Somebody forgot to give Nick Evans the memo. The young first baseman started the spring with a one way ticket to AAA Buffalo, but all bets are off now. Apparently, either nobody told Evans, or he decided on his own to make it utterly impossible for the Mets to send him to the minors. You rock dude!
This kid is has been relentless at the plate… His sheer determination may have clinched his place on the Opening Day roster.
He is now batting .308 and leads the Mets with three homers and 12 RBI’s. (Hell yeah!)
“I knew I had to come in here and just play as well as I could play, just to give myself an opportunity,” Evans said.
Evans, 23, may not find a permanent position this season barring an injury or catastrophe at first base or left field, but he could still play a vital role as a reserve.
He may not have the poise of Daniel Murphy, the speed of Jose Reyes or the power of David Wright, but the Mets envision Evans as their first baseman of the future. The Mets believe that Evans will deliver the prototypical power you would expect from first base along with a solid batting average in the .285 range.
To ensure that Evans gets plenty of at-bats, the Mets are considering upping the ante on his versatility and are considering some time in left field, right field, third base and first base.
Last season in AA Binghamton, Evans batted a robust .311 and had already slugged 14 homers and drove in 53 runners in just 296 at-bats before the Mets came knocking and promoted him to the show.
He held his own with a .257 batting average in 109 at-bats with the Mets, including a .319 average against lefthanded pitching. Evans might just be the right handed bat we’ve been pining for all off season long.
I love how focused he is at the plate and his enthusiasm is absolutely refreshing.
I hope he continues his torrid pace at the plate, and that he makes the team and is the first righty bat I see coming off the bench to pinch hit on Opening Day… and I bet he delivers!
