Mets: Five way too early bold predictions for the 2021 season

Finally, the Mets have a Gold Glove winner

The last time the Mets had a Gold Glove winner was in 2014 when Juan Lagares captured one for the organization as a center fielder. This year, they finally get another.

Who will it be?

The most obvious candidate on the current roster is shortstop Francisco Lindor. A multi-time winner of the award during his time with the Cleveland Indians, he’s a stalwart on defense.

The Mets could also get a Gold Glove season from starting pitcher Marcus Stroman or possibly even catcher James McCann. I think this is a little too optimistic. Both should perform well defensively, but I don’t think a double-G is in their future.

Other than those three names, the Mets could shock us and add a Gold Glove-caliber player in center field to add into this mix. There are several past winners of the award available this offseason. However, with the expectation that there won’t be a DH in 2021, the club may need to proceed with Brandon Nimmo as their primary player at the position with only a part-time option on the roster for defensive reasons.

If I’m going to put any way too early prediction in ink, let’s hand out the Gold Glove to Lindor. Andrelton Simmons, his greatest competitor for the award in the American League, has a new contract with the Minnesota Twins. This leaves Lindor free to fight off the other 14 starting shortstops in the National League free of Simba.

All good things come to an end eventually. But so do bad droughts like the lack of Gold Glove winners in Mets history. In 2021, it’s finally over!