Following the Mets’ first full squad workout of the spring on Monday morning, manager Mickey Callaway spoke with reporters, here’s what we learned:
1 Callaway Praised the Mets’ Experience
One of the big things that Mickey Callaway focused on Monday afternoon was the experience that this 2019 Mets ball club has. This offseason alone, the Mets added veterans Jed Lowrie, Wilson Ramos, and Robinson Cano.
“We have a ton of playoff experience in that room, between the players and coaches we have a combined 209 games in the World Series. That’s impressive, so that’s experience that is valuable to everything we do,” Callaway said.
It was also pointed out that while meeting with his team this morning, Callaway asked all the players with playoff experience to stand up just to show just how much experience this club truly has.
2 Frazier will be Used at Both Corner Infield Spots
Speaking of the Mets experience, Mickey Callaway discussed how he is going to use veteran infielder Todd Frazier during camp. with the Mets added depth, Frazier is likely to see time at both first and third base.
“You’re going to see him playing first and third quite a bit. We’re going to want to get him as comfortable as we can at both positions. Obviously he’s a great third baseman in my opinion on defense, and we’re going to make sure his defense at first is the same way,” Callaway said.
“He’s very confident that he can move over to first base and be probably a Gold Glover, you move a guy over from third to first and he’s going to shine over there,” Callaway added.
As we’ve seen throughout his career, Frazier is an above average third baseman. However, he has only spent 94 games, 740 innings, across the diamond at first.
3 Mets to Utilize JD Davis’ Versatility
Speaking of the Mets added depth, one of the more interesting pieces they acquired this offseason was JD Davis. Callaway mentioned today that the Mets are going to take advantage of his versatility, utilizing him at both corner infield and outfield spots.
“We want to get him comfortable doing a little bit of everything.. He’s got great versatility and he’s going to be a solid defender wherever you put him,” Callaway said.
And Callaway finally put an end to the reports that we may see Davis pitch, saying “we know he can pitch, I understand that, but I really want him to concentrate on the outfield getting comfortable at both corner spots and the infield,” Callaway added.
Davis is certainly an interesting character to watch, he is just 25-years old and has a very solid minor league track record. In 85 games with Triple-A Fresno last season, he hit .342/.406/.583 with 25 doubles and 17 home runs.
4 Callaway Discusses Tebow’s Work Ethic
One of the things Callaway was asked about was Tim Tebow, and what he wants to see in terms of progression this season.
“Knowing who Tim Tebow is, he’s got a long list of things that he is going to try and go tackle this year. We’ll discuss things with him that we see, but Tim Tebow doesn’t need to be monitored. You talk to him, and you help him out on things you see, and he is going to go get better,” Callaway said.
All things considered, Tebow actually had a decent year last season. Over 84 games, he hit .273/.336/.399 with six homers and 36 RBI prior to his season ending early due to a broken hamate bone in his hand.
