When Brodie Van Wagenen took over as the General Manager, he preached he was going to take the best 25 players up north regardless of service time issues, which was an indication Pete Alonso may well be getting the first base job. While he has been steadfast in that, there was a debate whether that was going to happen because that is not how Major League teams operate.

There are countless examples of teams waiting at least a few weeks to call up a top prospect to gain that extra year of service time. In 2015, the Cubs waited to call-up Kris Bryant. The Braves did the same last year with Ronald Acuna. Notably, this strategy did not stand in the way of either team making the postseason.

When the Mets signed Jed Lowrie, it did seem the may be setting themselves with an out. With Lowrie at third, Todd Frazier could move to first base thereby giving the Mets a reasonable and defensible decision in keeping Alonso in Triple-A for a few weeks.

A lot has happened since the start of Spring Training. Alonso has been on a tear while Lowrie and Frazier have suffered injuries keeping them out of the lineup. Those injuries have also put Opening Day in doubt leaving the first base position wide open for Alonso or someone else to claim it.

Notably, Dominic Smith has come into Spring Training in much better shape, and he has improved his mechanics at the plate. He has a .500 batting average this Spring with an OPS a hair behind Alonso making this a fun race for the position. Seeing how each have performed, the Mets have a real decision to make here. In the latest edition of our roundtable, our writers proffer their recommendations:

Marissa Credle – Dom Deserves Another Chance

If Dom Smith keeps his performance up, I think he should be the starting first baseman on opening day. As much as I feel like the fanbase would want it to be Alonso, I think that the team is better served keeping him in AAA at least for the two weeks so he gets another year of service time. There’s no need to rush if you have other suitable options to fill in. Like Marshall said, Smith was suited to be the starting first baseman coming into the 2018 season until injury struck and then he ended up struggling. I think he deserves another chance to start the year with the big club, especially given how he has been hitting the last few weeks

John Edwards – Service Time Deciding Factor

The Mets are thanking their lucky stars that Dominic Smith is giving them a cop-out from their big talk in rostering Peter Alonso as their starting first baseman. With Frazier and Lowrie questionable for Opening Day, the Mets have enough space for a 1B/OF type and can point to Smith’s hot spring as reasonable evidence to hold Peter Alonso down conveniently long enough to get that extra year of service time. Is it the best choice? Color me doubtful. Smith’s batted balls haven’t been the problem – Smith’s BB/K was historically awful last season – among seasons with at least 140 PA since 2002, Smith’s 0.09 BB/K tied for 19th worst in that time span.

Smith needs to display the ability to not be over-matched against big-league pitching, not simply feast off of minor league arms, for me to have any confidence in him moving forward. But yes, I think it’ll be Smith as the Opening Day first baseman – only because his service clock is already ticking and Alonso’s is not.

Marshall Field – Too Early To Decide

It is still too early to choose an opening day first baseman for the Mets. It is still 25 days until opening day as of this writing, and both Pete Alonso and Dom Smith are having excellent early springs. Alonso is hitting well but continues to be a potential defensive liability at first. Smith came to camp this year having lost some weight and in better shape. Smith would have most likely been the opening day first baseman last year if not for injury. It will be interesting to see how these two young players progress throughout the rest of the spring. If I had to choose now, a slight nod to Alonso as I think his defense will improve, but as I mentioned early, it is still too early to tell.

Jack Hendon – Can’t Waste Service Time

Dominic Smith deserves the nod for Opening Day, or perhaps Todd Frazier, if Smith’s flame dies out through the next three weeks. I know how well Pete Alonso has hit this spring, and I am fully aware that when Alonso is getting regular at-bats in May, there won’t be much stock in this sort of argument. It should be fully anticipated that Alonso eventually takes the role over from Smith, at least looking at it regarding the pace he’s been on since late-2017.

However, major league rules throw a wrench into the current setup, and there was never really a point in throwing an extra year of team control out the window in the first place. Regardless of how many homers you expect Alonso to hit with the big club, his success and that of Smith are not mutually exclusive by any means. He has shed upwards of 45 pounds in body fat since he first came up two years ago, and continues to thrive at the plate despite having as much credibility on the roster as a J.D. Davis or Luis Guillorme when he arrived in Port St. Lucie.

Let’s not forget that at one point on MLB Pipeline’s prospect rankings, he checked in with a higher ceiling than Cody Bellinger – who has been one of the most formidable hitters in baseball right now. Smith is also younger than Alonso, if that means anything, though I think the comparisons between the two are ultimately distracting from a problem that, if you ask me, is a great one to have.

