You all probably think I’m the biggest Luis Guillorme fan on the planet.
I’ll admit. I like Guillorme. I think he can be useful to the Mets. But if you are going to call him up just to maroon him on the bench, (which they’ve done time and time again) CALL UP SOMEBODY ELSE!
Robinson Canó smoked a ball into the gap yesterday and was headed to second base for his third double of the game. After rounding first base he clutched the back of his leg and was removed from the game. We’ve all watched enough baseball to know what the likely outcome would be.
Our fears were confirmed today when the Mets placed Canó on the ten-day Injured List with a strained left hamstring.
As soon as Canó stopped running we all started wondering what the Mets would do to replace the suddenly hot second baseman.
First, I’d like to just say it’s insane that Dilson Herrera and Ruben Tejada were both mentioned as solutions. But somehow both infielders left the Mets, returned and have put together impressive seasons for Triple-A Syracuse.
Neither Tejada or Herrera received a call. It was Guillorme who was told to report to Queens for today’s doubleheader against the Marlins.
Now, if you’ve watched the Mets over the course of these last two seasons, you didn’t need to see today’s lineup to know what they plan to do. Luis Guillorme will be sitting on the bench next to Adeiny Hechavarría. Jeff McNeil will play second base and Juan Lagares will start in center field.
They will essentially replace their cleanup hitter with Juan Lagares.
Sure, we can debate whether Robinson Canó should have been the cleanup hitter in the first place, but that’s a moot point now.
We can also debate whether bringing up Luis Guillorme just to glue him to the bench makes any sense, but I’ve tried and failed to do so for two years now.
Just for arguments sake, here is what Guillorme has done at Triple-A Syracuse.
.310/.415/.456
.385 wOBA
128 wRC+
.146 ISO
14.2 BB%
15.3 K%
Guillorme has a great glove, and doesn’t strike out. I believe he could be a useful table setter if given the chance. That’s my monthly Guillorme rant. Let’s move on.
It’s Lagares time. That’s not going to make Mets fans very happy.
Juan Lagares is having an awful season, and that’s putting it lightly. For the first time since 2014, Lagares is healthy. He’s just not performing. At all.
Lagares has put together a horrendous slash line of .190/.254/.272 this season. What’s really insane is his play in center field. While he’s still easily the best defensive option on the roster, he actually has negative defensive metrics this year, which is downright unbelievable.
With that being said, he’s going to play a huge role in the Mets potentially capturing a Wildcard berth.
It all ties together. The lack of outfield options in the minors. The awful internal player evaluation. The Brandon Nimmo injury. The ranch mishap for Yoenis Céspedes. The untimely death of Jed Lowrie.
This is where we are at.
Somebody needs to step up. Out of Lagares, Guillorme and Hechavarría.. I guess Juan Lagares has the best chance to surprise us. I wouldn’t put money on it at this point, but stranger things have happened.
Hey, Alonso is going to get hot again. Maybe Rosario can continue playing like he did in July. McNeil is Wade Boggs reincarnated. We have the best pitching rotation in the National League.
Someone else has to step up, though.
Go ahead, Juan. We are reluctantly rooting for you.