castellanos is that he is very flexible when it comes to positioning him in the field. While he can play all three outfield spots, he also has played a handful of games at third-base this year and has also played second-base in the past. Of course, I would keep him in the OF or 3B as much as possible, but it’s always nice to have options.
The 28-year-old has produced a similar clip to Taijeron this year: .292/.364/.567 with 12 home-runs and 46 RBIs. He has a handful less strikeouts then Taijeron but these two are really neck-and-neck when if the decision was betweeen the pair.
Jayce Boyd
Boyd is the most intriguing of the players listed. He is a college bat out of Florida State University that was drafted in the 6th round in 2012 by the Mets. He rose through the minors fairly quickly and since being promoted to Las Vegas earlier this season, he has produced at a solid clip. He’s a contact hitter that has shown the ability to keep his walk and strikeout rate fairly close. He is hitting .303 so far this year in Triple-A. Boyd also plays first base, a similar mold to that of Cuddyer.
None of the players listed above (outside of Conforto and Nimmo) are on the 40-man roster so that will obviously play a role in the ultimate decision. We will see the outcome of Cuddyer’s MRI results today, but if the information released by the Mets is anything like that of which was released during d’Arnaud’s latest fiasco, don’t believe the first headline you read.
Happy hump-day everyone.
