Asdrubal Cabrera, as of now, seems to be the favorite to start the season at third base for the Mets. The only catch is that he would rather man second.
“Third base is not easy, when they moved me over there during the season it was kind of hard for me that first month, so yeah, I prefer second base,’’ Cabrera told Kevin Kernan of the New York Post. “If I had the opportunity to pick a position, I would pick second base.”
If you remember last June, Cabrera requested a trade out of New York because the Mets wanted to move him off shortstop to play second. But just over six months later and the tables have turned.
At the plate is where Cabrera shines, as he hit 14 homers and drove in 59 RBI in 540 plate appearances last year. He also hit to a .280/.351/.434 clip with a 111 wRC+ and .338 wOBA.
In the field, Cabrera actually has better stats at third than second. In 350.1 innings at the hot corner in 2017, he was good for one defensive run saved (DRS) and had a -2.6 UZR. At second, he registered a -6 DRS and a 0.9 UZR in 274.1 innings played.
“I like to play third, but I prefer to play second because I’ve played more there than third base,’’ Cabrera said. “I just feel more comfortable there.
“I’m real excited to be back,’’ he said of the Mets. “I’m happy they picked up my option.”
Cabrera does regret what happened back in June, saying he was mad and that he was upset with the lack of communication.
However, he is familiar with Mickey Callaway from his time with the Cleveland Indians in 2013-14 and called him a great guy.
“Now that he’s a manager I hope that he stays the same guy,” he said. “If he does the same things that he did in Cleveland for us now, it will be good for the team.
“He is the kind of coach who really talks to the players,’’ he continued. “Communication is so important and he learned from [Terry] Francona. Francona always tries to keep you on top of the game and keeps you happy. Tito is a manager who likes to see the players happy.”
The Mets have reportedly had qualms about pursuing Todd Frazier because they prefer Cabrera at third. It will be interesting to see how this will shake out now.
