The New York Mets announced that they have claimed outfielder Aaron Altherr off waivers from the San Francisco Giants. In a corresponding move, they have designated reliever Tim Peterson for assignment. Altherr is out of options.
Altherr, 28, is an athletic outfielder capable of playing all three outfield positions. He hit .272/.340/.516 in 2017 with a .359 wOBA and 121 wRC+, slugging 19 home runs, 24 doubles, and five triples in 109 games. In 2018, that slash dropped to .181/.295/.333 with a .282 wOBA and 75 wRC+. He was even sent to Triple-A and struggled there as well.
He still hit the ball very hard in 2018 as evidenced by a 90.5 MPH average exit velocity and a 96.9 MPH exit velocity on balls hit in the air. Those numbers ranked 68th and 28th respectively in terms of every hitter with at least 30 balls put in play. Altherr’s ground ball rate went up while his fly ball rate went down, which is always a bad combination for a hitter.
He is a league average defender at all three outfield positions with a career 4 DRS and 3.7 UZR/150 in left, 1 DRS and 5.3 UZR/150 in center, and 2 DRS and -1.0 UZR/150 in right. Overall, that’s good for 7 DRS and a 1.6 UZR/150 in 2226.0 innings.
Peterson, 28, appeared in 22 games for the Mets last season with a 6.18 ERA, 5.76 FIP, and 1.229 WHIP. He has appeared in five games this season and though he had a 2.84 ERA, his 5.45 FIP and 1.737 WHIP are more telling of his struggles.
This is a good move as the Mets have far more bullpen depth than outfield depth. Altherr is still young and the right hitting coach could turn him back into 2017 form.
