First Base First Place 2018

[Edgy MD]

I like the redundancy of options, the ability to move quickly from week to week, but ultimately I'm not seeing how this is going to play out.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I'm thinking games started rather than games played, and voted Gonzalez. My guess is that he'll start about 75 games before the Mets move on from him, and Smith will start the majority of games in the second half, but assorted starts by Bruce and Flores will keep Dom from passing Gonzalez's total.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Speaking of redundancy-of-options... should Adam Lind be part of the picture now?

[A Boy Named Seo]

I guessed Dom, but that's based only on my dumb gut.

[Vic Sage]

Lind would give us more flexibility and production than A-(my talent is)Gon.

[ashie62]

Mike Conforto to CF

Dominic Smith Las Vegas

Bruce/Gonzalez IB

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I voted Bruce because I don't wanna sit my outfielders

[MFS62]

I voted Wilmer because I feel at some point they'll need to get his (right handed) bat into the lineup.

Later

[Centerfield]

Finally voted on this. I went with Dom Smith. Adrian Gonzalez looks shot and it's pretty clear the Mets are refusing to look at any other options.

I'm guessing Dom takes over sometime in May and is ok, but not great.

Moving Jay Bruce and playing Nimmo full time makes all the sense in the world (assuming Nimmo is for real, which he totally is), which is precisely why the Mets won't do it.

[Edgy MD]

Mickey has stated that Bruce will start seeing some time at first soon, to try and get Nimmo an extra start or two per week. I say high time! But I imagine he's happy to see Gonzalez get going before he dials back the big guy's playing time.

Of course, if Céspedes is hurt, it won't take a whole lot of shuffling to get Nimmo in the lineup.

[Centerfield]

When you do these predictions, it's so easy to think in black and white. Gonzalez will either be "shot" or "back to his old self". I guess I never really considered the possibility that he would be ok. Not good, not awful, but just ok.

AGon has a .706 OPS, which is clearly not good enough from first base. But is it enough to cut him? He's been much better than he looked in spring training, and has had some bad luck. Even yesterday they made a nice catch on his ball into the gap. .706 is about 50 points better than Dom Smith was last year. And Dom has been good, not great, at AAA. If I had to guess, I'd bet they both stay where they are for the time being.

The wild card here is Alonso, who is tearing up AA. Leading the league in everything. Homered for the fourth straight game yesterday. If he keeps this up, you have to move him up, but with Smith blocking him, there's really no where to send him. Maybe you give him a 3B glove?

[Edgy MD]

If Alonso and Smith end up together in Vegas, I imagine they'll use the DH to get them both plenty of reps. We'll see. But the team will probably try to make sure Peter gets at least half a season in Bingo. Injuries tend to decide such conflicts.

[Ceetar]

Gonzalez is better than Bruce, and with the exception of last year, always has been. There's no reason to give Bruce time there.

Gonzalez has a puny BABIP. he's hitting the ball hard, he's walking, he's not playing horrible defense. If he keeps it up the hits will fall like they did yesterday.

[Frayed Knot]

Centerfield wrote: Maybe you give [Alonso] a 3B glove?

From what I've read about him, he has enough trouble with the 1B glove.

[Edgy MD]

FINAL TALLY

Wilmer Flores: 83 (2 votes)
Adrian Gonzalez: 48 (4)
Dominic Smith: 28 (9)
Jay Bruce: 21 (4)
Kevin Plawecki: 3
Jose Bautista: 2
Phillip Evans: 1

Say what you will about Smitty, but he's moved up three spots on the depth chart since June, including two since the end of the season. The job is his if he can bite down on it.

[Vic Sage]

If McNeil keeps hitting anywhere close to what he did last year, Frazier will end up getting the majority of ABs at 1b, unless he's already done and Dom shows some serious improvement. I think its most likely that Alonzo pushes them both aside by the middle of the season.

[smg58]

I don't think Frazier is done. Like too many other Mets, he played hurt through a significant chunk of the season. He still managed a reasonable WAR due to his glove. That being said, it's not clear what his role is going into next season.