NY Mets spring training beast has proven his preseason performance was a fluke

Every year has one guy. There’s someone who goes into St. Lucie with a track record of not performing at the big league level and after a few hits or dominant innings, the fanbase gravitates toward the idea of brushing aside someone else to give him a roster spot. Every family has at least one weird uncle. The New York Mets have their spring training beast who proves the club right for not buying into exhibition action.

This year, it was Cristian Pache. He hit .419/.500/.710 in the preseason. An available roster spot that would ultimately get handed off to Jared Young pushed Pache into the minor leagues. After 79 games and 309 plate appearances, he has fully reminded the Mets of his limitations.

Just as the Mets suspected, Cristian Pache didn’t figure it out this spring

Once ranked as high as the 7th best prospect in baseball, Pache is only a career .181 hitter in the major leagues. He has done better with Syracuse and the upper minor leagues, of course. However, even those Triple-A numbers this year and throughout his career aren’t fantastic.

A lifetime .253/.322/.393 hitter in Triple-A, Pache is more toolsy than well-rounded. He can run well but doesn’t steal too many bases. He can field the position well. But as a hitter below even what Tyrone Taylor will offer, there’s not much of a place in the big leagues.

This year’s Syracuse experience hasn’t ignited a new version. He has hit .242/.289/.379 with 5 home runs. His 14 stolen bases in 15 tries is one of the few promising offensive numbers. Unfortunately, his 99 strikeouts in 309 chances is way too close to a K in a third of his plate appearances. How ugly could it get in the majors?

Pache was always meant as a replacement for a player like Taylor, but with the rise of A.J. Ewing and Carson Benge so quickly, there was even less of a need. While Taylor was out for an extended period of time, the club preferred Brett Baty in the outfield on an as-needed basis. They even trusted MJ Melendez at times.

Somehow only 27, Pache’s high prospect ranking should keep him employed as long as he does some of the little things well. The major leagues are getting further away. If he stays long enough with the Mets, maybe he gets a bench role after the trade deadline. Wiser, for the Mets, would be to give those at-bats, pinch running opportunities, and late defensive innings to Nick Morabito.

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