Mets: Three current players and their most underrated qualities

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NEW YORK, NY – JULY 11: Pitcher Jacob deGrom #48 of the New York Mets throws over in an MLB baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies on July 11, 2018 at Citi Field in the Queens borough of New York City. Mets won 3-0. (Photo by Paul Bereswill/Getty Images) /

Some of the best New York Mets have some obvious great qualities but they also bring some underrated ones with them to the field.

On the current New York Mets roster, many of the most prominent players are known for particular aspects of their game. Jeff McNeil’s trademark thus far in his career has been his high batting average; he hit .349 in the first half of 2019 before finishing the year at a still-excellent .318 mark. Mets fans adore Brandon Nimmo’s patience at the plate and ability to draw well-timed walks. And I need not remind you of what a power threat Pete Alonso is at the plate.

But in baseball, it is rare for a player who excels in only one area to have a lasting career. Versatility is always a useful aspect of any ballplayer’s game. In 2020’s shortened season, with mid-season transactions unlikely and a limited minor league taxi squad, it will be more valuable than ever for major leaguers to contribute on the field in multiple ways.

The Mets may not have the most balanced roster in all of baseball, but they do possess a group of very talented players who provide value in obvious and non-obvious areas. Here are a few underrated strengths of current everyday Mets players.

Jacob deGrom: His defense

Beneath the piles of strikeouts, innings, and scoreless starts, one of the more underrated aspects of Jacob deGrom’s game is his defense. Generally, a pitcher does not field nearly as many balls per game as his infielders. Still, it is a huge boost to a team if its pitchers can field the ball as confidently as they throw one.

In his six-year career, deGrom has committed just five total errors. His first two seasons in 2014 and 2015 were completely error-free. This gave him the distinction of finishing the 2015 season as one of only 17 active MLB players to have played at least 300 career defensive innings without committing an error. As a reward for his defensive prowess, deGrom rather quietly won the 2015 Wilson Defensive Pitcher of the Year award, finishing second only to Zack Greinke in Defensive Runs Saved for NL pitchers.

Over his past few seasons, deGrom has continued to be reliable in the field. He may never have won a Gold Glove (Greinke has won the NL pitching Gold Glove each of the past six years), but every year it seems like he should be in the conversation. Whenever the ball is hit to him, deGrom always knows exactly what to do and where to throw it, without any hesitation.

So what makes deGrom such a solid fielder? Perhaps it stems from his years as a shortstop in college. Perhaps his hand-eye coordination stretches farther back, to his high school days as a standout in basketball as well as baseball. Or perhaps he’s simply driven by the desire to rack up a third kind of major baseball hardware.

Regardless, on a Mets team that is often defensively-challenged, the other eight guys on the field could learn a thing or two from how effortlessly deGrom fields the baseball.

NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 08: J.D. Davis #28 of the New York Mets in action against the Philadelphia Phillies during a game at Citi Field on September 8, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /

J.D. Davis: His disciplined eye at the plate

During his first year in Queens, J.D. Davis often brought fans to their feet with clutch hitting and amped-up energy. Many of his biggest hits would not have been possible without his educated, patient eye at the plate.

When he was first scouted after being drafted by the Astros in 2014, Davis was noted in one article for being a “confident hitter with a great understanding of the strike zone, [and his] eye is sharp and selective when it needs to be.” He supplements his natural talent with an extremely studious attitude towards watching video of opposing pitchers, which he has maintained all the way through the minor leagues into his major league career.

In this Statcast era of baseball, we have several statistics to evaluate hitters’ plate discipline. Davis has shown continuous improvement in this area since he was drafted. From April through August of last year, Davis was only swinging at 26.1% of pitches outside of the strike zone (also known as his O-Swing %), compared to the league average of 31.4%. He did strike out 97 times in 453 plate appearances, but this 21.4% rate was much improved from his two years in Houston and was still below the MLB average strikeout rate of 23% in 2019.

Where Davis’s plate discipline shines is when it really counts. In 2019, 32.9% of his plate appearances went to 2-2 or 3-2, indicating his willingness to work the count rather than swing away too early in the at-bat. His patience almost always paid off; he hit .357 with two outs, .294 with a full count, and .358 in “late and close” situations (aka, 7th or later with the batting team tied, ahead by one, or the tying run at least on deck).

In other words, Davis’s disciplined eye at the plate consistently translated into clutch success last year. His walk-off hit on August 22 against the Cleveland Indians was the most prominent clutch hit of all. With the promise he showed throughout 2019, Davis will have every chance in 2020 to fully harness his plate discipline into a full season of powerful, clutch hitting.

PHOENIX, ARIZONA – JUNE 01: Pete Alonso #20 of the New York Mets stretches from first base to get a force out on Ildemaro Vargas #15 of the Arizona Diamondbacks during the second inning at Chase Field on June 01, 2019 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) /

Pete Alonso: His stretch at first base

When asked by reporters about his future individual baseball goals, Pete Alonso tends to stick to one answer: “Win a Gold Glove.” Alonso was cited often throughout the minor leagues for his supposedly “weak” defense at first base. Since he was called up last season, he has proven that he has a solid, reliable glove at first that could actually be considered a Mets team strength.

One of Alonso’s strongest defensive assets is his ability to stretch and snare infield throws well before they approach first base. Alonso spoke about this in a NY Post article last year.

“When I was younger I used to take taekwondo,’’ Alonso said. “If baseball didn’t get in the way, I probably would have been a really advanced black belt. . . If I told you I can do a 180 split, would you believe me?’’

I certainly would.

To the untrained eye, it seems like Alonso is among the best in baseball at this particular defensive skill. In that same article from the Post, Mickey Callaway offered the same sentiments.

“He’s the best I’ve ever seen at stretching at first base,’’ Callaway said. “He catches balls where he is laying down. It’s unbelievable. We talk about it all the time on the bench when he does it. He can be laying down picking balls, amazing.’’

There are, surprisingly, not many official defensive metrics on a first baseman’s ability to stretch for a throw far in front of the base, but it is no doubt a crucial skill. Alonso is clearly focused on proving his doubters wrong and developing into one of the best defensive first basemen in the league. With his confidence and determination, I have no doubt that he can get there.

Next. Underrated Mets crucial to the 2020 season

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These three players all excel in specific areas. For deGrom, it’s anything pitching-related. For Alonso and Davis, their obvious strengths lie in their power. However, their more underrated qualities that don’t turn as many heads make all three even more valuable to the Mets roster.

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Some of the best New York Mets have some obvious great qualities but they also bring some underrated ones with them to the field.

Jacob deGrom: His defense

J.D. Davis: His disciplined eye at the plate

Pete Alonso: His stretch at first base

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