The New York Mets are going to have to get by the Washington Nationals if they want any shot of winning the NL East this season. So, we thought it would be fun to do a position-by-position comparison of the two.
Catcher
The Mets happen to have two catchers in Kevin Plawecki and Travis d’Arnaud that could be better than the Nationals starting catcher, Matt Wieters. d’Arnaud and Plawecki could prove to be a very lethal platoon situation while Wieters has proven to be one of the worst catchers in baseball with a .225/.288/.344 slash line with ten home runs. He was once a top prospect, but his defense and offense have taken a turn for the worst and he is no longer even an average producer at the position.
d’Arnaud and Plawecki showed some serious signs of life at the position last season and if the two can develop into an effective platoon that should be better than Wieters and the newly-signed Miguel Montero behind the dish.
Edge: Mets
First Base
This situation is the reverse of the prior. The Nationals arguably have two first basemen that are better than any of the Mets options at the position in starter Ryan Zimmerman and pinch-hitter Matt Adams. Zimmerman had a resurgence last season as he hit .303/.358/.573 with 36 homers and 108 RBIs to put him among the best in baseball. Meanwhile, Matt Adams hit 20 home runs in a mere 339 at-bats last season between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Atlanta Braves.
The Mets, though, really do not have any perfect options. Adrian Gonzalez looked dreadful this spring and at the age of 35 and dealing with back issues, nobody knows what to expect from the left-handed first baseman. Many had hoped Dominic Smith would just be able to beat him out for the job in Spring Training, but he ended up pulling his hamstring and missing all but one game.
Once Michael Conforto returns, the Mets could end up placing Jay Bruce at first, though, which could close the gap between the two teams.
Edge: Nationals
Second Base
When healthy, this is not even close. Daniel Murphy is much better than any Mets second base option. However, he is set to miss the first couple weeks of the season, which means Howie Kendrick and Wilmer Difo are likely going to split time at the position.
Early in the season, the Mets might have a slight advantage with Asdrubal Cabrera, but once Murphy returns, the Nationals are miles better at the position. In the Mets situation, though, maybe I’m being bold here, but I do not see Cabrera finishing the season as the team’s everyday second baseman.
There are too many in-house options for me to see that happening. Whether its Luis Guillorme, Gavin Cecchini, T.J. Rivera, or even Wilmer Flores, I do not see Cabrera starting at second for the entirety of the 2018 season.
Edge: Nationals
Shortstop
Even with injuries last season, Trea Turner is simply the better player right now. Turner is an absolute X-factor for the Nationals this season as he is a true five-tool player when healthy. He can absolutely taunt the Mets and every other team on the basepaths.
However, Amed Rosario should be expected to take some steps forward this year on the offensive side that could potentially start to close the gap between the two. The 22-year old hit .248/.271/.394 with four home runs in 165 at-bats. If his bat improves, his defense will be able to vault him into the top-tier shortstop class. Until that point, though, Turner is the best shortstop in the NL East.
Edge: Nationals
Third Base
Both teams have veteran options at the position, but Anthony Rendon is an All-Star third baseman at his best, which he has shown just last season even. He hit .301/.403/.533 with 25 home runs and 100 RBIs. He also struck out a mere 82 times in 508 at-bats.
Meanwhile, Todd Frazier is a formidable defender at the hot corner, but his .213/.344/.428 slash line with 27 homers and 76 RBIs puts him in a lower tier than Rendon. That’s not to say that batting average is everything, but when you compare him to someone of Rendon’s caliber, there is a stark difference.
Edge: Nationals
Left Field
The Mets also get another one on the board, with Yoenis Cespedes being one of the best left fielders in all of baseball and the star of the team. According to MLB Network, Cespedes is the second best one in all of baseball right now, even after an injury-riddled campaign.
Adam Eaton is a good player, though, as he hit .297/.393/.462 in 23 games last season. Eaton’s season was cut short after suffering a torn-ACL against the Mets. He’s shown no signs of rust since returning this spring with a .313 average in 16 at-bats.
Edge: Mets
Center Field
Okay so after showing a long string of Nationals won categories, the Mets are back on the board. Michael Conforto will likely get a large chunk of his at-bats here, which as one of the rising stars in the game gives him the nod over Michael Taylor.
Brandon Nimmo and Juan Lagares will start the year splitting time out there, which even as a platoon, might be able to deliver similar production to Taylor.
Edge: Mets
Right Field
I’m not even going to talk about this a whole lot. This one goes to Bryce Harper by a landslide, and that would be the case for 99% of the right fielders in baseball.
