Pleasant NY Mets spring training surprise isn’t fooling anyone, enjoy the ride anyway

Ranked as high as the 7th best prospect in MLB in 2021 by Baseball America, Cristian Pache’s major league career never went too far. He spent time with multiple teams, starting with the Atlanta Braves where he was a highly ranked prospect. He’s now in New York Mets camp. Someone needs to remind him he’s not supposed to be this good.

Pache is 8 for 11 with a home run and 2 doubles. Excellent defense has been his calling card as a professional player, not the bat. So to see him perform like this with lumber in his hands may be a bit of a shock to everyone.

As Baseball-Reference has noted, his opponent quality in spring training tells the truth. A measurement of the quality of players someone faces, Pache is at 6.8. This translates to him averaging matchups against pitchers just below the Double-A level.

Cristian Pache hasn’t suddenly figured it out with the Mets, enjoy the ride anyway

The Mets didn’t sign Pache to be some sort of project. They knew what they were getting into. Despite the hype, he only ever hit .181 in over 600 MLB plate appearances. There wasn’t some slight adjustment he needed to make to become a monster at the plate.

A plus defender throughout his career with some good sprint speed totals, he’s a token fifth outfielder in the same style as Tyrone Taylor only less proven as a hitter. Strong defense up the middle is something David Stearns values more than oxygen. Understanding the injury risk with Luis Robert Jr., Pache seemed like a no-brainer to add if for nothing else to stabilize the position from a defensive standpoint.

All of last season was spent in Triple-A for the Arizona Diamondbacks where he hit .251/.351/.389. Never a magnificent base stealer despite some good speed, his power totals have never gone above 12 in any full season at any level.

Pache’s spring training home run came off of Toronto Blue Jays lefty Josh Fleming, a left-handed major league journeyman. It’s better than going yard against a Single-A player getting his one and only inning of spring training under his belt.

Everyone knows not to buy too largely into Pache’s hot spring start. He’s not making the roster under just about any circumstance because of the long track record of accomplishing very little. He’s a safety net way down the depth chart behind more accomplished veterans and maybe even a few prospects who can hit their way into the team’s backup plans.

Stories like Pache’s are fun while they last. Every spring training has one of those heroes nobody anticipated. This year, it’s beginning to look like Pache is the one who’ll wear the cape.

As the season progresses, Pache may inevitably become an option for the Mets. If he was around last year, he would have gotten chances in center field. The Mets should feel good about Robert, Taylor, and some Carson Benge in center field. Beyond them, Pache provides at least some insurance.