Continuing our retrospective of...Mets that deserved a better Mets team, here are some of the ones that gained more prominence as the season went on. I could have honestly included JD Davis in the earlier post but honestly...if J.D. Davis is anyone's priority, be it posting or playing third base, something has gone wrong.
J.D. Davis has become the epitome of mediocrity in baseball. What does he do, he plays 120 games a season, plays the outfield and third base, hits slightly over average, has a baseline WAR and leads the team in hits or something. This season, he hit .249 with 19 RBIs and had a negative WAR.
2021 Prediction: He holds the starting third base position the whole year regardless because life is cruel sometimes.
Okay, to the Mets fans who've wandered on here, no I am NOT going to be cynical this whole post. I just don't like J.D. Davis...or Amed Rosario...or Robinson Cano's syringe. But I do like a great deal about this Mets team, and I think the best elements of it showed up well into the season.
One of them is David Peterson, who despite a mild injury midseason, was the most impressive Mets rookie this year. In 10 starts, he had a 3.44 ERA, a 6-2 record and 40 Ks. He had the 2nd best WAR in the rotation, and everybody's dying for more.
2021 Prediction: 150 Ks, two complete games, and some genuine eyes coming his way. Watch out, deGrom.
The biggest development of 2020 for the Mets was the emergence of a new infield battery. It began with the Opening Day callup of Andres Gimenez, who took some shortstop time away from Amed Rosario and outdid him on several fronts, especially defense. True, he only hit .263 and isn't exactly a power asset, but he's a defensive upgrade who could play everyday in 2021.
2021 Prediction: A gold glove for sure, and perhaps some contact hitting achievements.
But, Gimenez' defensive abilities paved a way for Luis Guillorme to step in at 2nd base on a more consistent basis. Guillorme did get some playing time in 2019 stepping in for Robinson Cano, but his average was way down compared to 2020, where it was .333 in 29 games, complete with 19 hits and 9 RBIs. Cano's suspension has opened up a WIDE door for Guillorme, and Gimenez, to completely take over the Mets' infield, and I am all here for it.
2021 Prediction: Keeps the starting 2nd baseman gig the whole year, keeps hitting for contact and for average. I think he's gonna be Jose Ramirez, but with less of a home run streak.
When Todd Frazier was traded back to New York, I was asked by a commenter why I was so excited for Frazier and his 'bench presence' to clog up the Mets lineup for a month? If you've been reading this post, you know why- I was excited for someone other than J.D. Davis to play 3rd base for a bit. Todd Frazier had a hot start in Queens, but mellowed out and turned in a .224 average with 5 homers in 14 games, which wasn't prime Frazier, but it was at least nice to have him back in the tristate area [where he belongs].
2021 Prediction: He'll be a cheap DH option somewhere, just not sure where.
The other return the Mets got in the Frazier deal was Rangers catcher, and former Astros catcher, Robinson Chirinos. It appears that Chirinos' red-hot Astros numbers just came with the exposure to trashcans, as Chirinos had a fairly pedestrian 2020, and bat .219 with 5 RBIs in 12 games in New York.
2021 Prediction: Spring Training backup option somewhere. Hell, maybe the Yanks sign him.
Coming Tomorrow- The Nationals didn't come close to repeating, and it's clear why.
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