The next position in the Mets Organizational Depth Chart is first base! Mojo Hill started the depth chart off with catcher, and now we roll over to the first corner position.
Big League Starter
This job has belonged to Pete Alonso since the start of 2019. The 2019 Rookie of the Year, and Rookie home run record holder, has made his mark quickly in the Mets organization. Alonso had a solid 2021 season, as he had a .262 AVG, .344 OBP, and .519 SLG. He managed to slug 37 homers and drove in 94 runs.
Over three years in the majors, the Polar Bear has accumulated 106 homers already. The slugger has certainly earned his spot as the every day Mets first baseman of today, and even the future.
Alonso hopes to build off a great 2021 campaign in 2022, while he tries to get his batting average and on-base percentage even higher. If he can manage to have similar career numbers in home runs and RBI, and raises his other statistics, he will find himself among the league’s top players.
And obviously, Alonso hopes to work on his defense as he eyes a Gold Glove Award.
Big League Depth
Dominic Smith is the first name that pops up for major league depth at first base. While he has played a lot of left field since the start of 2019, his main position is first base. With the additions of Mark Canha and Starling Marte, it is pretty clear that Dom Smith‘s days as a starting outfielder are likely up. That leaves him with two options: First base and designated hitter. The DH spot is likely to be occupied by Robinson Cano, which leaves Smith as the backup for both Cano and Alonso. There has also been speculation that Smith may be traded when the lockout ends.
The aforementioned Mark Canha will likely be the other backup to Alonso in 2022. He has played 118 games at first base throughout his career, and has only committed five errors over that span. While Smith will be the primary backup, there is a chance that the Mets will trade him when the lockout ends. That would then slot Canha in as the primary backup.
The Mets could also throw around the possibility of Robinson Cano being a backup first baseman given his age and range. Cano has played 14 games at first base throughout his career, all of them coming in 2018 with the Mariners. This makes him an emergency backup. The newly signed Eduardo Escobar will also be an emergency backup for Alonso, too. He is well-known as a utility player, but doesn’t have much experience at first base. He has more games than Cano, not by many, with 18 over his career. And, as always, Luis Guillorme can play every infield position they throw at him.
And who can forget the incredible play James McCann made in his first game at the position in 2021 while subbing for Alonso?
Upper Levels Depth
Matt Winaker is likely to be the only first baseman in Triple-A. (Last season, Syracuse used David Thompson, a third baseman, as one of its main first basemen, which speaks to the organizational depth at first.) Winaker, 26, has not had much success in the minor leagues. 2o21 was his first season above Single-A, as he spent time in Double-A and Triple-A. Most of that is because of the lack of depth at the position throughout the organization. However, Alonso has proven that the Mets don’t really need to have any top-level prospects at the position.
Winaker started 2021 off strong in Single-A with a .292 batting average, .485 on-base percentage, and a .333 slugging percentage. Those stats over seven games earned him a promotion to Double-A, where he spent 59 games. In that time, he had a slash line of .260/.388/.359. Those slugging numbers are quite eye-popping, and not in a good way. Any time someone has a slugging lower than their on-base percentage, it is a major red flag–especially with the power numbers. With Alonso at the major league level and the other players they can place at the position, it is unlikely Winaker will ever get a shot at first base in the bigs with the Mets.
There’s also the chance the Mets sign a minor-league free agent or two to give the team solid upper-level depth or they use the position in Triple-A and Double-A as a testing ground for prospects like Mark Vientos.
Top Prospects
There are not many names in the farm system that stand out at first base. However, there are two that show promise going forward.
The two names that stand out to me are Jeremy Vasquez and JT Schwartz.
Vasquez intrigues me simply because of his numbers at Single-A in 2021. He hit seven home runs, drove in 25 RBI, and had a slash line of .273/.371/.491. Those stats over 51 games was enough for him to be promoted to Double-A midway through the season. His numbers in Double-A were not nearly as pretty, as he had a slash line of .171/.273/.238.
Schwartz was the Mets 4th round draft pick in 2021. Keith Law of The Athletic pinned Schwartz as the #20 prospect in the Mets organization heading into 2022. In minimal experience (25 games) in 2021 at Single-A, he had a slash line of .195/.320/.256. However, a 4th rounder certainly should perform better than that. It will be interesting to see what he can do in a full season in 2022. Schwartz may find himself as the top prospect at the position as early as the end of the year.
It’s no secret that the Mets have a thin depth chart at first base. Some will argue it is their thinnest position. However, they seem to be set for the future with Pete Alonso at first base. If the polar bear can continue to perform at the level he has throughout the first three years of his career, there is no reason to be concerned about the position’s future.
However, it can never hurt to have a backup plan in case things go awry.
