Jason Bay. Angel Pagan. Carlos Beltran. These players were included in the Mets' starting outfield throughout the 2011 season. That particular season proved to be an important one, as it was Terry Collins' first time as the team's skipper, and Sandy Alderson's official starting point for his rebuilding plan. Pagan and Beltran were dealt away, and Bay, well, didn't turn out.
The team has manned a considerable amount of fringe players in the outfield since that point, including Jason Pridie, Scott Hairston, Mike Baxter, and let's not forget the legend himself, Collin Cowgill.
Coming into the 2014 off-season, the Mets knew that they would have to acquire an outfielder, simply because the combination of den Dekker/Nieuwenhuis/Campbell just wasn't going to cut it. In a move that surprised many, they inked free agent veteran Michael Cuddyer to a 2 year, $21 million pact. In doing so they forfeited their 2015 first round pick, which seemed out of sync for a front office that had been relying on the draft to build their farm system back up once again.
In this article, we will be previewing the 2015 outfield situation for the Mets, excluding minor league players.
(Starters)
(Starters)
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Courtesy of nypost.com |
Looking ahead to the 2015 season, moving the right field walls in and the addition of his former hitting coach, Kevin Long, should help him considerably. Despite playing right field in 2014, he'll likely be moved to left field this coming season, as he has a relatively weak arm.
Mets fans know that they will probably not get the Curtis Granderson who had once hit 40 plus homers in back to back seasons with the Yankees, but a safe expectation would be somewhere in the 30 homer range.
2015 prediction for Granderson: .240/.325/.400, 31 HR, 75 RBI
Juan Lagares- Lagares has emerged as a fan favorite amoungst most Mets fans due to his supreme level of defensive value. After coming out of the gate in 2013, he managed to put up a very impressive 24.4 UZR while manning the center field position. The problem was his bat, as he hit a very poor .242/.281/.352 in his rookie year.
The dreaded "sophomore slump" seemed to have no effect on Lagares in 2014. On the contrary, he actually improved at the plate, and continued to shine in the field. Amidst several "#FreeLagares" hashtags on Twitter, the Mets brass eventually decided to play Juan everyday. While his offense is nothing to ride home about, he still managed to hit .281/.321/.382 in 116 games. Oh, and by the way, he won the National League Gold Glove.
Juan is going to be a fixture in this lineup for a long time given that he continues his impeccable defense, as well as further develops his offensive game.
2015 prediction for Lagares: .285/.325/.385, 5 HR, 50 RBI, 20 SB
Michael Cuddyer- Cuddyer, as stated earlier in the article, signed with the Mets this offseason, and will be their everyday right fielder. The soon to be 36 year old is far from a complete player, but could prove to be a useful piece to a lineup that is in desperate need of hitting. Putting up good offensive numbers has never been a problem for the two-time All Star. In 2013, he was the recipient of the National League Silver Slugger award as a member of the Colorado Rockies.
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Courtesy of Bleacherreport.com |
It's important to consider that Cuddyer was playing at Coors Field for the last two seasons, which help explain the inflated numbers. With that being said, Mets fans can still expect Cuddyer to put up reasonable offensive numbers with playing at Citi Field, as his home/road splits aren't too transparent.
2015 prediction for Cuddyer: .305/.345/.490, 20 HR, 80 RBI
(Bench Players)
*Matt den Dekker- It was only a few years ago where den Dekker was considered a top prospect in the Mets organization. His defense had always outshined his offense, and for a team looking for hitting, it appeared as if he would have no place on the roster. Then 2014 happened.
den Dekker started the season in Triple-A, where he would go on a tear, hitting .334/.407/.540 in 93 games. The Mets had no choice but to call him up, and it was evident that he had made noticeable changes to his swing and approach at the plate. While he only hit .250/.345/.322 in his brief stint, he gave Mets fans some confidence that he would be able to be a productive 4th outfielder.
It's really a toss-up between den Dekker and Nieuwenhuis for the 4th outfield spot in 2015, but that will simply be given to whoever has the strongest Spring Training in a few months.
*Kirk Nieuwenhuis- It's crazy to think that Kirk has been in the league for 3 years already. It feels like just yesterday that he came up, and wow'd Mets fans with his incredible rookie performance. Then, pitcher's started to figure him out.
"Captain Kirk" would go on to become an all-or-nothing kind of player. Essentially, the home runs he hit, or lack thereof, weren't enough to compensate for his high strikeout totals. While Kirk is still a good talent, it's apparent that his upside is limited. He had a decent year off the bench in 2014, slugging .259/.346/.482, but his future is still very much unknown.
As stated earlier, whoever puts up the better Spring Training performance between Nieuwenhuis and den Dekker will be walking away with the fourth outfielder spot on the 25 man roster.
John Mayberry Jr.- The 6 year veteran was signed by New York this winter to do wha
t he does best: hit against lefties. The former Phillie has hit .269/.324/.533 in his career against southpaw pitchers, and that special skill will prove to be vital when occasionally spotting Granderson in left field.
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Courtesy of metsminorleagueblog.com |
Puello has an incredible load of talent, but there is a considerable amount of question surrounding his future with the Mets. He is currently out of options, meaning that if he does not make the varsity squad out of Spring Training, he will be placed on waivers. Putting him on waivers is guaranteeing his departure from the organization, as many teams would take a chance on his unique combination of talent.
* - Will fight for spot on 25 man roster.
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