As opening day nears, it’s natural to start thinking about what the lineup will look like. It’s already been announced that superstar ace Jacob deGrom will be on the mound, but in terms of hitters, the Mets have options.
Mets manager Luis Rojas said on Thursday that he hasn’t declared an official lineup yet for the Mets’ first game, but he did say that Brandon Nimmo and Francisco Lindor are likely to be the one-two punch at the top of the order.
The leadoff spot is natural for Nimmo, who has posted a .390 OBP in 365 major league games. The newly acquired Lindor would slot in nicely behind him, with his career .285 average, 118 wRC+ and speed on the base paths.
The talent doesn’t end there though, as the Mets are primed to send out a formidable one through nine in the order. On Friday, Tim Britton of The Athletic tweeted how he would line the Mets up on opening day if it were up to him.
In Britotn’s hypothetical lineup, Jeff McNeil and his .319/.383/.501 career batting line would be in the two-hole, with Lindor batting third. Michael Conforto would bat in the cleanup spot, with the powerful Pete Alonso all the way down at fifth.
After that, there’s still Dominic Smith and J.D. Davis in the sixth and seventh spots respectively, two hitters who have showed substantial growth in the last couple seasons. Then in the eight spot, the relative “weak link” of this lineup is newly acquired catcher James McCann, who had a career offensive year in 2020 with a 143 wRC+, albeit in only 31 games.
However you order these hitters, one things’ for sure: The Mets will have a deep lineup from the offset this season and should hit the ground running. Lindor adds star power to a lineup that already features Nimmo, McNeil, Conforto and Alonso, and then you have a guy like Smith who showed glimpses of star power in 2020. When considering how all these pieces add up, the potential for this offensive group is sky high.
Come day one of the 2021 Major League Baseball season, the Mets’ lineup should be a sight to behold.
