Look at me, I can be ...

[Frayed Knot]

It's no secret that the mets would like to upgrade, particularly defensively, at CF. So here https://nypost.com/2019/11/13/what-mets-could-be-looking-at-for-center-field-upgrade/The Puma speculates on potential targets for next year.



Acknowledging that the FA market really doesn't have 'that type' of player, what's left is mostly trade options.

- the long shot is Mookie Betts. Obviously great, but a heavy price tag and has already declared his intention to test the FA market after 2020 so that's $20-some million PLUS multiple players/prospects for one year of service



More realistically on the list could include Pittsburgh's Starling Marte, SF's Kevin Pillar, or Manuel Margot w/the Padres



Marte, 31, 845 OPS in 2019, $11.5 in '20, option for $12mil in '21 (wasn't he also a steroid cheat?)



Pillar: possibly a non-tender candidate by the Gigantes, notched a 719 OPS last season (right about his career norm) and has been a stunningly good defensive player (mostly for Toronto).

Turns 31 just after New Year's so it's possible that his defense might be a bit past its prime going forward.



Margot: A first time arb eligible in 2020, the just-turned 25 y/o Dominican was a well regarded prospect [top 25 type of ratings in pre-2017] w/Boston before being part of the package dealt for Craig Kimbrel.

Hasn't really lived up to his supposed potential so far [.248/.301/.387 across three season/1,400 ML ABs]



Also mentioned are Boston's Jackie Bradley Jr., a terrific outfielder who might be a trade target although swings lefty where the Mets would prefer a righty and his hitting regressed after his

breakout 2016 season [2017-19 = .234/.318/.409]; and Japanese FA Shogo Akiyama another lefty who turns 32 y/o in April and had some good numbers for 2015-19 w/Seibu

[Edgy MD]

The current personnel suggests (to my reading) that Brandon Nimmo is currently the opening-day centerfielder. Do you think they want someone to displace him or another defensive caddy, a la Lagares?

[whippoorwill]

He'd better work on cutting down on his Ks

[Lefty Specialist]

I don't like CF's on the wrong side of 30.

[Frayed Knot]

Edgy MD wrote: The current personnel suggests (to my reading) that Brandon Nimmo is currently the opening-day centerfielder. Do you think they want someone to displace him or another defensive caddy, a la Lagares?

Ideally I think they'd prefer Nimmo in a corner slot while bringing in an everyday CF w/a glove who also hits from the right side, or at worst a glove-first guy who plays vs LHPs. That, of course, brings up

the question of how that affects Conforto, JD Davis, Dom, the Squirrel, and/or (dare we even say his name?) Cespedes.



Brodie, btw, has apparently ruled out the idea of Rosario as a CF - which, given that the early season defensive disaster seemed more and more like the outlier rather than a sign of things to come as the season

went on, strikes me as the right move.

[smg58]

Nimmo had an OPS of .995 after returning. He's playing somewhere. The question is whether you are confident enough in Smith and/or Davis to trade Conforto for a centerfielder plus something, whether you think Smith or Davis can get you the centerfielder you need, or whether you think the offense you have is worth the defensive risk.



Betts isn't really a centerfielder. I'm not sure our farm system is where it needs to be to make Betts an option for 2020 anyway.



The fielding bible has Marte at -9 runs saved in center on the year. Nimmo was a -2 in about a quarter of the innings. And Marte has less offensive upside going forward. Basically he's what we've already got, only less.



Pillar used to be an elite defensive centerfielder, but he's been average the last two seasons. Bradley is not as good defensively (past or present) as Pillar.



Margot can field the position (+6 runs saved in 900 innings), and might be had cheaply, but he's basically Lagares from a few years ago with a slightly worse glove but a slightly better bat. If you think the offense you have is worth the defensive risk, he might be a useful add for support.



One guy that wasn't mentioned was Harrison Bader. He had an overly high BABIP in 2018, and a criminally low BABIP this past season. An intermediate BABIP would put him in the same offensive category as Pillar or Bradley, and better than Margot, while being the superior fielder presently to all three (+13 runs saved in 900 innings last year). The Cardinals played Dexter Fowler ahead of him against righties in the playoffs, which tells me they are undervaluing him. That's where I'd kick the tires first.

[Edgy MD]

So, oddly enough, if Juan Lagares had spent the last five yeras with some other team, they might well be interested in him.



Bader is an interesting option. But I'm not sure the Cards are done with him. He'd certainly be another low-average/high strikeout/occasional power type on offense. I think he'd get his shirt torn off once or twice, but every day in between, he'd drive me crazy.

[Frayed Knot]

I'm still wary of trusting defensive metrics, especially ones that tell me that Pillar is merely average and Bradley not even that good. While I acknowledge that Pillar may be somewhat past his prime, those 'ratings',

to me anyway, don't come close to jiving with the eyeball test.



The upside to Margot is if you think that his offensive potential is lurking somewhere beneath the surface all ready to appear. He was maybe a bit rushed (a full-timer for SD at age 22 after being 'the big bait' in a

trade) so he could be at the right age/experience for a bust-out even though even his minor league numbers were never really that great in the first place [772 OPS vs 695 in ML]. iow, he might be Lagares of five

years ago only hopefully without the constant injury interruptions short-circuiting whatever offensive growth you were hoping to get from him.

[Centerfield]

It's hard to believe that the Mets will utilize whatever resources they have to a problem as minor as centerfield defense. I don't mean to downplay its importance, but if the Wilpons continue to run on a limited budget, there are far more compelling needs.



Starting pitching. Several bullpen arms. And the catching situation. Brandon Nimmo may not be great in CF, but I don't see the value in signing a CF that puts Davis/Cespedes on the bench, while we go with Walker Lockett in place of Wheeler.

