Even though the New York Mets didn’t have a spring training game to play on Wednesday, they still won. Well, kind of — they were imagining it.

Deesha Thosar of the NY Daily News shared a video from Port St. Lucie where the Mets were pretending they secured the final out to win Game 7 of the World Series, with the appropriate celebration following that play. Sure, it’s all pretend, but there’s something powerful with that kind of manifesting, I think. Having this feeling live in the back of players’ minds is never a bad thing.

In order to get to this point in real life, a lot of things obviously have to happen. The Mets have spent this past winter making some splashy acquisitions for players like Francisco Lindor and Carlos Carrasco. They’ve also spent a lot of energy investing in the big-league roster depth, as well as other parts of the organization.

One person who will continue serving as depth (or, maybe more) that the Mets didn’t acquire the winter is infielder Luis Guillorme. On the heels of an impressive 2020 campaign — in limited action — Guillorme’s role in New York appears to be growing in importance. Thankfully, he appears ready for that responsibility.

The Versatility… *Chef’s Kiss*

Guillorme’s calling card has always been his defense, and especially since he showed no fear in catching a bat flying toward the Mets’ dugout in 2017. Since making his MLB debut in 2018, he’s generally split time in the field between second base, third base, and shortstop. That trend has continued during the early parts of Grapefruit League action.

The 26-year-old has appeared in five spring training games heading into Thursday night against the Houston Astros. Two of those appearances have come at second base, another two at third base, and one at shortstop, all while managing a .955 OPS through his first 11 at-bats. The current makeup of the bench, according to Roster Resource, has Guillorme joined by Jonathan Villar as the only backup infielders. Having someone who can comfortably play multiple infield positions and play them well, like Guillorme, is going to be huge, especially with double-switching more likely this year without the Universal DH.

Villar hasn’t played third base in a big-league game since 2016 with the Milwaukee Brewers, and with his fielding being subpar overall according to advanced metrics, one would imagine manager Luis Rojas will look to Guillorme more often when it comes to being a defensive replacement late in ballgames.

An Encouraging Offensive Progression

Guillorme’s offense hasn’t set the world on fire, but this past year was awfully encouraging. He posted a 144 wRC+ in 68 plate appearances off the strength of a .333/.426/.439 triple slash. It’s easy to point to the small sample size of a shortened season and be skeptical, and that’s not inaccurate — there are certain areas of his profile to keep an eye on moving forward (like his mega-high .463 BABIP).

However, what’s interesting here for comparison’s sake is that the playing time from each of his first three years in the big leagues is rather even — he stepped to the plate 74 times in 2018 and 70 times in 2019 before those 68 plate appearances last year. His progression will raise an eyebrow or two, as well.

Guillorme has watched his wRC+ improve from 52 to 87 to 144, while his fWAR has gone on a similar trajectory (-0.2, 0.2, 0.6). Although his strikeout rate settled in at a career-high 25.0% in 2020, his walk rate has continually improved, with the 14.7% rate from last season being a new personal best. This has all coincided with an improved approach at the plate. Check out how his chase rate, swing rate on strikes, and the corresponding contact rates have progressed over the last three seasons:

And sure, that BABIP will take a dive with more reps, but it checks out based on his 31.7% line-drive rate and 39.0% hard-hit rate in 2020. None of this should be shocking when seeing the decreases in his chase rate and contact on pitches outside the strike zone. When your contact is more focused on pitches you can do damage with, good stuff is more likely to happen.

This Is What Good Teams Have

The true makeup of a team isn’t solely based on what the starting lineup, rotation, and back end of the bullpen look like. Those are things that need to be solidified, but the difference between good teams and great teams is how the rest of the roster is filled out.

Guillorme’s skillset appears to be perfect for what the Mets will need him for. He clearly has no problem bouncing around the diamond and has shown an ability to be an offensive asset in the process. Being a role player and coming off the bench isn’t easy, but it’s a job he’s gotten used to over the past three seasons. If there comes a situation where he’s needed more often, one can imagine that getting more consistent reps would only help when it comes to his overall performance.

New York will need a number of things to go its way in order to fulfill the high expectations thrust upon them for 2021. In order to reach those potential heights, Rojas and the rest of the coaching staff need a guy like Guillorme on the roster. He’s willing to do whatever is necessary to win and has adapted in a way that he’s still able to develop as an individual player despite a limited role.

That’s not an easy thing to do, and it’ll be fun to see how he continues progressing this season.