Mets: Will lack of power hold rookie Luis Guillorme back?

New York Mets rookie Luis Guillorme has fit in well with the team, but will his light bat prevent him from keeping a roster spot?

Since becoming a professional ballplayer in 2013, New York Mets infielder Luis Guillorme has done one thing at an incredibly consist rate: he has not hit with power.

In over 2,000 trips to the plate in his professional career, Guillorme has swatted just three home runs. We live in a time when offenses are built around the long ball. Is this going to hurt Guillorme’s chances at keeping a big league job?

Expecting Guillorme to become anything more than a utility man is overly optimistic. He’s not even highly rated in the team’s minor league system. This doesn’t mean stuck spending the rest of his days riding buses from city to city. Guillorme can certainly find his place on the Mets as soon as this season.

Due to the shallow farm system at their disposal, I can see Guillorme carving out his niche as the team’s primary backup infielder. If he can continue to hit with a high average and get on base at a nice clip as he did in the minors, the Mets will have to find room for him.

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Right now, you’ll have trouble going a day without finding a fan who would prefer to see Guillorme over Jose Reyes on this roster. Can we blame them? Reyes has been horrific this year despite his reputation as a positive influence to Amed Rosario. What he does in the locker room can be accomplished in a different role. He doesn’t need to take up a roster spot to help out the kids.

The decision to replace Reyes with Guillorme might be easier if the latter brought one amazing tool to the diamond. He’s a good, flexible defender but not an offensive juggernaut. In a bench role, I believe a player needs either speed, power, or a high batting average. A glove made of gold is nice yet not enough to keep a spot on the 25-man roster.

Guillorme is only with the Mets right now because of Todd Frazier‘s injury. The Toddfather will return, and when he does, the Mets will need to start thinking about what their bench will look like. They have other options, but will ultimately need to think about whether Guillorme fits into their 2018 plans or not.

From what we’ve seen, Guillorme is a limited player who needs to play every position possible to earn his keep. If we see Mickey Callaway move him to the outfield for even an inning, it could signal the Mets are keen on keeping him.

There’s a lot to love about a spunky rookie with a whole lot of energy. An attitude like that can help a team win games. First, Guillorme needs to prove to his team he needs to stick around.

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