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

By "ramped up" they mean, "added someone other than Jeff's brother."

[Edgy MD]

=Centerfield post_id=26477 time=1573676131 user_id=65]
It's hard to believe that the Mets will utilize whatever resources they have to a problem as minor as centerfield defense. I don't mean to downplay its importance, but if the Wilpons continue to run on a limited budget, there are far more compelling needs.

[Edgy MD]

Shogo, by the way, is no joko. He has an Ichiro swing, keeping the bat head back and following the ball to left with his head, but while he doesn't make contact as much as Ichiro, a .301 career batting average is no small satsumaimo, and his walk rate and power really amplify that. Actually, he kind of has a McNeilian profile as a hitter.



Big downside is that his season ended with a broken toe, and that came on October 31. And, you know, figuring out whose game is going to translate across the Pacific is always going to take some guessing.



[fimg=500]https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/TNbL1uOL_smx0Iy7f5OKv7FQtpM=/77x489:4494x2996/1200x800/filters:focal(1882x434:2600x1152)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65553598/1060960534.jpg.0.jpg[/fimg]

[Frayed Knot]

Lefty Specialist wrote: I don't like CF's on the wrong side of 30.

I agree that you don't want to go too overboard with this thing, but the ones mentioned above could all likely be acquired on a short-term basis so you wouldn't run the risk that they'd begin rusting

out there like the tin-man whenever it starts sprinkling during a game.



With Marte (31) they'd be on the hook for just one year plus an option. Pillar (not yet 31) would either be a trade w/a one-year commitment or, if non-tendered, a FA with a length to be determined.

Bradley (30 early next season) would be a one year commitment only. And Margot is just 25

The wild card would be the (32 y/o) Japanese player so his age adds to the overall unknown quantity there.

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

Shogo's prosthetic right lower leg could come in handy too. Mets used to be the biggest Japanese importers since your local Honda dealer but haven't had an Asian guy since ... Dice-K?

[LWFS]

Yep. Hell, even taking into account our KazMatses and such, the Mets seemed to have at least as high a hit rate among Japanese FAs as with domestic editions... though Shinjo was the only half-decent position player we ever had, IIRC.

[Centerfield]

Lefty Specialist wrote: I don't like CF's on the wrong side of 30.

Yeah, well fuck you too.

[MFS62]

Lefty Specialist wrote: I don't like CF's on the wrong side of 30. Yeah, well fuck you too.

Still laughing out loud.

Well played.

Later

[smg58]

=LWFS post_id=26491 time=1573689613 user_id=84]
Yep. Hell, even taking into account our KazMatses and such, the Mets seemed to have at least as high a hit rate among Japanese FAs as with domestic editions... though Shinjo was the only half-decent position player we ever had, IIRC.

[Edgy MD]

Masato Yoshii was pretty decent. Katashi Kashiwada was almost kind of decent.



Dae-Sun Koo was an American hero. He should have been granted automatic citizenship.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I have no memory at all of anyone named Katashi Kashiwada.

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

Kashiwada was the first Met from Japan, I believe. 1997?



Takashi not Katashi



That was one cool Valentine thing. 3 Japanese vets on short-term deals were as good as 3 years of David Weathers.

[LWFS]

Koo was Koo-rean.



We were lousy with junkballing Takahashis (Hisanori 4 Eva!) and rocket Ryotas right after CitiField opened. A regular Valentinaissance.

[Edgy MD]

Johnny Lunchbucket wrote: Takashi not Katashi

Dyslexia has gotten me and it will get all of you too!



And yeah, I know Koo is Korean, of course. I just thought the floor was open to any Asian ex-pats who prospered at any level in a Mets uniform. Probably the same scouting bureau, anyhow.

[HahnSolo]

Who was the guy hailed as "the Japanese Greg Maddux" when the Mets signed him? After a month, Bill Madden said, "instead they got the Japanese Mike Maddux"

[Edgy MD]

I believe you're referring to Satoru Komiyama, who rolled out of bed and ran to the police station.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I know that the title of this thread references the John Fogerty Centerfield song, but whenever I see the title, the tune that pops into my head is this one:



[YOUTUBE]Uz5D-D7VYmY[/YOUTUBE]



And wow, look at Frenchie there!

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

They are running together for me. I can remember Ryota Igarashi was a real disappointment given he came with the best bonafides while guys like Ken Takahashi who came with little fanfare was actually pretty reliable for a while

[Frayed Knot]

Who was the guy hailed as "the Japanese Greg Maddux" when the Mets signed him? After a month, Bill Madden said, "instead they got the Japanese Mike Maddux"

Seeing as how Madden's writing, then and now, basically involves taking dictation from MFY front office and/or pr types, which Yanqui, do you suppose, fed him that line?

[LWFS]

Johnny Lunchbucket wrote: They are running together for me. I can remember Ryota Igarashi was a real disappointment given he came with the best bonafides while guys like Ken Takahashi who came with little fanfare was actually pretty reliable for a while

Between junky Ken and junkier Hisanori (as our fifth starter/long man/erstwhile closer... basically, crafty lefty Lugo before Lugo was Lugo), we're 2-for-2 on Takahashis, really.



Back to the thread topic, though... the Pirates have their own Alonso-lite blocking first base, so if we offer Dom Smith for Manny Margot, who blinks?

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

Giants nontender Kevin Pillar.



This guy makes too many outs but is a competent fielder with good hustle powers (he's a white CF, see) with 20-homer power.



As a Lagares replacement he'd make some sense and could be a regular if plans A B C and D don't materialize.