Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
It’s tough to believe there was a worse offensive position for the Mets than catcher last season but there was.
The Mets need to address their pinch-hitting situation before the season begins.
MLB Trade Rumors went through each National League team’s worst position and how they addressed it. The Mets were pinch-hitting where they generated 0.0 bWAR. Even their catchers had 0.1 bWAR.
Now with James McCann off the roster and the addition of Omar Narvaez and more playing time for Francisco Alvarez the Mets should gain a lot more offensive ability from behind the plate.
Last season Mets pinch hitters were abysmal. They slashed .145/.268/.217 with one home run in 98 at-bats. The Mets used a pinch hitter 98 times, and they earned a hit 12 times and walked 14. Gross.
Of course, this is a bit random of a stat but it also speaks to the quality of player they were using in the situation. With the designated hitter in the National League, the value or need of a pinch hitter has vastly decreased but the Mets need to find a way to contribute situationally.
The Mets had 264 pinch-hit at-bats in 2021, a decrease of more than half. They slashed .258/.325/.438 in those appearances.
Manager Buck Showalter was not pushing the right buttons this year nor did the front office provide him with them.
J.D. Davis led the Mets with 13 at-bats, Dominic Smith – who didn’t appear on a major league roster after May – had 12, Mark Canha had 10, and Darin Ruf had eight. Combined they had seven hits. Canha went 0-for-10.
When the pressure was on (calculated by Pinch Hit Leverage Index) the Mets went for Daniel Vogelbach (2.65 PHlev) 0-for-6, Jeff McNeil (3.19 PHlev) 0-for-3, and Smith (1.79 PHlev), 3-for-12.
With the potential addition of Carlos Correa, the Mets could gain an incredible (and probably someone who is too good to be one) bench bat. Eduardo Escobar shifts from the everyday third baseman to a platoon/bench bat while Correa takes third. The Mets could even experiment with him and Canha (despite his struggles at the spot last season) on the bench and create an incredible defensive infield with Luis Guillorme at second and McNeil in left field.
Escobar also gives the Mets something they’ve lacked on their bench. A switch-hitter. Escobar can get comfortable in his role and have the matchup advantage against either-handed reliever.
Escobar has hit lefties better throughout his career (.275/.319/.464) than righties (.245/.303/.423). In pinch-hitting situations last season he was 2-for-2 and is 13-for-56 in his career.
He might not be pinch-hit king Brandon Drury (11-30 with three home runs in 2021) but he’s certainly the best option the Mets presently have on their roster.
Escobar’s contract will force him into the lineup enough and this will likely be his easiest path to at-bats with the durability of those ahead of him not in question.
The Mets have a lot of good pieces and it would be a shame to drop one like Escobar for someone who won’t help you achieve your goal of winning the World Series this year. It’s only a matter of time until someone is injured and you’ll need him then. But for now, let him pinch hit.