Jay Bruce is a good player in his own right, but this conversation is not even really worth having.
Edge: Nationals
Bench
Okay, so the bench goes back to favoring the Nationals. They happen to have the two debatable starting position players in Kendrick and Adams, while also having an under-the-radar Brian Goodwin as a backup outfielder. Many have pinned Wilmer Difo the second baseman of the future when the post-Murphy era arrives. Miguel Montero rounds out the bench as the backup catcher.
Meanwhile, the Mets have a bench led by Juan Lagares or Brandon Nimmo (depending who starts on a given day), followed by one of d’Arnaud or Plawecki, Wilmer Flores, Jose Reyes, and likely Phillip Evans to start the season.
Once Conforto returns, both Nimmo and Lagares will be moved to the bench which could add some reinforcements. It’s a solid bench, but nothing spectacular. They do happen to address needs on the bench, though, as Lagares is a defensive stalworth, Reyes is a stolen base threat they could use as a pinch-runner, and Flores is a good pinch-hitting option especially against lefties.
Edge: Nationals
Starting Rotation
Okay, this is the toughest one to decide out of all of them, to me. The Nationals have the best pitcher of the groups, in Max Scherzer. However, the Mets have the better one-two punch in Noah Syndergaard and Jacob deGrom as compared to Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg.
The Nationals have a healthier three-four punch in Gio Gonzalez and Tanner Roark. Gonzalez is coming off a career year, but he has seen his velocity dip in recent years which could lead him to eventually come back to earth this season. Roark, as we all know, is a solid pitcher, but it is not a wipeout pitcher by any means.
Their five spot is where things get really murky. Since Joe Ross will not be back until the middle of the season because of Tommy John Surgery, the Nationals options for the five-spot are limited to A.J. Cole, Jeremy Hellickson, and Erick Fedde. They chose to start the year with Cole, but the 26-year old has not exactly established himself in his time in the majors in the past.
Another thing worth mentioning is that Max Scherzer has pitched as many innings as anyone over the last few years and that eventually could take a toll, along with the fact Strasburg has had issues staying healthy his entire career.
The Mets three-four punch, when healthy is better than anyone’s in baseball. Steven Matz and Matt Harvey have the potential to get some easy wins against other teams’ third and fourth starters. However, their health issues have hindered their performance in past years.
The Mets do have more options in the rotation, though, Jason Vargas should return in a couple weeks and will try to be the innings-eater the team so desperately could have used last year. In addition to him, the Mets have Seth Lugo, who will make first start out of the five-spot in the rotation. He is then followed by Robert Gsellman, who is in the bullpen. They also have Zack Wheeler preparing in Triple-A now, as he did not perform to the Mets liking in Spring Training.
So, in conclusion for this part, I think they both have undeniable elite pitching potential, but they both have their flaws. One lacks rotation depth while the other has some serious injury concerns that could derail their ability to perform.
Edge: Even
Bullpen
The Mets, to me, have a clear advantage in this category. They have the best reliever on either team (Jeurys Familia), while also having a former closer in AJ Ramos. Jerry Blevins is one of the best left-handed specialists in the league while Anthony Swarzak has been added to the mix.
The team’s starting pitching depth allows Robert Gsellman to shift to the bullpen along with eventually Seth Lugo once Jason Vargas returns. Jacob Rhame and Paul Sewald round out the team’s Opening Day bullpen. They have a variety of promising options starting the year in the minors with Drew Smith, Jamie Callahan, and the recently added Fernando Abad among them.
The Nationals, meanwhile, have a pen led by Sean Doolittle, who, while is effective, is not necessarily a great closer option. They do have Ryan Madson and Brandon Kintzler as well to give them a solid late-inning combination. They also have Shawn Kelly, Sammy Solis, Matt Grace, and Enny Romero to round out the pen with Koda Glover and Joaquin Benoit dealing with injuries.
Their bullpen is not bad by any means, but the Mets bullpen definitely has a better look to it, especially when you factor in the starter-turned-middle relief options the team has.
Edge: Mets
Manager
I give an edge to the Mets and Mickey Callaway here, but with both him and Dave Martinez being first-year managers, it is really tough to predict which will be better in 2018. They both have the ability to completely rejuvenate a clubhouse, but I will go with the guy I have seen first-hand have an effect on his team so far.
Callaway seems to really be working well with the Mets pitchers while also bringing order and stability to the club, which was lacking towards the end of the Terry Collins. This is no discredit to Martinez, who has received positive reviews thus far.
Edge: Mets
