2 Mets prospects, 3 veterans in the minors who will be key for the team in the first half

There wasn’t enough room at the “inn” for these New York Mets players. All candidates for the Opening Day roster, they’ll begin the year in the minors.

Major League Baseball doesn’t allow the manager to bring enough gum for the whole class. These two prospects and three veterans will wait around for the call back to the majors. In the first half of the 2023 season, they’ll be key assets to help get through the marathon.

NY Mets pitcher Tylor Megill will be the first starting pitcher to have in mind

Let’s get this one out of the way immediately because he is already here. Tylor Megill should rent, not own, a place in Syracuse. He’s going to bounce around between the majors and minors this year. His importance to the ball club cannot be overstated. He has already filled in for Justin Verlander and helped the Mets win a game. He’s taking on the same role David Peterson had last year with a chance to be more.

It’s no secret the Mets starting pitching staff is older. Even beyond Verlander and Max Scherzer, the plan was to have an all 30-and-up starting five this year. The workload on Kodai Senga and the age of Carlos Carrasco may play a factor more often than we’d like. This is where Megill becomes valuable. Even to push everyone back in the rotation just a single day, he can provide them with a start and a realistic shot to win a game.

This may not be the ideal role Megill had in mind. After starting for the team on Opening Day last season, he was supposed to be back in the minors at the start of the 2023 season. He’ll have an unexpected early opportunity to make his mark. So far, so good.

NY Mets prospect Brett Baty should be on speed dial to replace an injured player

Brett Baty is probably the best fit prospect for the Mets roster right now. The ability to play third base and left field albeit with some question marks does carry some weight. He’s already an option to start at either position if Eduardo Escobar or Mark Canha go down with an injury. In fact, the Mets should consider Baty if anyone other than Francisco Lindor or a catcher gets hurt.

Baty made it to the majors last year and made the strongest of cases to crack the Opening Day roster this spring. The Mets decided to behave timidly and wait to unleash him. Fans have accepted it. At least it wasn’t Darin Ruf who took his roster spot.

The path for Baty to get back to the majors will come almost exclusively due to an injury. The Mets could decide against keeping Tim Locastro if he isn’t doing what he needs to. The issue they’re going to run into is if Locastro is playing well and other players are struggling offensively. There is very little wiggle room outside of demoting Luis Guillorme.

Knowing Baty is available will ease fans each time a position player grabs a hamstring or gets plunked with a pitch. We’re all ready to see him in action.

NY Mets will find many ways to use Danny Mendick this season

Even more versatile than Baty is veteran infielder Danny Mendick. It wouldn’t be outrageous for the Mets to even use him in the outfield at some point this year if needed. Most of his MLB career has been spent as a middle infielder with innings other places as well.

Mendick is intriguing for more than how many positions he can play. He’s coming off of a .289/.343/.443 season with the Chicago White Sox. Has his bat improved enough to stick in Major League Baseball?

Mendick is a little redundant on the Mets roster with Luis Guillorme around and the ability of Jeff McNeil to offer the team innings as an outfielder. He’d be a viable starter up the middle and maybe a platoon partner with Guillorme if the team did lose McNeil or Francisco Lindor.

This savvy Mets signing works well, too, because of Mendick’s remaining minor league options. This isn’t a case where they’d promote him only to immediately place him on the roster bubble with a DFA in his future. He’s a guy to keep all year long and flip between the majors and minors as needed.

Guys like him always seem to end up playing a lot more than expected. He’s also an alternative option over Baty if the team doesn’t feel like the slugging prospect is quite ready. He is, but we know how Billy Eppler operates.

NY Mets prospect Mark Vientos should be an offensive option in short order

Mark Vientos’ place with the Mets remains a bit mysterious considering he doesn’t look like a third baseman or a left fielder. First base? Designated hitter? Those two make more sense.

Vientos was a reasonable right-handed DH candidate to platoon with Daniel Vogelbach this year. He remains an option for the Mets to consider if someone gets hurt or they aren’t getting enough from Tommy Pham or any other righties frequently starting as the DH against lefties.

For long or short stretches, the Mets should consider having Vientos on the MLB roster. There isn’t much room for him at the moment with a bench consisting of a backup catcher, an infielder, and two outfielders on a regular basis. We know better than to believe the Mets will make it all season without someone getting seriously hurt. Vientos will need to continue swinging big in Triple-A and become an option for the club to provide innings as a first baseman or DH. Hopefully it’s only the latter. This lineup needs Pete Alonso.

The Mets definitely seem focused on letting Francisco Alvarez improve his defense before he gets any significant major league playing time. This pushes Vientos way ahead of him on the depth chart in terms of who could help out in the first half. Unfortunately because of his lack of defensive skills, he may get sent down shortly after even if he is playing well.