5 offseason changes the Mets need to make if they miss the playoffs again

2) The Mets can ignore one-dimensional players on their Opening Day bench

Unbelievably, the Mets opened this season with Zack Short and Joey Wendle on the roster. No wonder they had to climb upward. DJ Stewart was there too, for whatever that’s worth. A completely different player from that pairing who didn’t last all that long, we all wake up in the morning feeling fortunate the Mets lucked into having Jose Iglesias around in the minors.

Short and Wendle were viewed as one-dimensional players who could field and not do much else. Unfortunately, neither was all that great on defense. One-tool players morphed into wasted roster spaces.

Stewart was a whole different kind of one-dimensional. Lightyears more valuable than Daniel Vogelbach if only because he can play both corner outfield positions, his struggles at the plate became too much to bear. How has he only been off the roster for about a month? It seems like ages since he was with the big league club.

Instead of such limited players to round out the bench, look for guys who can do a little more. Tyrone Taylor is a superb example. He can run, field, and hit for some pretty good power although he hasn’t flashed much of that. Our savior Iglesias can field and has a steady track record of hitting for average.

The bench didn’t dig the Mets into any sort of hole. However, the team was far from playoff ready when the season began. A big part of it was their lackluster bench.