Mets found diamonds in their rough despite injuries to the main roster

Injuries have taken their toll on the New York Mets again in 2019. Fortunately, it has opened up playing time for some key players.

We’ve known for a while that this season has not gone the way Brodie Van Wagenen and his front office had envisioned their 2019 campaign to go when they began retooling the New York Mets roster last winter.

Serious understatement, I know.

However, despite Yoenis Céspedes and Brandon Nimmo’s injury battles and rehab programs this season, their absences have allowed J.D. Davis and Jeff McNeil to become everyday players and fan favorites – for obvious reasons.

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Their stellar above .300 batting averages, combined with their steady defensive work as corner outfielders have provided the backbone to the team’s unbelievable winning stretch since the all-star break.

However, it’s important to point out the irony that had Céspedes and Nimmo never been put on the shelf, or never had prolonged injuries and re-injures during their recuperation, Mets fans might not have known how good a hitter McNeil really was, or (like Astros fans) what they actually had in Davis.

In fact, the main reason Davis was expendable in Houston was because of their deep roster, which didn’t offer him the opportunity he needed to play and prove his worth. Fortunately, the battered roster did.

Additionally, the injuries to Van Wagenen’s most notable acquisitions of Jed Lowrie and Robinson Cano also opened the door to the signing of Joe Panik and promotion of Luis Guillorme. If not for these injuries, it would have been a lot harder for the Mets to fit Panik (if they would have even signed him at all) and Guillorme into the lineup.

Luis Guillorme has proven his worth with timely base hits while tattooing many baseballs this summer – most notably his game-tying pinch-hit home run against the Washington Nationals on August 11.

First career home run to tie the game?

First career home run to tie the game. #LGM pic.twitter.com/OgxCAmBOXL
— New York Mets (@Mets) August 11, 2019

Even McNeil’s short stint on the IL allowed Lagares to step up and have an amazin’ second half of August, during which he maintained an above .300 batting average while reminding Mets fan of his defensive skills in centerfield.

These players all excelled at the expense of Yoenis Céspedes (who was originally expected to come back in August 2019), Robinson Cano, Jed Lowrie (having never made his Mets debut), and Brandon Nimmo.

Still, Céspedes and Nimmo’s injuries were the catalyst that gave McNeil and Davis the opportunity to play every day. And with the exception of Pete Alonso (whose starting status was never in doubt), they have been the two breakout players on the Mets 2019 roster this season.

Their importance to this team’s success has as much to do with their production at the plate as it does with their outstanding personalities and leadership qualities in the clubhouse.

But in this fun and also agonizing game of “What ifs?” – just imagine how these two stars would look batting next to a healthy Cano, Céspedes, Lowrie, and Nimmo in September?

Had these players never gone down with injuries perhaps this season would have progressed closer to how Van Wagenen and his team had pictured it.

But even if they were all able to come back on September 1, just imagine what their bats might have been able to contribute to the hot run the current Mets team has been on since the all-star break, which has been fueled by the players who literally stepped up to the plate in their absences and carried the freight.

Their returns could have deepened the Mets lineup and bench exponentially.

Three Mets we wish we saw more of in 2019. Next

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While injuries have cost the Mets this season, they’ve also allowed management to see the depth they actually have on their roster, which will come in handy this winter when they begin building for 2020.

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