Mets Monday Morning GM: An early grade for the DH spot in the lineup

The New York Mets haven’t surprised us much with how they’ve used the DH spot. Daniel Vogelbach is getting the nod whenever the team faces a right-handed starter. Tommy Pham has been a favorite when they play a lefty but he’s also getting used regularly as a pinch hitter for Vogelbach.

Somewhat surprising, it’s Mark Canha who has been used the third most in the DH role. This isn’t a bad thing. Pham’s ability to play the field should have Buck Showalter regularly considering other players for the DH spot in the lineup just to keep their bat in the lineup. I’d just like to see Starling Marte get a spot there once a week. The Mets are going to need him.

It doesn’t look like Francisco Alvarez will touch the DH role at all nor should we have our hopes up of any major changes with it anytime soon. Vogelbach and a mix of Pham and another righty is what we’re going to get. How has it gone so far?

The Mets DH spot deserves a C grade

It’s early and if not for all of the walks Vogelbach has specifically been accumulating, it’s hard to give this an average score. But because Vogelbach is getting on base out of the designated hitter role, it’s at least helping the Mets keep the line moving.

Grading anything a C means something different to everyone. In middle school, it was a personal death sentence for me to get one. By the time I got to the second semester in high school, a C was exciting to see on a report card for certain classes. Who knew geometry was so complicated?

How the Mets can improve their DH grade

Hitting for power is a necessity for this grade to improve. It starts with Vogelbach who leads the team in starts in this role. Pham does enough other things and has produced while playing the outfield. Although the two are about equal in power, it’s the one element we haven’t seen from Vogey this year.

Pham has stolen bases and hasn’t been costly with the glove. He has been a surprisingly important asset to the club. Although there are definitely better guys who could have been the right-handed DH partner of Vogelbach, how dependable would they be on the field or on the bases?

Some pop from Vogelbach and continued production out of Pham can help boost the grade. Giving Marte a few more starts as the DH wouldn’t hurt either.