NY Mets: Best designated hitter options for the 2020 season

As the MLB’s return to play proposal could incorporate the designated hitter in the National League, the New York Mets will have an opportunity to add a big bat to the lineup each game. Who should it be?

We are all missing the New York Mets right now. Fortunately, they could return in a few weeks.

Major League Baseball began to negotiate a return to play proposal to the owners and players association, with the intent of resuming play. The proposal covered a variety of changes to the standard MLB season format, such as an 82-game season, a schedule where teams only play within their division, and the corresponding division in the other league, playoffs reduced to only 10 teams, and a universal DH.

Adopting the designated hitter in the National League has been a topic of debate for decades among baseball fans, with many traditionalists preferring the NL rules, which pitchers must take a turn in the batting order.

Many Mets fans are opposed to the DH, as many memorable moments in the team’s recent history have been with a pitcher at the dish, such as Noah Syndergaard‘s two-home run game, Steven Matz‘s three-hit, four RBI debut in 2015, and of course, Bartolo Colon’s infamous home run in 2016.

However, it cannot be denied that having a designated hitter in the National League would give the Mets more flexibility in their lineups. Whether it is giving older or often injured player’s a lighter workload, create better defensive alignments, or get younger players blocked at a position more at-bats, there’s a benefit to it.

All things considered, who should the team aim to get the most ABs as the DH?

New York Mets Designated Hitter Option: Yoenis Cespedes

The benefits of having the All-Star outfielder serve as the club’s primary designated hitter was already outlined in an article earlier this week, but here’s a quick rundown.

Cespedes has always been a force at the plate when healthy and was a key factor in the Mets quests for the postseason in 2015 and 2016. However, in recent years, injuries have piled up for Cespedes, and after having double heel surgery and suffering a broken ankle during his recovery, Yoenis has not appeared in a Major League game since July of 2018.

Cespedes had been looking to make a comeback with the Mets in the 2020 season, however, after undergoing surgery on both of his ankles and missing a whole year of baseball, his ability to play the field has remained in question.

The adoption of the designated hitter in the NL effectively removes that problem for the Mets and Yoenis Cespedes, as it would lessen his workload and allow him to focus mainly on hitting at the plate and not risking reinjury by playing defense in the outfield.

With a surplus of options to play left field for New York currently on the major league roster, having the potential flexibility to play Yoenis at DH will in all likelihood mitigate injury risk and allow the Mets to get more production out of their two-time Home Run Derby winner.

New York Mets Designated Hitter Option: Dominic Smith

The New York Mets’ former number two ranked prospect, first baseman Dominic Smith took a massive step forward as a hitter in 2019, however, was overshadowed by the emergence of Pete Alonso, the 2019 Rookie of the Year, who slugged a Mets team record 53 home runs last season.

With Alonso firmly cemented at first base for New York, Smith finds himself a player without a proper position. He has some experience playing the outfield, appearing in 32 games in LF in 2019 but the Mets have several other options there who they may not want to pull out of the line up in favor of Smith.

Options to get Dom in the line up were becoming limited, and it appeared that he would be slated for a bench role going into the season, however, having a Designated Hitter changes all of that.

Smith’s batting average of .282 would be a welcome addition in any lineup, and playing him at DH in the line up means that the Mets would not have to sacrifice defense in the outfield in order to get him more at-bats.

It also means the Mets could potentially flip flop him and Alonso between first base and DH in order to keep Alonso well-rested without completely pulling him out of the lineup or disrupting the batting order.

New York Mets Designated Hitter Option: Robinson Cano

Similar to Cespedes, Cano is an older player on the team who missed significant time in 2019 due to injury, who could benefit from the lighter workload offered by serving as a lineup’s designated hitter.

Cano was acquired prior the 2019 season in a trade with the Seattle Mariners, but his debut season with New York did not go as expected, as Cano only appeared in107 games and struggled early in the season, although he did play much better in August and September, and was a big part of the Mets’ late-season run.

While Cano is still a solid defender at second base for the Mets, having the flexibility to have him DH every few games could help to keep him rested and spare him from injuring himself again in 2020.

The Mets have a few other options to play at second base in his absence on such occasions, such as Jeff McNeil, and keeping Cano healthy and his bat in the line up will be a key for New York if they hope to compete in 2020.

When he is healthy and he is in form, Robinson Cano can be one of the most dangerous hitters in the league, and having him DH could be just the way to ensure the Mets get the most out of him at the plate.