NY Mets manager couldn't resist falling into familiar Luis Robert Jr. trap

Luis Robert Jr. would be talked about as one of the best players in Major League Baseball if he stayed consistently healthy. It's a big goal of the New York Mets this year.

The fact of the matter is, Robert's never done that. But that didn't stop his new manager, Carlos Mendoza, from talking up Robert on Wednesday as if the injuries were but a side note, and not the main plot.

Carlos Mendoza sounds infatuated with the talent of Luis Robert Jr.

In conversation with Foul Territory's A.J. Pierzynski, Mendoza half-jokingly (well, actually, maybe 10 percent-jokingly) said that Robert will lead the majors in homers if healthy.

Mendoza described Robert as "different" and alluded to the center fielder's show-stopping performance in batting practice during spring training.

"He hasn't played in a game yet," Mendoza mentioned on May 4. "We gotta make sure this guy stays healthy."

The problem here for Mendoza and the Mets is that they aren't in control of whether or not Robert stays healthy (that's not how injuries work), and history tells us that Robert won't, indeed, stay healthy.

Robert has only exceeded 100 games played in three of his six MLB seasons thus far, all with the Chicago White Sox. More specifically, he's only played in more than 110 games once, in 2023, when his 145-game campaign led to 38 homers, 20 steals, elite defense (12 OOA), and subsequent accolades -- All-Star, Silver Slugger, and a top-12 finish in American League MVP voting.

So yes, Robert has superstar potential, but thus far in his career, it's been mostly just that -- potential.

Now, let's not act like Robert has to repeat 2023 numbers for the Mets to have made a good trade. If Robert stays healthy, New York will look highly intelligent for having acquired him for Luisangel Acuña and a prospect to be forgotten later (sorry, Truman Pauley).

In other words, Robert doesn't have to fulfill Mendoza's superstar prophecy for the Mets to have won this trade; nor does he have to do so for New York to strongly consider picking up his $20 million club option for 2027 against the backdrop of a bleak outfielder market.

Even if Robert is simply mediocre by his standard (albeit healthy), he's still the best center fielder the Mets have had recently (and he's still less of a financial burden than recent Mets target-turned-Yankee-returner Cody Bellinger).

In fact, Robert doesn't even have to play every day! He probably shouldn't, by design, if the Mets want to preserve his health for autumn.

From the Mets' view, the bar for 2026 Robert is far lower than All-Star level, but notably, it's higher than his career durability has allowed for thus far.

By diving headfirst into Robert optimism with boundless energy, Mendoza comes across as slightly naive. We'll forgive Mendoza here for being excited at the sight of a shiny, talented new toy on his roster. Once the radiance dulls this summer, and Robert's once again on the IL, we'll get a more telling evaluation from the skipper.

For now, we can lean into the delusion and gleefully pretend that spring batting practice means something in October. What else is spring training for, after all?