There are still some position battles to sort out and roster spots to be won, but manager Carlos Mendoza offered a bit of clarity on one thing: Harrison Bader will be in center, and Brandon Nimmo will play left – if all goes well, according to Pat Ragazzo of Fan Nation on SI.com.
Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized
“Well, I mean it’s matchup-related,” Mendoza said during a news conference on SNY. “Where we at on the schedule, where we at health-wise. There’s a lot that goes into making these decisions. If everyone is healthy and… producing and playing the way they are capable of playing… you are going to see a lot of Brandon in left, and you are gonna see Bader in center. But again, there’s versatility, and there’s flexibility, and then the health factor. So, hopefully, I have those tough decisions.”
Bader, 29, won a Gold Glove playing center for the Cardinals in 2021, and putting him there would give the Mets their best defensive alignment. However, he hit just .232/.274/.348/.622 last season combined with the Yankees and Reds. Nimmo will start every day and can play center or left effectively. The Mets could go with the left-handed hitting DJ Stewart in left if they wanted to against right-handed pitching.
