Yoenis Cespedes
(7) Curtis Granderson – Upon signing with the Mets, said true New Yorkers were Mets fans. Started the fun We Follow Lucas Duda Instagram account. Had a great 2015 season and was true MVP of the team. Hit three homers in 2015 World Series and likely would’ve been MVP had the Mets pulled it out. Moved to CF to help team in 2016 and had a phenomenal finish to the season hitting .302/.414/.615 in September to help Mets grab Wild Card spot. One of the best people to ever wear a baseball uniform being the only man to win the Roberto Clemente Award in addition to multiple Marvin Miller Awards.
(10) Yoenis Cespedes – Was a sensation after joining the Mets helping them win the NL East. Nailed a player at the plate in Game 1 of the NLCS to help the Mets secure victory. Had a huge homer and epic bat flip in Game 3 of NLDS. Eschewed the Nationals to return to the Mets, and he repeated his 2015 greatness helping the Mets claim a Wild Card spot. Was always an interesting character with the cars, breakfasts, and ranch exploits. Forced to play one game on heels which needed surgery to DH against the Yankees and hit a homer. Lion King walk-up music was fan favorite.
With the universal DH coming in 2020 (to the extent there even is a 2020), the common refrain is the Mets are one of the few NL teams well situated for this. After all, J.D. Davis is a positionless player who was terrible at third and LF last yearRo, Yoenis Cespedes is coming off double heel surgery and a broken ankle,and Robinson Cano is 37 years old. They also have a player like Dominic Smith who may well be an everyday first baseman for many Major League teams.
While we hear those names in the mix, one name we don’t hear as a DH possibility in 2020 is Pete Alonso. While the possibility is ignored, it shouldn’t.
Looking at Alonso’s rookie season, he was much better than he had been advertised in some circles. Before his rookie season, some gave the impression Alonso could little more than just stand a first base. Truth be told, Alonso put in a lot of work on his defense, and he made very clear strides. As a result, we saw him make many highlight defensive plays in 2020:
This caused many to question those scouting reports and just how much those scouts knew. However, when you peel back the highlights, while Alonso is FAR from the inept defensive player he was portrayed in some circles, he was still not a good defensive player.
On the year, he was a -3 DRS and a -7 OAA. That had Alonso ranked as the third worst defensive first baseman in the game by DRS and the worst defensive first baseman by OAA. In the end, even with the defensive gems, Alonso was just not good at first base in 2019.
On the other hand, Smith was very good at first base. In his limited attempts there, Smith had a 1 DRS and 1 OAA. Both marks put Smith in the top 20 out of the 84 players who played first base in the majors last year. With Smith, his defensive reputation in the minors proved true as he played a good defensive first base.
Just looking at Alonso and Smith, if you are going to put one in the field and one at DH, wouldn’t it make sense to put the far superior player in the field? There really isn’t an argument on how playing Alonso at first base with Smith at DH helps the team win more than by putting the vastly superior defender in the field.
Admittedly, there are caveats to this.
With the Mets selecting Alonso as their first baseman of now and the future, you can understand the impetus to keep Alonso at first. After all, why would you sacrifice one year of development for Alonso at first for the sake of trying to win in 2020?
There is also the Cespedes factor. At the moment, no one knows if he can play at all in 2020. If he can play, no one is quite sure what he can contribute. However, if he can hit, we have seen they type of dynamic game changing bat he can be, and it is going to be difficult to keep him out of the lineup, especially when you can certainly play Alonso at first.
Even if Cespedes can play the field and play it at a near facsimile to how well he played it in his career, he is still likely going to need his days off. In the end, if Cespedes can play and hit, he is the obvious and probably the best choice for DH.
If he can’t the Mets are likely juggling between a group of first basemen and designated hitters on their team. While many see this as a possibility to load the Mets lineup with bats, the reality is this should be a way for the Mets to be able to put a very good defensive team on the field and surround them with very good bats.
With that being the case, the Mets ideally should have Alonso at DH, Jake Marisnick in CF, and Smith at first base. They can certainly move that around as needed based on match-ups and to give players like Cano a day off here and there. Certainly, injuries are going to play a factor. However, in the end this is the Mets best lineup to try to win the 2020 World Series . . . assuming the 2020 season ever gets played.
Yesterday, the Mets needed a ninth inning rally to beat the Braves. Today, things were not nearly as dramatic as Michael Conforto‘s RBI ground out in the second gave the Mets a 2-1 lead and the lead for good.
That lead grew to 3-1 on a Yoenis Cespedes RBI double. Pete Alonso homered in the first, and Wilson Ramos homered in the eighth in the Mets 4-1 win.
Steven Matz picked up the win after limiting the Braves to one run over six. Edwin Diaz earned the save.
The Braves got out to a 6-1 lead against Marcus Stroman and the Mets. However, Stroman would not get saddled with the loss.
In the sixth, the Mets pulled to within 6-4 after homers by Jeff McNeil and Robinson Cano.
In the ninth, Amed Rosario got the game winning rally started with a lead-off double. Later in the inning, McNeil hit his second homer of the game. This one was a go-ahead three run homer giving the Mets a 7-6 lead.
After a Yoenis Cespedes sacrifice fly scoring Pete Alonso, the Mets led 8-6. With Justin Wilson pitching a scoreless eighth, he picked up the win. Edwin Diaz recorded the save.
This was a terrific pitcher’s duel started by Zac Gallen and Steven Matz with neither going very deep into the game and both pitchers taking a no decision in this tight game.
MLB The Show 20: Mets vs Diamondbacks, Game 42 https://t.co/ORb9vpDVA1
— SNY (@SNYtv) May 13, 2020
The Mets had a 1-0 lead when Yoenis Cespedes singles home Pete Alonso in the third. The Diamondbacks tied it on the fifth on a Domingo Leyba sacrifice fly.
The game was tied into the bottom of the eighth when David Peralta hit a homer off of Brad Brach with two outs. The Mets couldn’t come back and would lose 2-1.
After signing with the Mets, Michael Wacha got a chance to face his former team in a simulated game, and he would come out on top.
Over six innings, he allowed just one run. He got run support from two Jeff McNeil solo homers, and a Yoenis Cespedes RBI single.
Edwin Diaz made it an adventure in the ninth allowing a run, but he would still lock down the Mets 3-2 win.
Rick Porcello had what was probably the best start of his computer simulated baseball career allowing just one earned to the Cardinals over 6.2 innings.
Even though he had allowed just three hits up until that point, Luis Rojas went to his bullpen. Justin Wilson and Dellin Betances kept the Cardinals off the board heading into the ninth for Edwin Diaz, who converted the save.
In this 2-1 Mets victory, Brandon Nimmo hit a second inning RBI single against Cardinals starter Daniel Ponce de Leon scoring Wilson Ramos. In the fourth, Yoenis Cespedes hit a solo homer, which proved to be the game winner.
Sometimes, we may forget how unrealistic video games and simulations can be. This game between the Mets and Reds is a perfect example of that.
Not only did Jacob deGrom enter the game with a 3.89 ERA, but he’d be knocked out of this start after allowing five earned over 4.2 innings. As if that wasn’t all ridiculous enough, the Mets gave him some run support.
That mostly came in the form of two Yoenis Cespedes homers and a homer from Pete Alonso. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough as deGrom would take the loss in this 7-6 game.
Ronald Acuna, Jr. hit a three run homer off Rick Porcello in the top of the first, and that was all the Braves would need in their 6-2 win.
The Mets only mustered two runs with one of them being a solo homer by Yoenis Cespedes. After winning nine straight, the Mets have now lost two in a row.