Mason Williams Could be a Replacement for Cameron Maybin

Another year, and another Mets team ravaged by injuries.

With the majority of the starters out, a number of guys have had to step up, and they’ve done so to mixed results. At times the “ReplaceMets” have been able to scrap out some wins, while at other times their weaknesses have been exposed.

Due to the myriad of injuries, one player the Mets have had to go with in their army of bench players starting has been Cameron Maybin. Maybin, 34, is an MLB veteran who’s been in the league since 2007. He’s racked up nearly 1,000 hits in his career while playing more than 1,100 games.

But this season, Maybin is hitting .000/.103/.000 in 29 plate appearances for the Mets. The nice way of putting is that isn’t very good. Maybin can be proud of himself for putting together a solid MLB career, but it’s pretty clear that he doesn’t have a lot of juice left in him at this point. And if the Mets want to be a competitive team, they can’t be starting Maybin every day.

The Mets have multiple routes they could go to replace his spot in the lineup, at least in the short term. They could pick up someone off the scrap heap or make a minor trade. But they could also turn to Triple-A Syracuse, where outfielder Mason Williams is hitting .341/.431/.455.

Williams is 29, five years younger than Maybin, has MLB experience in his own right. He’s spent parts of six seasons with the Yankees, Reds and Orioles while putting up a .272/.309/.370 batting line. He’s not going to be spectacular by any means, and isn’t likely to provide a tremendous thump, but at this point he could be a much more serviceable option than Maybin. The Mets need guys to hold the fort until their big guns return, and Williams fits that bill much better than the production (or lack thereof) they’re currently getting from Maybin.

Williams also boasts a six-game hitting streak in Syracuse, and appeared in the majors as recently as 2020. At the very least, he would provide some more youth and athleticism being five years younger than Maybin.

Things are far from ideal for the Mets right now, yet with all the obstacles they still sit in first place in the NL East by 2.5 games. If this group of so-called “ReplaceMets” can continue to at least prevent this team from falling down the sinkhole, things could eventually turn out well for this 2021 Amazins’ squad.