Now that we’ve covered catcher, first base, second base, third base, and shortstop, let’s jump into what the Mets depth chart looks like in the outfield.
More specifically, we will cover the corner outfield today and tackle center field on Friday.
Big League Starters
The Mets signed long-time A’s outfielder Mark Canha earlier this offseason to start in one of the Mets corner spots. He’s played all three outfield spots during his career and he’s had seasons in which he started a majority of his games at each one of those spots. In 2021, Canha played 106 games in left field, 27 games in right field, 23 games in center field, and two games at first base.
Canha had a down year offensively in 2021 when he slashed just .231/.358/.387 with 22 doubles, 17 home runs, and a career-high 12 stolen bases. The former seventh round pick of the Marlins did have a combined 130 OPS+ in the previous three seasons.
Canha has been fine defensively in all three outfield spots including being two outs above average in 2021.
The Mets other corner outfielder starter will likely be Brandon Nimmo on most days, despite his recent wishes to stay in center field. Though Nimmo showed great improvements defensively in center field last season and was better than Starling Marte in most defensive categories, the believe is that Marte will be the center field.
Nimmo continued his excellence at the plate in 2021 with a .292/.401/.437 slash line and a 132 OPS+. The lone downside to Nimmo’s 2021 campaign was that he played in only 92 games.
Big League Depth
The Mets current projected bench is Tomas Nido, Luis Guillorme, Dominic Smith, and J.D. Davis. Only Smith and Davis have outfield experience, and Mets fans have seen that neither of them are really outfielders. The Mets also have Jeff McNeil as corner outfield depth, two positions he plays above average defensively, but he’s likely to spend most of his time at second base with how the current roster is constructed.
The Mets have discussed the possibility of trading at least one of Smith, Davis, and McNeil with their main target being pitching. If they do deal one of them, the Mets could shift their focus to the free agent market for outfield depth.
Another Mets key offseason signing, Eduardo Escobar, does have limited outfield experience though most of that came way back in 2015 with the Twins.
Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
Upper Minors Depth
While the major league depth is pretty weak at corner outfield, the likely outfield in Triple-A Syracuse is going to be very good. Currently, I would predict that the Syracuse outfield includes Mets top 10 prospect Khalil Lee and top 20 prospects Jake Mangum (recently ranked No. 16 at MMN) and Nick Plummer. Mets No. 15 Carlos Cortes is ready to Triple-A too, and played exclusively outfield last season after playing exclusively second base the prior season.
The Mets also signed former White Sox outfielder Daniel Palka to a a minor league deal. The left-handed hitter had 27 home runs in the big leagues during the 2018 season for Chicago. Carlos Rincon, acquired by the Mets via trade for Billy McKinney, had 10 home runs in 38 games for Double-A Binghamton following the trade.
In a rare turn of events, the Mets will actually have quality outfield depth in the upper minors.
Top Prospects
Most outlets have Lee as the Mets top outfield prospect in the No. 6 to No. 9 range. Lee tied for sixth among all full season minor league qualified hitters with his 162 wRC+ in 2021.
Most have 19-year-old Alex Ramirez as their next outfield prospect on their Mets list, though Keith Law actually had him ranked as the No. 100 prospect overall in baseball. The youngster played the entire 2021 season at 18 with the Low-A St. Lucie Mets. His 96 wRC+ might be unimpressive in short, but he over three years younger than the league average and was making his pro debut.
The two biggest bonuses given out by the Mets during the most recent international signing period both went to outfielders. Simón Juan received a $1.9 million bonus and Willy Fañas received $1.5 million, and both of them land inside the Mets top 30 prospects before they play a pro game.
Should also note that two of the Mets top prospect Brett Baty (No. 2) and Mark Vientos (No. 4) both played over a dozen games in left field last season as the Mets hoped to see them experience versatility. However, Baty has showed the necessary skills to likely stick at third base long-term and Vientos could wind up at first base.
