New York Mets: Three pleasant surprises from the 2020 season

Andrés Giménez

The Mets went into 2020 with Amed Rosario cemented as their starting shortstop and Andrés Giménez as a prospect who had never played above Double-A Binghamton. When the Mets announced their 30-man roster on July 23, the inclusion of Giménez was almost universally regarded as a “surprise” by the Mets Twitterverse.

Even Giménez himself did not expect to make the team out of “Summer Camp.”

Giménez was thrown into major league action right away, as a defensive replacement for Robinson Cano in the Mets’ first game of the year, and he never looked back. With the bat, Giménez consistently made solid contact and used speed to his advantage, swiping eight bases in 48 games played. He did not display much power in 2020, hitting only three home runs, but every one of them tied their respective games.

With the glove, Giménez was masterful. He provided solid defense at shortstop, second base, and third base, and frequently made highlight-reel plays at shortstop in particular.

The Mets were not a defensively impressive team in 2020, but even with that low bar, Giménez was clearly an excellent defender. So much so, he essentially wrestled the starting job away from Rosario and played all nine (or seven, depending on the day) innings for nearly every game in September.

Both Rosario and Giménez are under team control for several more years, so it will be fascinating to see what the Mets do with them next year. Giménez looks to be capable of playing shortstop, second base, or third base whenever asked, and rumors have swirled about whether Rosario will have to learn center field to remain valuable to the Mets going forward. After the 2020 season, one thing is for sure: Andrés Giménez has played his way into a roster spot in 2021.

Erasmo Ramirez

With the fantastic multi-inning appearances that Erasmo Ramirez delivered for the Mets in 2020, it is a wonder that he never started a game for them. The Mets signed Ramirez earlier this year, marking his first stint with a National League club after spending his entire career in the American League with the Red Sox, Seattle Mariners, and Tampa Bay Rays up to that point. He had started 92 games in his career, but this year excelled in long relief for the Amazins.

Ramirez spent much of the early part of the season at the alternate site. The Mets recalled him on September 4, and he made his first appearance against the Philadelphia Phillies on September 7. He came on in relief of David Peterson, who suffered his worst start of the year and lasted only two innings while surrendering five runs. Ramirez pitched innings three through seven, giving up only one run on two hits and allowing the Mets to get themselves back in the game (they ended up losing in ten innings).

That was the only run Ramirez gave up in September. He made five more scoreless appearances for the Mets this season, notching one save when he pitched the final three innings of the Mets’ 18-1 blowout of the Toronto Blue Jays on September 11. Throughout it all, Ramirez was always fired up on the field, especially when his fielders made key plays behind him.

I am still wrapping my head around the fact that Robert Gsellman and Ariel Jurado (remember him?) were somehow higher on the starting pitcher depth chart than Ramirez. I would love if the Mets brought Ramirez back, even on a minor league deal, in 2021. He did not pitch that many games in 2020, but he demonstrated that the Mets could rely on him to induce soft contact and get outs when needed.

Want your voice heard? Join the Rising Apple team!

Write for us!

Back in February and March, none of these three players figured to be a huge factor for the 2020 Mets. Once the COVID-shortened baseball season became a reality, all three played an important role for the Amazins. Their contributions were not quite enough to vault the Mets into a postseason berth, but they were enjoyable to watch and gave Mets fans something to smile about in a very difficult year.