Mets 2015 World Series roster: Where are they now?

The Mets 2015 WS Outfield: An impressive rookie, a prized acquisition, veteran presence, and a defensive star. Only one remains on the team.

Outfielders:

Yoenis Céspedes

Céspedes was the prized midseason acquisition for the Mets during the 2015 season when he hit 17 home runs and drove in 44 runs in just 57 games for the Amazins. Céspedes was the spark for the entire offense that helped thrust the team into the postseason. He drove in seven runs over the course of the first two series. However, like most of the team, Céspedes fell off in the World Series. He had just three hits in 20 at-bats with six strikeouts.

Céspedes would continue his success with the Mets in 2016, becoming an All-Star for the second time in his career. Injuries took a toll on him from late 2017 through the 2019 season, including fracturing his right ankle on his ranch while recovering in 2019. He became healthy enough to start on Opening Day again for the Mets in 2020. Yet, he suddenly opted out of the season after just eight games with the Mets, becoming a free agent in the process. He has yet to be signed this offseason and remains a free agent.

Michael Conforto

The lone position player from the 2015 World Series roster who is currently on the Mets 40-man roster, Conforto enjoyed a solid rookie season after a July debut. Although Conforto did not produce well in the NLDS and NLCS, he broke out in a big way in the World Series. He was the Mets best hitter in the World Series and became just the 5th rookie in World Series history to hit multiple home runs in the same game. He also joined Gary Carter as the only other Mets player to accomplish this feat.

Conforto struggled in 2016, hitting at a .216 clip and even earned a demotion to Triple-A. However, from 2017-2020, he has been one of the most consistent outfielders in the majors. He enjoyed a very successful 60-game shortened season, where he had the 6th-highest on-base percentage in the National League for qualified players. Conforto will look to continue to build on this success in 2021, where he will play a pivotal role in determining the Mets’ success this season.

Michael Cuddyer

After 14 seasons with the Twins and Rockies, Cuddyer signed with the Mets as a veteran presence in 2015. He got on base at a .309 pace with 41 runs batted in while playing in 117 regular-season games. He also came off the bench as a pinch hitter in 22 games.

Although Cuddyer had been a previous .338 hitter in his 22 postseason games with the Twins, the 2015 postseason was pretty bleak offensively. In 12 postseason plate appearances for the Mets, he had just one hit while striking out seven times. Cuddyer struck out all three times he came to bat in Game 1, the only game in which he appeared. He retired in December of 2015 after 15 seasons in the major leagues.

Curtis Granderson

The Grandy Man accumulated 5.1 WAR during 2015, the highest total among all position players on the roster that year. He led the team in games played, runs scored, hits, stolen bases, walks, on-base percentage, and total bases. Granderson was a key offensive spark for the Mets throughout the entire postseason, hitting .283 with three home runs and 12 runs batted in over 14 games. All three of those home runs came in the World Series.

Granderson was traded to the Dodgers in August of 2017 where he appeared in the postseason for the third consecutive season. However, he was left off the World Series roster to make room for Corey Seager. He would sign with the Toronto Blue Jays for the 2018 season and eventually was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers in late August of 2018. Granderson finished off his career with the Miami Marlins, where he struggled at age 38. He announced his retirement in late January of 2020.

Juan Lagares

Coming off a Gold Glove season, Lagares had always been known for his stellar defense, but in the postseason he was an offensive machine. He hit .348 with seven runs scored across 13 games in all three series. Lagares would slide to the backup outfield role for the Mets between 2016 and 2019 as he suffered numerous injuries throughout those four seasons.

He would then sign a minor league deal with the San Diego Padres for the 2020 season, yet never cracked the major league roster. The Mets picked him up in late July after the Padres released him. He only appeared with the Mets in two games before he was let go by the Mets. He currently is on a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Angels that includes an invite to Spring Training.

Kirk Nieuwenhuis

Nieuwenhuis started the 2015 season with the Mets, got traded to the Angels for cash considerations, and then returned to the club just 17 days later as the Mets claimed him off waivers. He wound up on the postseason roster after a combined 64 regular-season games in the two stints with the Mets that season. He appeared in three World Series games either as a pinch hitter or defensive replacement.

Nieuwenhuis would struggle in the seasons to follow with the Brewers and Mariners, playing a majority of 2017 and all of 2018 in the minor leagues. In March of 2019, he signed with the Long Island Ducks of the Independent League, yet quickly retired from baseball in July of that same year.