Who's on First

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

Vientos has an OPS+ of 85 and is OBPing at .267. He possesses RH power and we need some of that. Gradually become an OK defender. But as noted in the game thread, we're over him.

Jared Young looks better to me as a guy but small sample--he's second on the team in OPS+! -- and would need to shake the reserve label. Competent with the glove I think.

Polanco is a switch hitter with a good track record but not sure if you want him and his achilles at first base

Ryan Clifford-- Legit LH hitting slugger but 75 Ks in 184 ABs in Syracuse. ow

Maybe Tauchmann? If he can answer the bell this year

Who's on first?

[Edgy MD]

I think it's going to be all of the above until somebody steps forward.  It's also going to include a big chunk o' Baty after Lindor returns.

In the short term, it's probably going to be largely Baty and Vientos while Polanco tries to stay healthy enough to even DH.   With extra bits of Young, Melendez, Waggy, until Clifford breaks through.

Tauchman is pretty close to urban myth status, but it would be lovely to be surprised by an appearance.

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

I think it would be interesting to see Mendy bang a fist on his desk and insist Young is an everyday major leaguer

[seawolf17]

Clifford. Yeah, strikeouts, but that's MLB these days. His .749 OPS would be the best on this team other than Soto, and by a lot. And yeah, I know, regression with the level jump. Who cares? We literally can't be any worse than we are right now.

(Is it too late to apologize to Pete?)

[Centerfield]

I guess Young for now, Clifford eventually. 
 

Clifford is striking out nearly 40% at AAA. I have little confidence he can stick as a legitimate big leaguer. 
 

This may be a question mark for a while. If you look at this upcoming free agent class, there’s nothing there. 

[Edgy MD]

There's always someone out there.  Especially since first base is a position everybody gravitates toward.  The next firstbaseman might currently be playing left field someplace.  Or catcher.  Or third.

And the trade market is always there.  The Astros may want to get out from under Christian Walker's contract.

But I don't think the Mets have closed the door on Vientos yet.

[The Hot Corner]

I would go with a platoon of Jared Young vs RHP and Vientos vs. LHP at least until either Polanco returns.  It is sink or swim time for Vientos. 

Clifford needs to put the ball in play more.  Striking out 40% of the time (at AAA no less) isn't going to cut it.  A Rob Deer/Joey Gallo type hitter isn't going to do much to turn this team around.  The Mets already have far to many hitters that are struggling to hit .225 or better.

 

[Edgy MD]

Meanwhile in Binghamton, Chris Suero is trying to get above .180.

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

It's insane that the biggest need this team has is a right-handed slugger who can play first base

[Cowtipper]

I'd give Clifford a shot. Why not? He could be our very own Joey Gallo. 

[Centerfield]

He’s got a .440 SLG. He doesn’t hit for enough power to strike out that much. 

[Gwreck]

What about…Juan Soto?

[seawolf17]

He can't be any worse defensively than Clifford has looked tonight. Yeesh.

[Edgy MD]

Clifford's got his 11th homer tonight, so that's cool.

Really hoping to see Jackson Cluff improve on that .137 batting average.

[seawolf17]

Yeah, Clifford hit that ball to the moon. I mean, hey, I'll take an error, strikeout, and home run every game.

[metirish]

11 hours ago, Gwreck said:

What about…Juan Soto?

I would be very curious to see this 

[Edgy MD]

Once and future Mets firstbaseman Jorge Polanco played DH and went 1-2 with a line-drive single, a strikeout, and a run scored in his debut for Binghamton, before being lifted for a pinch-hitter in the fifth.

He then took the next day off, and if one trip around the bases for a DH means a day and a half off, I imagine this is going to be a long rehab assignment.

[Frayed Knot]

Multiple injuries essentially handed Vientos the opportunity to seize the 1B job and run with it. But, after looking like he was going to run with some kind of everyday job following that great second half in 2024 [.25/.306/.506 // 812 w/24 HRs in 401 PAs from June 1st on], he's hit just .231/.281/.402 // 633 w/23 HR in 643 PA since] and has hit into almost as many GiDPs as HRs [18 vs 23 (now 24)]

So, as Angelo Dundee sid to Sugar Ray Leonard when he started getting away from the game plan during the middle rounds, "You're blowing it, kid!"

 

 

Oh, and Soto to 1st might be a thing at some point ... but it's not going to be without a full off-season's notice. It might even make the whole Piazza-to-1st drama seem like a mini-series.