NY Mets: Three most exciting spring training position battles

Battle for: Third Base

All off-season long, the Mets were said to be interested in just about every player at every position. Of course, one of those being third base.

Prior to Nolan Arenado being dealt to the St. Louis Cardinals, the Mets were a potential destination. They were also rumored to be interested in Oakland Athletics’ Matt Chapman, and of course, the on-again and off-again talks with the Chicago Cubs about Kris Bryant.

Ultimately, the team stood pat, as J.D. Davis is the obvious choice for the position. The one-time bench bat for the Houston Astros has been a fantastic hitter for the Mets since being acquired in 2019. He owns a .288 average and .370 on-base percentage over 600 at-bats games to go with 28 home runs and 76 runs batted in.

At the same time, Davis has not found a natural home in the field. While his versatility is great, he has struggled in the field, whether in the outfield or at third base. In fact, since coming to New York, Davis has a mark of -19 when it comes to defensive runs saved.

Yes, he may be the favorite, but do not count out Jonathan Villar. The infielder comes to the Mets on a one-year deal hoping to regain his 2019 form, where he hit for career-highs in home runs (24) and runs batted in (73).

Villar is not much better than Davis at third, with -7 defensive runs saved in 54 games on the hot corner, though that was years ago when he last played, and he has improved defensively at other positions since.

The main competition at third will be between Davis and Villar this spring, although Jeff McNeil and Luis Guillorme certainly can play there sometimes too.

Battle for: Center Field

Seemingly since Curtis Granderson last played for the Mets, the team has needed a natural center fielder. Michael Conforto and Brandon Nimmo have been solid fillers, though are better suited at the corner outfield positions.

At the same time, it appears that Brandon Nimmo will be the team’s center fielder for the 2021 season. The team could not secure George Springer, who went up north to the Toronto Blue Jays. And it does not sound as if Jackie Bradley Jr. will be a late addition to the team.

That being said, Mets fans, be ready to see Nimmo in center field once again in 2021. This is no knock on him, as he has been a passable center fielder, though, given his -14 defensive runs saved in 147 games at the position, there are better solutions. That is where Albert Almora Jr. and Kevin Pillar come in.

The 26-year-old Almora is a low-risk, high-reward signing for the Mets after never panning out with the Chicago Cubs. He owns a .271 career batting average but is coming off of his worst year at the plate. However, in 427 career games in center field, he has six defensive runs saved.

Similarly, Pillar is, or well was a defensive-first center fielder. The 32-year-old is years out of his defensive prime, having not had a positive defensive run saved mark since 2017. At the same time, his bat is proven, with a career .262 average, including .288 in 2020.

Entering training camp, the safe bet to be late-game Juan Lagares type defensive center fielder is Pillar given his experience. But do not count out Almora if he has a strong spring training at the plate.

Battle for: Fifth Starting Job

Jacob deGrom is going to be competing for his third Cy Young award in four years. Marcus Stroman returns on a one-year deal after sitting last year out. Plus, Carlos Carrasco and Taijuan Walker join the team and are under contract through 2022.

Behind those four, the question becomes who is pitching on the fifth day until Noah Syndergaard is ready to return? Luckily, the Mets have plenty of options.

In theory, the most obvious candidate is David Peterson, and should 2020 have been a normal year, it would be his job. The 6-6 and 240-pound lefty was fantastic in his rookie year, going 6-2 in 10 games with a 3.44era.

Despite those great numbers, it is the fact he pitched 49.2 innings in 2020 after 100+ the previous two years in the minors that concern the team in terms of health. And all teams are likely to keep a close eye on pitcher’s inning count given the odd season everyone is coming off of.

Taking that into consideration, the Mets may be wary of handing him the starting job. Instead, they may look at another lefty in Joey Lucchesi. Acquired from the San Diego Padres, Lucchesi has a career 4.21era in 59 games (58 starts).

Outside of Peterson and Lucchesi, the Mets have a handful of names to watch. Jordan Yamamoto, Jerad Eickhoff, Sean-Reid Foley, and many more are guys worthy of being given an opportunity to start.

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Ultimately, whoever winds up winning the fifth starting job is simply getting a long showcase, as Thor will reclaim it once healthy.