Curtis Granderson has struggled with consistency hitting from the leadoff spot for the Mets this season, batting just .239 albeit with a .331 on-base percentage.
But lately, it’s been a grind for Granderson. He’s batting just .174 in his last six games and producing just a .303 on-base in a 12 game span.
Manager Terry Collins, however, doesn’t see a capable replacement for the leadoff spot from any of his other candidates.
Although he offers the most speed at the top of the lineup, Juan Lagares has just a .305 on-base percentage, certain not a suitable mark for the No.1 spot in the lineup.
“It’s got to be a guy that gets on base,” said Collins. “As much as we like Juan, the way he’s swinging the bat, he’s not a get-on-base guy.”
“The one guy who gets on base is Ruben. So as you’re looking at options down the road, he’s the one guy who you could possibly put there.”
Ruben Tejada may be the best option with a .346 OBP, but he will most likely go back to his backup role once Daniel Murphy comes back from the DL this weekend.
Overall Mets leadoff hitters have a combined .223 average and a .302 on-base percentage this year.
Clearly there’s a need for improvement here, but it’s just one of many items on Sandy Alderson’s to-do list, and it doesn’t appear they can fix this internally due to a lack of options. So Curt Granderson it is.
