I thought I’d drop this information from Adam Rubin in this post because right to the heart of what David argued so well in this article this morning.
“The Mets have internally discussed Neil Walker getting time at third base with Dilson Herrera at second base, and Walker told Collins he is on board, but that’s not the immediate intention.”
I have no doubt this is inevitably what should and what will happen. – Joe D.
Original Article – Where Is Dilson Herrera
With apologies to T.J. Rivera, there is really one internal option left for the Mets to fill the void that is left by David Wright. That option is Dilson Herrera. Adding Herrera to the major league roster is the most sensible option on so many levels. Let’s discuss those reasons below.
1. Dilson Herrera is good
As we’ve seen with many Mets call-ups, AAA stats don’t mean much, especially when they are compiled in the hitter-friendly PCL. Still, it’s hard to ignore what Herrera has done. In 133 career AAA games, Herrera is at .310/.361/.504. He has 20 home runs, 38 doubles, 81 RBI and 19 stolen bases over that time. All of his peripherals suggest that he can be a competent hitter and fielder at second base in the major leagues. And while he posted just a .677 OPS over 90 AB in the major leagues in 2015, he had a broken finger and never had a real chance to play regularly for the Mets. Herrera is a legitimate offensive prospect who has a major league future — something the Mets lack in AAA.
2. Neil Walker can play third base
By moving Herrera to the major leagues, the Mets would need to shift Neil Walker to third base. There has been a hesitancy to do this. Part of the reason is that the Mets don’t want to mess with what has been solid middle infield defense. This is somewhat justified given what the team experienced last season. The other reason is that the Mets don’t want to put Walker over at third base seemingly because he hasn’t played there in some time. This is not justified. Walker has played 368 games at third base in his professional career. Ty Kelly has played 369. Wilmer Flores has played 208. No one is saying Walker has to play third base everyday, but give it a shot. How much worse could it get? Bringing Herrera to the major leagues does not mean Walker needs to play third base for the rest of the season and chances are he will be an adequate defender at the hot corner.
3. Every other internal option is not really optimal
The current plan seems to be to ride with Wilmer Flores at third base against righties, and when the Mets face a lefty, the team will shift Flores to first base and play Ty Kelly at third base. Let’s start with Kelly because his case is much easier. Kelly is a career minor leaguer with two major league hits. He is not a legitimate top prospect like Herrera. He should not be counted on in any capacity.
Now let’s turn to Flores. The Mets hero from last July has a career OPS of .662 over nearly 1,000 PA. He’s posted an OPS over .664 for an entire season just once in his major league career. His career OPS against righties is .660 and against lefties is .686. This year his OPS against righties is .569 and against lefties is .644. The bottom line is that there is plenty of room for improvement here and while a .660 OPS is tolerable at shortstop or even second base, you expect much more offense from the third base position… And the Mets could certainly use some more of that.
The conclusion
A top prospect that is in AAA and hitting the ball well should be a recipe for a major league promotion. But for whatever reason, Herrera has continually been passed over when the team has been looking for infield depth. Herrera costs nothing to promote and gives the lineup a different kind of hitter — one who makes contact while providing some pop and speed. Shifting Walker to third base might be uncomfortable for a few games but giving this lineup some length should justify any potential slip in defense. And it’s not like Wright was playing like a world-class defender at third base anyway this season. So with Wright out for at least eight weeks or more, it’s time to give Herrera an extended look. The best solution might be the most obvious one.
