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.