Mets hitting coach Eric Chavez: DH is good fit for us

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — MLB and the players’ union do not agree on much, but they do recognize it is long past time to stop forcing pitchers to hit.

The designated hitter will become standard across the majors as part of the new collective bargaining agreement whenever the sides can sort out the bigger issues, commissioner Rob Manfred said this month. The National League will adopt the rule that has been part of the American League since 1973, before any active major-leaguer was born.

For Mets manager Buck Showalter and hitting coach Eric Chavez, this is welcome news.

"The way that it looks like we are going to be, it’ll fit us better," Showalter said. "I was pulling for it for a lot of reasons. I think fans, the game itself — but for us, selfishly, I think it fits better."

Chavez added: "I love it, personally. I always hated seeing pitchers get hurt. It’s a part of the game — I get the history part of it — but I think it’s better for the overall game. And definitely as of now the way it’s set up, I think it’s definitely going to favor us this year."

Because of the restrictions MLB placed on team personnel after it locked out the players, Showalter and Chavez are not allowed to publicly discuss which players could absorb the DH at-bats. But the candidates are obvious — and numerous.

Robinson Cano, 39 years old and coming off a yearlong PED suspension, will return to the team with an uncertain amount of current ability. J.D. Davis has been an above-average hitter in three seasons with the Mets but hasn’t found a defensive home. Pete Alonso and Dominic Smith could DH on any given day, with the other playing first base. And Jeff McNeil, Brandon Nimmo and Starling Marte are among those who have dealt with injuries in the recent past and could stand to benefit from the occasional pseudo-rest from not playing the field.

Said Chavez, "That’s something that I’m sure Buck is going to take full advantage of."

Extra bases

Chavez said the hitting coach he most connected with as a player was Kevin Long, who used to have that job with the Yankees (2007-14) and Mets (2015-17). "I probably wouldn’t be in the position I am today without him and his knowledge," he said. They overlapped in the Bronx in 2011-12. Long is heading into his first season as the hitting coach for the Phillies . . . Among the staff observing minor-league minicamp workouts Saturday was Gretchen Aucoin, the first female coach in franchise history. She was hired as a development coach, an open-ended role based out of Port St. Lucie . . . Top prospect Francisco Alvarez had a photo shoot Saturday morning with Baseball America, which plans to feature him in an upcoming issue.