Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
The Mets have largely already made the big roster decisions ahead of 2023 Opening Day. Brett Baty will start the year in Triple-A, as will Mark Vientos, and Darin Ruf was designated for assignment. The last couple weeks, I did roster projections for the first day of the season, but doing another one of those feels pretty cheap.
The Mets will head into the season with Luis Guillorme, Tommy Pham, Tim Locastro, and Tomás Nido (unless he gets the start as Max Scherzer’s personal catcher) on the bench. So let’s take a look at what the Opening Day lineup with be versus the Marlins and reigning National League Cy Young Sandy Alcantara.
Opening Day Lineup
1. Brandon Nimmo – CF
2. Starling Marte – RF
3. Francisco Lindor – SS
4. Pete Alonso – 1B
This goes without question. This was the top four when all were healthy in 2022, and it will be the same this year, especially as Marte has shown this spring he is feeling good following core surgery this offseason. Nimmo also returned to game play after spraining both his ankle and knee a week and a half ago, and he didn’t show any signs of holding back.
5. Daniel Vogelbach – DH
6. Jeff McNeil – 2B
McNeil SHOULD hit fifth. I think Buck Showalter maintains his trends from last year, when he had Vogelbach bat between Alonso and McNeil.
7. Mark Canha – LF
8. Eduardo Escobar – 3B
9. Omar Narváez – C
This would be a lot more entertaining if Baty had made the Opening Day lineup, though I still think Baty would bat in the eight hole if was up and starting on Opening Day.
Narvaez should be a better anchor the lineup than James McCann, though that remains to be seen.
Analysis
If this is the Opening Day lineup–especially with this bench–it looks a bit weaker than dreams of early January. Escobar, who hasn’t shown really much of anything productive this spring, will shorten the lineup, and Narváez has to prove his 2022 season was a dip rather than a general continued trend downward.
The first six should be strong day in and day out. And would it be a surprise if the 7-8-9 in August was Baty, Francisco Álvarez, and Canha? Nope. But to start the year, the last third of the lineup feels underwhelming as the Mets start the year with championship aspirations.
