Mets depth chart: 2 players moving up, 2 moving down

The proverbial New York Mets depth chart which is less factual and more rhetorical has undergone both real and hypothetical changes in the last few days. The arrival of J.D. Martinez on Friday shook things up in a big way. He’ll take at-bats away from a number of players who had been playing more than anticipated and in a variety of roles. Those players who will see less action between the lines as a result aren’t really moving down the depth chart all that much. They should, instead, settle in where they were meant to be.

What about everyone else? These two players are performing well and should get more chances. Meanwhile, these other two are in a bit of a slump and look less important.

Tomas Nido is moving up the Mets depth chart

A home run on Friday caught many of us off-guard. Wasn’t Tomas Nido done as a big league hitter? He is easily one of the weaker hitters to pass through the Mets roster in recent seasons. However, Nido seems to have some clutch DNA in him, too.

So far Nido has gone 3 for 11 in his 5 games played. A major upgrade defensively and most noticeably when it comes to throwing out runners, most fans will agree it’s not much of a difference between him and their other option.

It’s not hard for Nido to move up the depth chart when his only competition at the moment is Omar Narvaez. In the absence of Francisco Alvarez, the Mets might have the pair split time a little more evenly as long as Nido can continue to hit. The bar is set fairly low for the catching tandem right now. Nido has already risen to the occasion and we’ll keep our fingers crossed he isn’t a complete black hole in the lineup.

Jose Quintana is moving down the Mets depth chart

The Opening Day starter for the Mets, Jose Quintana has not been exceptional this year. None of the starting pitchers, in fact, have been able to string together any lengthy and deep starts. Luis Severino might be the pitcher we can credit with the best performance so far this year. His walk rate of 3 per 9 is far and away the best.

For Quintana, many of his shortcomings are beginning to show. Having now allowed more than a hit per inning and a walk rate of almost 5 per 9, his softer-tossing ways are getting the best of him. He’s not a big strikeout pitcher and the opponent is taking advantage of it by putting the ball in play. The 1.59 WHIP is terrifying.

Quintana has been predictable when it comes to the results. He has faced 21-26 batters in each of his 5 starts with anywhere from 4.2 to 5.2 innings. Each start includes exactly 4 strikeouts and a walk total ranging from 2 to 4. Only the runs he has allowed have differed the most with 5 earned charged against him in his most recent appearance versus the San Francisco Giants.

Quintana has yet to get the doors blown off him in any outing. Most frustrating is how inefficient he is with his pitches. Getting through the sixth inning has been a challenge for him. This isn’t a case of a guy upping his pitch count because of the strikeouts either.

There will be good days and bad ones for Quintana. Almost certainly, they’ll end after 5+ innings with a couple runs across, a few too many walks, and a tight game unless the Mets bats explode.

Adrian Houser is moving down the Mets depth chart

Adrian Houser is bound to have a good start eventually. Now done for April, he has fallen so far down the Mets depth chart the team needs to begin seriously considering a change. Jose Butto and Tylor Megill are the pair who should be fighting for a rotation spot against only each other. Either seems more than capable of bumping Houser out of the rotation and into the bullpen.

Saturday’s loss pushed Houser to 0-3 on the year with an 8.37 ERA. His 16 walks versus 14 strikeouts is atrocious and takes no real deep dive into understanding what’s going so wrong with his season. It’s not just all of the free passes either, though. Batters are hitting .302 against him. The only thing he has done well is avoid home runs. Only one has been knocked against him.

It wouldn’t actually be the worst thing for the Mets to find Houser in their bullpen. The other starters’ inability to go multiple innings can allow Houser to become an asset. First, he’ll need to prove he can even get through the order one time through. This was not the case on Saturday when he allowed 4 earned runs in the first inning against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Once a fan of Houser’s and the decision to bring him over, there is nothing left for me to defend. He has been the most frustrating player on the team this year. He gives the team no chance to win ball games. This cannot go on much longer.