4) Jared Young
At one point, there was a chance for Jared Young to make the Mets roster. A somewhat flexible and versatile defensive player albeit more of a first baseman/corner outfielder type, Young didn’t do much of anything this spring to differentiate himself from the onslaught of minor league free agent additions. The only difference is he’s on a major league deal. With minor league options available, his first spring training competition was battling alongside a player like Brett Baty. Well, Baty has run away from the competition without so much as a pleasant wave “goodbye.”
Young went 4 for 19 with nothing but singles in the spring. The performance didn’t have all of the signs of being an offseason “steal” but we’ll hold our breath for a few more weeks to see if some more regular playing time can translate into success. This is a guy who hit 11 home runs while slashing .285/.411/.506 in 286 Triple-A at-bats last year. In Korea, he knocked 10 more home runs while slashing .326/.420/.660. The man can hit. It just didn’t show in the spring while wearing a Mets cap.
Overall Triple-A numbers for Young include a .268/.367/.485 slash line and 54 home runs. A very limited major league sample of 69 plate appearances doesn’t tell us much about what to expect. A confidence boost from last year’s results plus confidence from the Mets to award him with a major league contract guarantees nothing other than raised expectations.