Mojo Hill – Don’t Write Off Smith Yet

Smith is in great shape and has looked this spring, and with Alonso’s defensive issues along with the service time situation, I think it would be safe to just give Smith the Opening Day job and let Alonso get used to Triple-A level pitching in a more neutral environment than when he played in Las Vegas. These two weeks will be a big opportunity for Smith to try and convince the Mets to hold off on letting Alonso take his job. In the long run, I think Alonso has a higher ceiling, but I wouldn’t write off Smith yet. Alonso is still going to have to earn the starting job, I don’t think it should just be gifted to him yet, especially if Smith keeps up his strong play.

Matt Mancuso – Gain The Extra Year of Control

The Mets have gotten extremely lucky that Dominic Smith has started spring training on a positive note. After coming into camp 30 pounds lighter and fixing his sleep apnea problem, he’s been knocking the cover off the ball in the first two weeks worth of games. He’s made the first-base battle a legitimate competition. Despite what GM Brodie Van Wagenen has claimed all winter, the Mets simply weren’t going to break camp with Pete Alonso on the 25-man roster.

As many of us already know, teams have used service time manipulation in the last few seasons to gain an extra year of control over their prospects. While this definitely isn’t the greatest PR move, it’s still a smart business decision and the Mets shouldn’t deviate from the norm when it comes to this. After the Service 2 deadline is up, Alonso should be given every opportunity to run with the job. If he succeeds, then great and Dominic Smith can be used as trade bait.

However, if he doesn’t, the Mets have an excellent Plan B in their 2013 first-rounder. Even though it’s based on an unethical decision, Smith still should be the Opening Day first baseman. Even Smith doesn’t carry this success for the rest of the spring, he should still be the opening day first baseman even if it’s only to gain an extra year of control over one of the top prospects in baseball.

Jack Ramsey – Dom Has Higher Floor

Dom Smith. If we look at the whole picture, the defense is far better than Alonso’s could ever be. There is more upside to Alonso’s bat, but the “floor” for Alonso could be one of the the worst contact hitters in baseball and hit 25 home runs. Smith would have won the Opening Day gig last season if not for injury, and is proving why again this Spring. He looks healthy, rejuvenated, and hell-bent on winning the job. Overall, the Mets are a better team if Dom Smith is starting at first base and is producing.

Tommy Rothman – Anyone But Alonso

Anybody but Peter Alonso. It doesn’t matter how well he’s hitting. Burning a year of service time to have him on this roster for 2 extra weeks would be extremely foolish. I get that you want to have the best team on the field for all 162 games, but there are other (and, in the long run, cheaper) ways to go “all in.” A 10-WAR player, which is basically another way to say “Mike Trout,” would get you less than 1 win over a 14-game span. It might be harsh, it might be cheap, and it might be unethical, but unless Brodie thinks there’s a ton of value in painting himself as the “Players’ GM,” there’s no reason to have Alonso up, before mid/late April, considering the cost. Oh, and Dominic Smith has been raking, so yeah, him.

Tim Ryder – Platoon

I’m very much on board with a platoon at first base between Alonso and Smith. Finding roster spots for both would be a tall task, but healthy competition between these two young, potential studs could hypothetically lead to an increase in productivity from both. The left-right combination of Smith and Alonso would give this lineup a nightly shred of advantage against whoever their opposition trots out to the mound. I understand it’s a long shot, but I see real potential in that type of scenario.

John Sheridan – Have Alonso Avoid Pitching Gauntlet

When MMO/MMN ranked Alonso as the second overall prospect, it was noted how Alonso can be beat inside with a fastball, struggles at the pitch down and away, and he struggles against better pitchers partially because of pitch sequencing. As a result, Alonso can fall into bad habits at the plate.

Looking at the Mets schedule to start the season, it is likely Alonso is going to face Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, and Patrick Corbin twice. In between those games, he will face Jose Urena, a pitcher who has the repertoire which could give Alonso fits, especially after he has faced the Nationals top three starters.

Time and again, when it comes to bringing up top prospects, teams actively try to call them up in an advantageous situation. David Wright was called up in July against a terrible Expos team and rotation. Matt Harvey began his career pitching on the road against a mediocre Diamondbacks team. Michael Conforto was called-up after the Mets had obtained Juan Uribe and Kelly Johnson, was platooned, and first faced a soft spot in the Dodgers rotation.

Point is, teams typically try to put their top prospects in a position to succeed when they’re first called-up. The reason is there is so much involved in becoming a Major Leaguer and no team wants to add more difficulty to that. Really, no team wants to see their top prospect face three potential Cy Young candidates six times in his first nine games.

More than anything, that is why the Mets should have Smith as the Opening Day first baseman. The fact Smith has earned the job is all the better. If Smith plays well, he should keep the job too. If he doesn’t, well, the Mets can then go to Alonso, who will at that point being called up against inferior pitching and in a much better position to succeed.

For the most part, our writers believe the Mets should go with Smith to preserve Alonso’s service time.  Do you agree? We look forward to continuing this discussion in the comments section.