The Mets roster is significantly improved going into the 2019 season, but with great expectations comes great pressure.
Nobody in the organization is likely to face as much of that as Mickey Callaway, who will be entering his second year as the team’s skipper.
Callaway, 43, is going to be tasked with a major challenge in regards to playing time. After adding Jed Lowrie, Robinson Cano, and Keon Broxton, Callaway is going to tasked with finding playing time for those four in addition to Juan Lagares, Jeff McNeil, Todd Frazier, and eventually Peter Alonso.
Let’s start with the outfield conundrum. The additions of Lowrie and Cano have relegated Jeff McNeil into the outfield and a super-utility role. However, his 137 wRC+ and 2.7 fWAR in 63 games last season makes him a must-play in the lineup.
That has led the team to strongly consider using McNeil in the outfield with some regularity, despite having not played it in a few years.
However, by doing that, the team is potentially sacrificing defense as Brandon Nimmo would shift to center field (-5 DRS and -4.0 UZR in 542 innings) and Michael Conforto would move to right field to accommodate McNeil on the left side.
Juan Lagares and Keon Broxton will still need some time in the outfield too, though, which could lead to the possibility of a rare righty-righty platoon, as Lagares fares better against right-handers than he does southpaws while Broxton mashes lefties with a career .790 OPS against them.
In all likelihood, the team will try to use McNeil in the outfield as much as they can against righties and then play Broxton or Lagares against lefties. Occasionally, the team could also sit one of Nimmo or Conforto against a tough lefty.
Anyways, Callaway will also be tasked with managing the Todd Frazier-Peter Alonso conundrum that will arise likely before the end of April. The team is paying the former $9 million in 2019, but will likely see Alonso take the first base job from him early in the season rendering Frazier to the bench.
Frazier, turning 33 before Spring Training starts, still needs to be used more than as a pinch-hitter, with a lefty-mashing role also making a ton of sense for him. However, the spot in the field will be difficult to find for him, but a couple of options would be moving him to the outfield, where he has played in the past, or sitting Robinson Cano or Jed Lowrie thereby opening up a spot at the hot corner. That problem won’t arise, though, until Alonso gets called up.
Despite the difficult challenge, Callaway appears to be up to it, as he spoke glowingly about the new roster configuration on MLB Network Sirius XM Radio.
“We’re going to be able to compete, no matter who’s pitching against us.”
Considering the options he has at his disposal, Callaway should be right. It’s going to require him managing properly, though. That means picking and choosing matchups that give players the best chance to succeed and controlling the clubhouse with a bunch of talented players looking to enter the lineup on a regular basis.
If he fails to do this, he might find himself out of a job very quickly for a few reasons.
One is the most obvious of the three in that the team has enormous expectations in 2019, as evidenced by their trading of top prospects Jarred Kelenic and Justin Dunn to acquire Robinson Cano (35) and Edwin Diaz. Teams that aren’t trying to win right away don’t make deals like that.
The team also brought in Jim Riggleman as their new bench coach this offseason in order to assist with the adjustment process for Callaway and to avoid the learning curve he dealt with in 2018. Gary DiSarcina was in the role last season, but the team realized it needed someone with more experience, particularly in the NL, to assist Callaway.
Finally, Callaway was not hired by this regime. Brodie Van Wagenen was brought in with his manager in place and while the GM decided to keep Callaway for his first year in charge of the club, he likely has a shorter leash with him than he would have if Sandy Alderson was still charge, who hired Callaway last offseason.
How Callaway manages playing time is likely going to go a long way in determining the success of this team and it is going to potentially be the most critical aspect of Callaway’s role this upcoming season. If he fails to handle it properly and the team falters, he might not last as the team’s skipper throughout the season.
