3 early NY Mets spring training overreactions you or someone you know is feeling

2) Is there a way to keep Jose Azocar around?

Jose Azocar is still with the Mets for one reason: injuries happen. He’s the backup in case someone like Siri or Tyrone Taylor goes down with an injury. His 40-man roster spot is less temporary than parking in Manhattan. A lifetime .243/.287/.322 hitter in 397 tries with the declining results, Azocar is a speedy fifth outfielder type you shouldn’t fool yourself into thinking has any place with the Mets.

Some notable at-bats from Azocar this spring have resulted in an early .294/.333/.471 slash line with a home run. A home run and 4 RBI, the early success is an example of limited sample size for a player who has played against tough competition in the past. Expose him too much and those numbers are going to fall.

It would be nice to keep Azocar around, but with a nice start to his spring, there’s a good chance he seizes an opportunity elsewhere. Bound to get DFA’d, the Mets will either trade him, lose him on waivers, or watch him pass through and see him opt for free agency. Surely, there’s another team out there with a clearer path to some big league playing time.

No one can accurately know 100% how things end with Azocar and he should stick around in spring training until we get to the final roster cuts. Siri and Taylor play a style in the outfield that’ll make one false step a season-ending one. But if all goes well, he’ll be out the door and we’ll probably all forget about this year’s Tim Locastro.