Mets: Does the front office believe in shortstop Amed Rosario?

With the New York Mets reportedly checking in on several shortstops this winter, I have to wonder if the front office has much faith in Amed Rosario.

New York Mets shortstop Amed Rosario will enter the 2020 campaign as a 24-year-old with 357 games of MLB experience. Since debuting late in 2017, he has put together a .270/.305/.406 batting line with 28 home runs, 50 stolen bases, and plenty of questions about how high his ceiling can go.

Before making it to the big leagues, Rosario was viewed by many as one of the next top shortstops in baseball. He ranked high on many of the top prospects lists. So far, he has yet to reach his full potential. At times frustrating because we see other guys reach the majors and pass him, Rosario is still a kid developing his game.

Regardless of what Mets fans think of him, it’s what the organization believes that will ultimately determine his future. Considering there was some rumored talk between the Mets and Houston Astros about their shortstop Carlos Correa, I question how much the team in Flushing actually believes in Rosario.

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Questions about Rosario’s defensive abilities have opened up the possibility of a position change at some point in the future. Center field is the spot we’ve heard the Mets could move him, but those talks seem to have died down since he began to handle the position better in the latter part of 2019.

While moving a kid to another spot to keep him around and playing often can equate to a vote of confidence, there are occasional signs the Mets don’t have much faith in him.

Rosario was signed back in 2012 as an amateur free agent. He came well before the current Brodie Van Wagenen regime. It’s not unusual for a general manager to come into a system and favor his guys over players left over from previous years. It definitely feels as if BVW wouldn’t mind having someone of his own choosing play shortstop for the foreseeable future.

The club does have two notable prospects in the minors who could eventually take over the position. Ronny Mauricio and Andres Gimenez have each spent time as the franchise’s top-ranked minor leaguer. Mauricio currently holds the position, but Gimenez is much closer to his MLB debut.

Depending on how Van Wagenen views these guys could determine whether or not we see Rosario stay in Queens long term.

In addition to reinforcements from the minors, we can’t rule out the possibility of a big splash through other means such as Correa or going out and acquiring Francisco Lindor from the Cleveland Indians.

The 2020 season will be an important one for Rosario. By their age 24 season, Correa and Lindor were already starring in the league. Lindor is a few years past that big year while Correa just turned 25 in September of 2019.

Measuring Rosario against these two can definitely make the average Mets fans of little faith feel a little cheated by his performance. As much as many are anticipating a big year from him in 2020, he has yet to establish himself as an elite performer.

In their own division, young stars of the Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals have already topped Rosario. On his own team, guys have been promoted to the big leagues and become bigger stars.

With Rosario, there are two things I think we must do. One is: have a little more patience. The other is to stop comparing him to anyone else.

I’m guilty of not abiding by either rule. I’ve been very impatient with him and a big reason for it is because I see how other guys have outperformed him.

Rosario may never become the perennial All-Star some believed he could. This doesn’t mean it’s time to move on.

Next. Why we should be excited about the 2020 Mets

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The 2019 campaign was an important leap in the right direction for Rosario. Even more improvement could convince the front office he is indeed the man to stick with going forward. And with him, that’s the key—a little patience.

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