In the greatest baseball lineup of all time, Who was on first and What was on second. The New York Mets won’t go the Abbott and Costello route with their 2022 lineup. They’ll have someone other than What playing second base when the season begins.
Right now, it’s unclear exactly which big leaguer will open the season at the position. When the offseason began, Javier Baez was a possibility. He has since joined the Detroit Tigers, prematurely ending the double-play combination up the middle with potential to become the greatest in Mets history.
With Opening Day around the corner, down the street, another mile up a hill, and a county or so over, there’s time to consider a variety of options. Internally and externally, these seem to be the best options to start at second base for the Mets on Opening Day 2022.
NY Mets second base candidate: Jeff McNeil
Jeff McNeil has to be the clear favorite to start at second base for the Mets merely because he is there and the most recent guy on the roster to play the position on a regular basis. Even if it means pairing him up with Lindor again, it may be the best thing the Mets can do.
McNeil has emerged as a stronger trade candidate in the last few weeks. Details about the “ratcoon” incident coming out played a larger role into this. Although, the water may have truly passed under the bridge and things between him and Lindor could be good again.
Compared to J.D. Davis and Dominic Smith, McNeil may also provide the Mets with their greatest trade chip. He’s coming off a down year but teams have been interested in the past and nothing should change too drastically. He’s going to get significant playing time somewhere in 2022. As of right now, it’s at second base for the Mets.
Ask again in a few months and the answer could be very different.