3 players who could wear many hats in their 2023 role with the team

The phrase “wearing many hats” usually refers to someone with a lot of different duties at work. When the guy who scrubs the floor also cuts the deli meat, he’s wearing many hats! Hopefully, he’s an avid hand washer, too. The 2023 New York Mets will have a couple of guys scrubbing floors and cutting meat for them.

Star players typically have one main role on a club. Justin Verlander isn’t going to send the Mets to glory with pinch hits. Pete Alonso won’t find himself out in center field shagging fly balls during a regular season game.

Those stars are on the team with a specific purpose. These other three better save room on their heads. They’ll be wearing a beanie, a bowler, and maybe even a beret.

1) NY Mets utility man Danny Mendick could see action all over the field once healthy

Who needs a utility man when you have Jeff McNeil on your roster? The Mets do. McNeil is a starting second baseman in this league. More than capable of playing both corner outfield positions, the Mets would probably prefer to keep him there as much as they can.

Utility man Danny Mendick is the guy the Mets will call upon to do the versatile thing. Mostly a middle infielder in his career, Mendick has gotten in innings at every position other than catcher during his time with the Chicago White Sox.

Once healthy, Mendick becomes an option for the Mets to have on their major league roster and grab a glove for wherever he is needed. Coming off of a strong offensive performance which saw him hit .289/.343/.443 albeit in only 106 plate appearances, remaining minor league options made him a strong choice for the ball club this offseason.

Mendick will be working his way back from knee surgery with a TBD return date. It would probably take another injury for him to make the Opening Day roster. At some point in 2023, we should see him. The first position he plays is anyone’s guess.

3) NY Mets prospect Brett Baty is a top option to start at a couple of positions

It will be interesting to see exactly where Brett Baty fits into the 2023 plans for the Mets. It doesn’t seem like he’ll start for them right away. However, regular appearances in Buck Showalter’s starting lineup isn’t out of the question. Because he has worked as a left fielder in addition to being a third baseman, seeing action at both spots and the DH is a strong possibility.

Baty’s first mission is to make the Opening Day roster. A far more versatile player than Darin Ruf, Baty could be someone we see split time at third base with Eduardo Escobar and left field with Mark Canha. It wouldn’t be a strict platoon in any form. If either struggles, we could expect Baty to start seeing his name on the lineup card more regularly.

Baty’s hats are much different from the ones Mendick will wear. Mendick is a bench player the team could carry even with no plans of starting him any more than they would someone like Luis Guillorme. Baty, on the other hand, doesn’t belong on the MLB roster unless he’s going to be an option to play every game. This doesn’t necessarily mean starting. He should keep warm for pinch-hitting opportunities late.

The Mets will eventually decide exactly where Baty fits into their plans, whether it is at third base or in left field. For this season, he won’t settle with just one kind of hat. We’re just eager to see him wear a mortar board at some point, signaling his official graduation from prospect to MLB regular.