The Mets are making a mistake not having their prospects compete for the DH role

The New York Mets front office had made it known earlier this offseason that none of their top prospects would be in the mix for the designated hitter role, which essentially meant it was a two-horse race between Daniel Vogelbach and Darin Ruf. While Vogelbach had a nice stretch for the Mets in the DH role, Ruf's performance was completely underwhelming, to say the least after being acquired from the San Francisco Giants.

The Mets didn't make very many upgrades to their offense this winter after the Carlos Correa deal fell through. In turn, it left many fans wondering what the Mets' plans were going to be for the designated hitter role, especially with it being made known that Mark Vientos, Francisco Alvarez, and Brett Baty also were not potential options.

The Mets have potential high-impact prospects who should be included in the DH competition

I believe the Mets are making a mistake in not letting any of the rookies compete for at-bats in the designated hitter role in Spring Training. While I agree that there is an argument to be made that Francisco Alvarez could use some additional time behind the plate in Triple-A, both Mark Vientos and Brett Baty I believe are capable of handling at-bats in the DH role.

Mark Vientos has little left to prove in the minor leagues after tearing apart Triple-A last season, and while Brett Baty could still utilize some work on his defense, his bat is what is going to carry him through the big leagues. You can also argue that Baty's bat is as close to Major League ready, as it can be with the Mets promoting him in August of last season.

Arguably Mark Vientos could be considered an upgrade over Darin Ruf with his success against left-handed pitching and it would be a shame if both Vientos and Baty were not given a fair shot at the role should they perform this spring. Many eyes will be on potential candidates for the DH role during Spring Training games and there is absolutely no reason why the Mets' top prospects should not be involved when they could use as much offense as possible.