The New York Mets have been beset by injuries and bad pitching from their bullpen all season long. With their record at 39-47, and their elimination number at 64, it’s time to start thinking fire sale and bringing up prospects.
New York Mets Should Bring Up Top Prospects
The talk of the New York sports scene, at least in regards to the Mets, is in Las Vegas. Fans want to Amed Rosario and Dominic Smith, and who can blame them. So far in 2017, Rosario is hitting .327, with 30 extra base hits and 16 stolen bases.
Smith is also tearing the cover off the ball with the Las Vegas 51s. He’s hitting .329 with 36 extra-base hits and 58 RBI.
On the Mets official Pipeline page, those two are listed as the top two prospects. As far as everyday players, that’s who the Mets should bring up. The All-Star break ends Friday. As soon as the Mets can trade Lucas Duda, there’s no reason for the team to wait on Smith. However, the fans may be waiting until 2018 to see Rosario.
There’s one more prospect worth bringing back up to the big leagues this season, Gavin Cecchini. He played well enough in his cup of tea with the Mets to warrant another call-up to the bigs. However, he shouldn’t come alone.
If they do trade Duda by the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, they should include Asdrubal Cabrera in the deal. If they do they, they should then bring up Rosario and Cecchini together. In that scenario, Flores can be a platoon player at second, third, and shortstop, and the Mets can start Rosario and Cecchini together. Rosario would play shortstop and Cecchini second base.
Here’s what the new Mets lineup would look like:
1. SS Amed Rosario
2. CF Michael Conforto
3. LF Yoenis Cespedes
4. RF Jay Bruce
5. C Travis d’Arnaud
6. 1B Dominic Smith
7. 3B T.J. Rivera
8. 2B Gavin Cecchini
9. Pitcher
Bringing up Rosario accomplishes two things for the Mets. The first is that it gives the young players a chance to grow together. The second is that it would balance up the left-right combinations of hitters. Rosario also would provide a speed element on the bases the Mets currently don’t have.
The Mets need a spark. They currently sit at the bottom of the league in hits, runs and batting average, but they’re in the top ten in home runs and extra base hits. That means they’re too reliant on home runs in order to score.
Chicks may dig the long ball, but eventually, they want winners too. Winning is about doing the little things. It’s time to get back to basics.
