New York Mets shortstop, Asdrubal Cabrera has been an unsung acquisition for this team. For the first time since Jose Reyes departed this team after the 2011 season, the Mets have a quality all-around player at shortstop.
He has been great with the glove, more than adequate with the bat and has been a pleasure to watch. Manager, Terry Collins has been quite pleased with what he has seen so far from the former Tampa Bay Ray.
“He’s a pro. This winter, when we were talking about him at the winter meetings, I talked to a couple scouts and they said he probably can’t play short any more, Collins said. “I believe scouts. I trust them, [but] I’ve got to tell you something: They’re wrong on this guy. This guy can really play shortstop.”
“I think he’s gotten this opportunity because he likes to play shortstop to go out and show people that he still can. That play he made [Friday] night in the hole, no disrespect to the guys who have been here the last few years, we haven’t made that play. So he brings a lot to the table.” (NY Post)
Cabrera and new second baseman, Neil Walker have come together as the best double play combo the Mets have seen in a long time. The duo tends to make most plays with ease, and Cabrera especially is so smooth in the field. The defense behind the pitching has been one of the biggest question marks for this team in recent times, and at least up the middle that seems to have been solved.
“He’s a great second baseman. He knows how to play the game right,” Cabrera said. “I feel really comfortable having him next to me at second base.”
Cabrera has had a knack so far this season of being in the right place at the right time, no matter the hitter. A true professional, who is playing his tenth season in the majors in 2016. He positions himself perfectly and has sured up the infield. Gone are the misnomers of seasons past as the Mets now put a formidable defensive team on the field.
“The knock on him was that his range wasn’t as great as a lot of other shortstops, but I’ve been really impressive with the balls that he’s been able to get to,” Walker said. “That has a lot to do with reading hitters, understanding situations anticipating. That’s been the one thing that has impressed me more than anything else.”
Cabrera, 30, hasn’t just been reliable in the field, he has also been a formidable bat in the lineup. So far this season he has produced a slash line of .300/.364/.764. He has hit one homer with seven RBI.
“It’s the same game. It’s baseball. National League, American League. It’s baseball I just come here and try to do my thing. Do my work and help the team to win,” Cabrera said. “It’s only been a month but we have a really good team. We have good pitchers — great pitchers — good hitters. But it’s a long season and we have to keep doing what we’re doing and see what happens.”
In what good be the most underrated signing of free agency for the Mets, Cabrera is making Sandy Alderson again look like a genius. He has been everything this team had been missing in the infield, to start the season.
