1 drastic lineup change fans are ready to make
There are two ways to think about any MLB starting lineup. Do you let players get comfortable with their spot in the lineup or do you ride the hot bats? The New York Mets, like most teams, do a little bit of both but sometimes stick with what the players are comfortable with for a little too long.
Some recent struggles at the plate have fans questioning the lineup. Specifically, it’s the continued struggles from the DH role. Even with Mark Vientos on the roster, fans are also willing to try something else.
Rather than sit through another weak performance from Daniel Vogelbach or Darin Ruf, fans on Twitter have been vocal about possibly moving Eduardo Escobar to the DH spot and using Luis Guillorme as the starting third baseman.
Would this drastic Mets starting lineup change work?
This lineup change would fully take place when Starling Marte is back. Until then, we’ll see a little more mixing and matching from Buck Showalter. The idea already began yesterday. Guillorme is back off the IL and played last night at second base with Jeff McNeil in right field.
Guillorme has hit well enough to justify more regular playing time. With Escobar also hitting much better since his IL return, it might be time to take advantage and ride his hot bat to a division title.
Against right-handed pitchers, Guillorme should start playing more. Versus lefties, the team should see what Vientos can do but also add Guillorme in there as well. He hasn’t been the kind of hitter to get shaken down by southpaws. He’s too much of a slapper with the bat to fall into the traps someone like Vogelbach does.
Better at-bats from Escobar and even the catching duo of James McCann and Tomas Nido open up many more possibilities for the Mets starting lineup. When Marte does return, Vientos would be the guy to immediately consider sending back to the minors. It would take a high-level performance out of him for the team to do something even more unexpected and DFA Ruf already.
With very little maneuverability with the roster at the moment, the Mets should try something different and continue to experiment. Many bats have gotten cold while others are warm for the first time. It’s those hot ones we’ve been waiting on that could help fill in where the team has had holes we never thought would get fixed.
Favoring the splits is thinking with your analytics sheet. Putting the hitters who are producing most in the lineup is thinking with your brain.