How do Mets work Francisco Alvarez and Jeff McNeil into mix?
The Mets' Francisco Alvarez, left, and Jeff mcNeil.
For Francisco Alvarez and Jeff McNeil, Friday is Opening Day.
They are slated to return from injuries when the Mets open a four-game series with the Nationals in Washington. Alvarez, who has been out for almost seven weeks after breaking a bone in his left hand during spring training, will resume his duties as the starting catcher. McNeil, sidelined almost as long because of a strained right oblique, will figure into the second base/outfield mix.
Getting two first-string bats back is a positive development for the Mets. The tricky part, however, for the club and the individuals, is the team they join now isn’t quite the same as the one they left. Everything is going great, including very strong contributions from Alvarez and McNeil’s fill-ins.
So for the returners, the pressure is on. Don’t mess this up.
“People talk about the Mets and the superstars and all that, but it comes down to the depth in a lot of different areas,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “Whether it’s the catching, position player side of things, the pitching — starting pitcher, bullpen — that’s what it’s going to take . . . We’re getting ready to face a difficult decision, but that’s what it’s going to take and we feel good about our depth.”
Let’s start with Alvarez. The intrigue here is less about the roster move and more about the playing time.
With Alvarez back, temporary starter Luis Torrens reverts to being the backup. Alvarez will “get an opportunity” with the bulk of the starts and “out of the gate” it will not be a 50-50 split, Mendoza told Newsday this week. It left the semantical door open: If Alvarez doesn’t perform, Torrens could win a larger share.
The Mets love Torrens’ catcher skill set, and his hitting in Alvarez’s absence was comparable to Alvarez’s performance last year.
The wild card is what step forward Alvarez can take. He still is only 23 years old. His ceiling absolutely is higher than the 28-year-old Torrens’. All of the talent that made him an elite prospect can make him an elite catcher and hitter. But he has to actually do it. He has to earn it.
“It’s going to be Alvy having a chance,” Mendoza said.
The Torrens/Hayden Senger duo more than held it down for the first month. The pitchers deserve the most credit for the Mets’ majors-leading 2.34 ERA — with the bullpen in particular a standout unit — but the backstops have played a large role as well.
Coming out of spring training, the Mets had reservations about carrying Senger as the big-league backup, so much so they waited until almost the last moment to tell him he made the club, in case they decided to add a catcher from outside the organization instead.
Given the opportunity, Senger provided as-expected top-notch defense, earned rave reviews from the pitching staff and even showed a little something at the plate. Next time they need a catcher, the Mets will be much more comfortable calling on him.
And then there is McNeil. With Luisangel Acuna deserving to stay in the majors, the Mets optioned Brett Baty to Triple-A Syracuse to open a spot. The versatility of McNeil and Acuna means the Mets are covered across the infield.
“Luis has done exactly what we expect,” president of baseball operations David Stearns said this week. “He’s played a very solid defense at second base. He’s running the bases very, very well. He’s making contact and getting on base.”
The Mets anticipate McNeil playing plenty, so it will be on him to prove he is more like his second-half self (.289 average and .923 OPS) than the first-half shell (.216 and .591) from a year ago.
Defensive alignments, however, are uncertain. Stearns’ Mets emphasize up-the-middle defense, especially in centerfield, hence acquiring Jose Siri. But he is out until about mid-June with a fractured leg.
McNeil and Acuna both are infielders who have dabbled in center — McNeil recently in a couple of minor-league games, Acuna last year in a bunch of minor-league games. So if the Mets want both in the lineup at those spots, they have two options:
1. Acuna at second, McNeil in center. The Mets love Acuna’s infield defense and thus might be motivated not to change something that is working. McNeil in center would not align with Stearns’ philosophy, though. Even if the Mets put McNeil in left and Brandon Nimmo in center, it would be a drop-off from Siri or Tyrone Taylor.
2. Acuna in center, McNeil at second. This would make the Mets worse at second, and it’s not clear how good Acuna actually is in center. They have had him practicing there recently but haven’t jumped at the opportunity to try it in a game.
The Mets like their pieces. They’ll have to figure out how to fit them into the puzzle.
“I will feel comfortable with either way,” Mendoza said. “I wouldn’t say that I feel better this way or the other way.”
Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.
