Speaking to Mike Francesca on Wednesday, Mets manager Mickey Callaway said that Juan Lagares will not only be the Opening Day center fielder, but will see plenty of playing time out there in the near future.
“He’s going to play center a lot,” Callaway said. “We have to continue to value defense – we have great pitching, and when you have great pitching you need to have great defense. You’re going to see Lego out there quite a bit.”
Lagares, 30, is healthy coming into 2019 after missing most of 2018 with a torn ligament in his toe which forced him to undergo surgery. Of course, as his history suggests, there is no telling how long the “healthy” label will last.
Before his injury in 2018, Lagares had been hitting .339/.375/.390 in 64 plate appearances after working extensively in the prior offseason with the same hitting coach that transformed hitters such as Chris Taylor and J.D. Martinez.
As for his defense, Lagares (when on the field) is one of the best defensive center fielders in the game, if not the best. The 2014 Gold Glove winner had 26 defensive runs saved in only 945 innings (116 games) that season. More recently, across only 566.2 innings in 2017, he recorded a whopping 15 DRS, 10.4 UZR, and 22.8 UZR/150. In only 128.1 innings in 2018, Lagares saved five runs defensively.
When healthy, we all know Lagares will play superb defense. We don’t know, however, what we will see from him offensively. After a weak Spring Training in which he hit .196/.211/.286 with one home run in the last game, doubts remain around the Gold Glover. Only time will tell if he will hit this season, but if he hits even just a little bit, he will be in center field.
The story of Juan Lagares revolves around two things – his glove and his health. Right now, Lagares is healthy. While there is no telling how long that will last, he is the best defensive option in center field and if he hits even a little bit, he will be out there in center.
