Playing left field in place of Michael Cuddyer who got the game off, outfielder Darrell Ceciliani went 2-for-3 on Tuesday night as the Mets edged the Blue Jays 3-2.
Ceciliani, who played a pivotal role in the win, continues to earn playing time and is hitting .538 (7-13) over his last six games dating back to June 11 while playing solid defense.
“We use the term loosely a lot, but to me he typifies it: He’s a baseball player,” Terry Collins said. “No batting gloves, hits the ball to all fields, runs the bases hard, runs them intelligently.” (Newsday)
The 24-year old rookie continues to make the most of his opportunity and he’s quickly become an integral part of the Mets bench.
Lot’s of good things happening for the Mets right now. LGM
June 15
What a revelation Darrell Ceciliani has been off the bench for the New York Mets since joining the team on May 19.
A fourth-round pick in the 2009 draft, the Mets turned to Ceciliani after they designated Kirk Nieuwenhuis for assignment. He was hitting .336 with five homers and 17 RBIs in 113 at-bats for Triple-A Las Vegas while playing solid defense in center field.
After Michael Cuddyer requested Sunday’s game off, Ceciliani got the start in left field and hit his first major league home run, a booming shot to right field in the fourth inning.
Entering the game, he was hitting .389 (7-18) this month with two doubles and two RBI, and was 4-for-his-last-9 (.444) during his three-game hitting streak.
On Friday against the Braves, Ceciliani entered the game in the seventh inning and manufactured a run with a leadoff single and then after stealing second base he scored on an RBI double by Cuddyer.
Ceciliani, 24, has also showed off his strong defense in limited play this season. He collected his first career outfield assist on Saturday after making a difficult grab in left and then firing it home to nail Cameron Maybin at the plate.
It’s not clear what the Mets plan to do with Nieuwenhuis, who was claimed off waivers on Saturday. But Ceciliani shouldn’t have anything to worry about as he has earned his place on the Mets bench.
In fact, while Nieuwenhuis had just three hits in 38 at-bats with the Mets, Ceciliani has more than tripled that output with 10 hits in 36 at-bats. Safe to say, Ceciliani isn’t going anywhere.
