The Mets Need Gavin Cecchini

The Mets are in a bad situation right now with their infield depth during a pivotal series against the Miami Marlins.  Asdrubal Cabrera has re aggravated the same knee injury that previously landed him on the disabled list after a collision with Phillies first baseman Tommy JosephNeil Walker has been in and out of the lineup with a back issue.  With the Mets having sent down T.J. Rivera to make room for Rafael Montero to make last night’s start, it means the Mets have no infield depth.  They are literally one injury away from figuring out if Rene Rivera or Travis d’Arnaud is capable of playing third base.

With that, the Mets are desperate for someone middle infield help until the rosters can expand on Thursday, and on the 40 man roster, the Mets have enigmatic options.

First is everyone’s least favorite Met Eric Campbell.  Campbell is once again dominating AAA hitting .297/.396/.428 with 13 doubles, four triples, five homers, and 40 RBI.  Yes, four triples.  This follows a stint where he didn’t hit in the majors going .159/.270/.222.  The only thing Campbell has going for him is his ability to play multiple positions and his ability to pinch hit.

The next option is Ty Kelly.  Like Campbell, Kelly is versatile and has been dominating in AAA.  Unlike Campbell, he is a switch hitter who has had some recent success in the majors.  Keep in mind before he had back-to-back two hit games before being demoted again, he was hitting .186/.280/.256.  It’s something to keep in mind as he hasn’t been raking in AAA like he was when he was first called up.  Since being sent back down to AAA, Kelly is hitting .259/.323/.296.

Finally, there is Matt Reynolds.  Between him, Campbell, and Kelly, he is the only one that can play SS.  However, he is in the same boat as Campbell and Kelly in that you cannot trust him to hit at the major league level.  In his 37 games with the Mets, he hit .211/.231/.382.  After the AAA All Star Break, Reynolds has been hitting .250/.321/.292 with only four doubles in 96 at bats.

With these three not hitting or having established they are not capable of hitting at the major league level, the Mets need to turn in another direction for help.  With that in mind, the Mets best option is their 2012 first round draft pick Gavin Cecchini.

While playing shortstop this season, Cecchini has been hitting .329/.391/.454 with 27 doubles, two triples, seven homers, and 53 RBI.  Over the past month, Cecchini is hitting .368/.390/.500 with nine doubles, two homers, and 12 RBI.  While many have knocked his defense as he has a woeful .928 fielding percentage, it is notable that Cecchini has gone his last 12 games without an error.  Overall, Cecchini is playing the best out of these four players making him the Mets best infield option.

There is just one problem.  Cecchini isn’t on the 40 man roster.  The Mets would have to make a move to put him on; a move the Mets are going to have to make in the offseason anyway to protect Cecchini from the Rule 5 Draft.  Looking at the above options, there is no reason to keep Campbell or Kelly on the 40 man roster.  If the Mets are really interested in putting the best team on the field, and giving themselves the best chance to win, they will go with Cecchini.

But no.  Instead, the Mets are going to go with Logan Verrett because the Mets need another pitcher to address their infield situation.  Hopefully, d’Arnaud can play third base.