Hey, Nineteen: Adeiny Hechavarria

[Edgy MD]

https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/983511478262169600/aKYjKvVg_400x400.jpg>



Hey, peeps. I'm Adeiny Hechavarria. A shortstop known for his defense, without a whole lot of offense to show for his sun's-out/guns-out muscle above.



But I was good enough, you know? Seven years in the game building my rep, and I go and have the ill fortune to be a free agent in a year when nobody was signing nobody. All I wanted was a job. A chance to do my thing. But the best I could do was a minor league deal with the Mets. That's a fine howdy fuck.



But you know, I'll sneak up on you. Camp started, and I wasn't there. And then camp rumbled on ... and suddenly I was there! When did I appear? Where did I come from?! I don't know!



I'm Adeiny Hechavarria.



You think I'm kidding? Ask José Reyes. Seven years ago, he was the Miami shortstop. Big money, long term. But the next year ... I was doing it. I took that smiley self-promoting Dominican hot shot's job, and that's all there was to it. I'm sneaky. I'm Adeiny Hech.



You think, "Well, that's just the way things break. Somebody loses a job, somebody gets a job." You may think that, but ask yourself this: I'm in a position to be the Mets' backup shortstop this year. WHOSE job was that last year?



I'll pause a minute while your mind is blown.

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But wait ... there's more. Two years ago in Mets' camp, Luis Guillorme caught my bat. That fat gummy bear made his whole rep on that. Well, this camp, I'm catching his AT-bats. I'm catching his opportunity, too. SNEAKY.



It's my whole thing. I've wanted to be a major leaguer since I was a kid. But you know, the Cubans watch us. They watch us like hawks, and they watch the straits of Florida to make sure no Cuban boaters decide to turn their crafts north. So I sailed away ... to Mexico! I'M A SNEAK LIKE THAT!



You're saying, "Adeiny, yeah, you're good with the glove. That's true of a lot of shortstops. And even if it's been more true of you, that was then and this is now. You've got some miles on your wheels. And you're on a minor league deal. And God dammit, Adeiny, you've got a career .290 on-base percentage."



I know you're saying that because I got spies.



You think you know how this year is going to go for me? Do you? Think again. Think again while I DOUBLE blow your mind. I debuted in August of 2012. With Toronto. How did that debut come to pass, you ask? How did that roster spot open up? You won't guess. In a million years you won't, and that's why I'm just going to come right out and tell you. I got that opportunity because https://web.archive.org/web/20120806172823/http://thestar.blogs.com/baseball/2012/08/as-beat-blue-jays-in-15-innings-to-extend-winless-streak-to-six-games-griffin-.htmlBrett Lawrie got himself hurt. And now suddenly Jed Lowrie is hurt. Coincidence? Yeah, you keep telling yourself that. Are those guys even two different people? Are they? BOOM!



NOW you can tell me how I'm going to do in 2019. I've got some sneaking to do.

[seawolf17]

We will look back in 2021 and say "he was in camp with the Mets? I have no recollection of that."

[MFS62]

If I were sitting there, I wouldn't care whether I made the Mets or not.

And he shouldn't care either.

Because he won't.

Later

[Edgy MD]

Oh, I think there's a damn good chance he will. Two infielders are hurt, and at least one has moved from questionable to doubtful for Opening Day. That might be two by the end of the day. And the one who is already doubtful was their backup shortstop, so there's a likelihood that one of him, Danny Espinosa, or Luis Guillorme comes back to Flushing. They have room on the roster to add somebody and they'll have more once they IL Drew Smith and Yoenis Céspedes, so I think they're taking a long, hard look at him.

[86dreamer]

entertaining stuff



I say he will go up and down a couple times and be every bit the light hitting, strong fielding backup SS:



40 games / 87 AB / .245/.295/.340

[kcmets]

Nothing Metly in 2019

[Centerfield]

Edgy MD wrote: But wait ... there's more. Two years ago in Mets' camp, Luis Guillorme caught my bat. That fat gummy bear made his whole rep on that. Well, this camp, I'm catching his AT-bats. I'm catching his opportunity, too. SNEAKY.

Did not realize that. That's pretty cool.

[Edgy MD]

So, the Mets have not one, not two, but three infielders on the DL. Something's got to give when they come back, but how do the Mets possibly bump Hech off the roster?



Granted, we don't know for certain if Jed Lowrie will ever return, or if he's alive, or if he ever existed. They can try to push infielders J.D. Davis and/or Jeff McNeil to the outfield, but presumably Nimmo is going to return someday also.



With Lowrie playing the part of Schröedinger's Infielder, and any number of future injuries in the realm of possibility, this squeeze may not come to pass, but kudos to Hechavarria making it a possible problem. Where would they be without him these last few weeks?

[Edgy MD]

Let's hear it for an offseason market that was so soft that none of the 30 MLB teams ended up giving this guy a major league contract.

[MFS62]

I wiffed on this one ... so far.

Good for him.

Later

[G-Fafif]

One homer more than Cano, one ribbie fewer.

[seawolf17]

One homer more than Cano, one ribbie fewer.

And could you imagine if Hechavarria was our offseason "answer" in the infield? Holy moley, we would have marched on Citi Field with pitchforks.

[G-Fafif]

Or tweeted pictures of them @mets.

[seawolf17]

=G-Fafif post_id=12179 time=1559825606 user_id=55]
Or tweeted pictures of them @mets.

[smg58]

Will spend the second half of the season as the starting shortstop. And the team will be better off for it.

[Frayed Knot]

=smg58 post_id=12181 time=1559826231 user_id=62]
Will spend the second half of the season as the starting shortstop. And the team will be better off for it.

[Edgy MD]

One homer more than Cano, one ribbie fewer. And could you imagine if Hechavarria was our offseason "answer" in the infield? Holy moley, we would have marched on Citi Field with pitchforks.

I dunno. I mean, there was no question to answer, was there?



I mean, the Mets had to improve somewhere, but it's not like short and second represented a glaring hole.