New York Mets 2019 Preview – Second Base

This isn’t the first time the Mets have tried to plug a veteran star at 2nd. Unfortunately, this is a team philosophy they won’t break. It’s like the Wilpons always say – “If at first you don’t succeed, try the same thing again until something breaks”. Remember, this only seems like a retread of the 1B article because it is.

Way back in 2002, when Bloggin Hood was still young, spry and not nearly as cynical, the Mets stunk. Some things never change. After a surprising run to the World Series in 2000, the Mets regressed to being a bottom feeder yet again. Former team cornerstone Edgardo Alfonzo left after the 2001 season, never to be heard from again (basically). The Mets needed an answer at the position.

Enter Roberto Alomar, one of the greatest second basemen of all time. A slick fielding, elite hitter, Alomar won about every award imaginable during his career. When the Mets signed him, he came off a season hitting .336 with a .956 OPS. He hit 20 homer runs and had 30 steals.  He finished 4th in the MVP voting and won the gold glove. He was a complete player. Naturally, Met fans were excited.

Despite the awesome 2001 season, Alomar was reaching his age 34 season. That’s a tipping point. Father Time remains undefeated, though he did draw with Julio Franco for a while. Nobody realizes at the time, but there was about to be a steep decline.

To say the Mets got a significantly worse Alomar would be an understatement. He only hit .266 and had nearly no power. His glove wasn’t anywhere near gold. It was shocking to see a legend decline so rapidly.

The other issue when signing a player of Alomar’s stature is you can’t bench him. That name did not match the production. Alomar provides below average production at 2B for the era, actually hurting the team.

He continued the same pattern in 2003 until the Mets traded him away. The Alomar experiment was a total failure. A bunch of teams kicked the tires of Alomar for two more seasons, but he wasn’t the same. He never hit above .266 again. For the record, he ended his career as a .300 hitter, showing how far he fell.

The moral of the story is that it’s difficult to predict players who pass the age of 33. Some age gracefully. Some develop more power, cutting their average. And others fall off the cliff and become shells of themselves.

Robinson Cano is a lifetime .304 hitter who reached .300 last season. He’s crossed that threshold 9 times in his career. He also has seasons of .298 and .297. All of the advanced metrics show a player who’s still an elite hitter.

Robinson Cano will turn 36 this season. That’s 2 years older than Roberto Alomar when he took a nosedive.

That also doesn’t discuss the elephant sized syringe in the room. Cano’s latest .300 season came with an 80 game suspension of PEDs. Cabo denied knowledge of the substance, because he’s an athlete, but isn’t this the biggest red flag of all? Like, Cano realized he can’t keep up to his old self so he started juicing. That would be the logical explanation Did the Mets get hosed on this trade?

Ehh, he’s probably just back on it so it’s fine.

What can we actually expect out of Cano this year? Is this the reincarnation of Roberto Alomar, or do the Mets have a heart of the order hitter for the next few seasons? Let’s find out.

Robinson Cano (LHB) –

Career – .304/.355/.493. 

2018 – .303/.374/.471 in 80 Games.

Suspended for 80 games for PED in 2018.

As a fan of the Mets, I have to defend Cano a little bit. This article was written with a lot of doom and gloom. Again, I did say I was a Mets fan. Still, we need a little positivity.

Whatever your opinion on PEDs are, Cano did hit well when he returned. I don’t know if he’s a .300 hitter anymore, but he still walks and still has some power. Gone are the 30 HR days – he’s need some huge luck for that. Still, I think 20 is in play. The average probably falls to .275-.280, but I can live with that.

Defensively, Cano never really stood out to me. Part of that is Cano’s style. Nobody ever accused him of hustling. However, he always makes the plays he should. Obviously his range takes a hit in his mid 30s, but I think for 2019, it should be ok. We’ll see what happens beyond that. Those are the years I worry about.

I won’t pretend I’m confident. There’s too many examples of Met moves where a veteran star flops on the roster. Cano fits the description to the t. However, if expectations are lowered, I think he should be fine. Cano’s production will be more of a 2 hitter. He’ll probably hit 3rd or 5th, but he’s really a 2 hitter.

For this example, I mean an old school 2 hitter. Now the new age Mike Trout bats 2nd type. That’s not a bad thing though. This lineup is a lot better than it’s been the past few years, so even a slight decline shouldn’t hurt.

I’m just holding my breath it’s only a slight one.

Prediction : The Mets get 80% of prime Cano, which is still a great option for this season. He settles around .275 with 20 HRs and has one DL stint. Cano plays 125 games.

Jed Lowrie – (Switch)

Career – .262/.335/.414,

2018 – .267/.353/.448.

Injury – Knee strain, questionable for opening day.

In traditional Mets fashion, the team’s biggest free agent signing is a 35-year-old. They backed up their 36-year-old starter with a 35 year old. What year are we living in where this seemed like a good strategy.

I’ll give them this, Lowrie has peaked in his past two seasons. 2017-2018 have been his best offensive years. While he’s not a power hitter, he’s smashed 86 doubles in the last two seasons. His 37 homers is nothing to shake at either. Don’t be surprised if Lowrie’s power numbers surpass Cano.

Well, if Lowrie even plays. Since Lowrie was the Mets biggest signing, he HAD to get hurt in Spring Training. It was on the first day actually. How convenient. I don’t think the ink was dry from the contract. Who the hell performed this physical? Even more comforting, there is absolutely no time-table for his return.

You know, I thought we dumped the old medical staff, but I think I figured out what happen. Fred and Jeff Wilson are saving money by diagnosing these players themselves. Knee strain doesn’t seem accurate. Has anyone seen Lowrie? Are both his legs still attached?

When (If?) Lowrie is healthy, he’s going to be the super utility player. He should sub for 2B, 3B, corner outfield and maybe even 1B. With Dominic Smith crushing, 1B might be out the window, but we’ll see come May. Lowrie will play a ton, and is also a #2 hitter. The Mets sure have a lot of those this season. On paper, Lowrie seems like a good signing. In practice though… I don’t know.

Prediction: We don’t see Lowrie until May. And that might be optimistic. When he does play, he’ll be productive but this smells like an injury that’ll linger all year. It’s exactly what Met fans want. This is the fear with Cano too – a lingering injury that pops up unexpectantly. But hey, it’s not like 2 35+ year olds can both get hurt, right?

Right?

Please?