Mets' Khalil Lee hoping to one day have staying power
The Mets' Khalil Lee, second from right, is congratulated by Francisco Lindor, left, and Mark Canha, second from left, after hitting a three-run home run as Angels catcher Max Stassi stands at the plate during the ninth inning of a game Saturday in Anaheim, Calif. Credit: AP/Mark J. Terrill
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Khalil Lee’s home run traveled 411 feet on Saturday night, something of a footnote in the boxscore of the Mets’ lopsided loss to the Angels. But more than the height or the distance, or the three runs he drove in, that ball represented a journey in which the Mets’ No. 7 prospect was mired in low-A ball just a month ago, his star potentially fading as he tried to work through a horrific offensive slump.
It’s not an easy thing, hinging your career on a dream few make reality. And it gets even harder when you’re hitting .149 with 32 strikeouts in 22 games in Triple-A, your ticket newly stamped for Port St. Lucie, as Lee’s was on May 10. But rather than do the natural thing — you know, freak out — Lee gained clarity.
“I knew that I had been [in low-A] before and I knew I performed well there before, so it was more comforting than pressure,” Lee said Sunday. “I started swinging more at pitches that I can hit in play earlier in the count — not waiting for the perfect pitch, but waiting for the pitch I could put in play. I know I have a lot of power, so I think I can hit a home run all the time, [but] I’ve been trying to let the game come to me and take my hits and I know I’m going to run into a couple of balls to hit out of the park.”
Though it’s possible that Lee’s current tenure with the Mets will be short-lived — he was mostly called up to plug the gap created by Starling Marte’s quadriceps injury, and Marte was in the lineup Sunday night — the organization does see a future with him here. The 23-year-old can play all three outfield positions and has a plus arm and strong on-base skills to go with above-average speed. He’s also got power, which he showed Saturday night with his first major-league home run.
Lee has struggled, though, with being too passive at the plate, which means he walks plenty (18.3% of his plate appearances with Syracuse last year) but also strikes out a whole lot (39.4% in Triple-A in 2021). He also hit 14 homers, and his .951 OPS was seventh in all of Triple-A among qualified players last year.
Which is why his recent change in approach is such a positive step. Before getting called up on May 6, Lee was hitting .333 in 12 games in his return to Triple-A, with four homers and 11 RBIs. He still was striking out plenty — 17 times — but Buck Showalter said they wanted to reward his progress.
“I talked to him a little bit [when he came to] San Diego,” Showalter said. “You control it. He got it going the way he needed to . . . It’s good to reward that. Hopefully it’s a good reminder that he controls things. If he does the things that his skill set allows him to do, he can have some time up here.”
Lee recalled the conversation and said Showalter clearly defined his role for him: essentially, do whatever the team asks.
“He told me straight up, we need you when you got here,” Lee said. “That’s why you’re here . . . He did say it was on me. I come here and make an impact on the team, they’ll keep me here a couple extra days or two weeks. You never know. I just want to come in and help the team.”
It helps that he has major-league experience. He played in 11 games last year and went 1-for-18, but the “1” was a go-ahead RBI double in the 12th inning. The big lights and packed stands aren’t as intimidating anymore, he said.
“I’ve been telling everybody that I’m riding the wave,” he said. “Every chance I get to go out and play the game, I’m going to play hard, and every opportunity, I won’t take it lightly.”
Laura Albanese is a reporter, feature writer and columnist covering local professional sports teams; she began at Newsday in 2007 as an intern.
