This 162-game marathon leads to something more than a sprint, but far less than a grueling endurance test. Will there be 80 matches? Sixty games? Even less?
When MLB and the players association try to find a meeting point that will produce a season after the layoffs of the COVID-19 outbreak, the Mets are waiting to return to Port St. Lucie, Florida, for the pre-season camp which will last around three weeks.
Shortened seasons will reduce salaries, but can benefit many players. Among the Mets, here are who benefit most from the abbreviated season:
Yoenis Cespedes
The combination of a short season and the possibility of implementing DH can put out injured injured outsiders in a position to play a significant percentage of the Mets’ schedule.
First, Cespedes must show the team officer that he is able to run the base. When spring training was suspended, Cespedes did direct hitting, but there was a question whether his heel repaired by surgery could withstand the rigors of playing on the field and running. DH Universal will provide an optimal landing site for Cespedes, wanting to collect the incentives built into the 2020 contract and show other baseball players that he will be a worthy addition as an offseason free agent.
Yoenis Cespedes and Jeff McNeilAnthony J. Causi (2)
Jeff McNeil
As the team’s main contact hitter, McNeil will have the best chance of placing a large average hit on the board in a short span of time.
Nothing has reached .400 in one season since Ted Williams in 1941, but reduced the time period to 50 or 60 matches, and achievements became more achievable. McNeil peaked at 0.356 last July before diving at the end of the season – where the amount of strength increased – pushing it to 0.318. Even though it won’t be an apple-to-apple comparison, players who run at .400 over an abbreviated schedule will add a layer of excitement this season.
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Michael Wacha
The right-handed veteran has struggled with shoulder problems throughout his career, and asking him to start 10-15 matches would seem like a better suggestion than hoping he could survive a full season in rotation.
Wacha is the de facto fifth starter after Noah Syndergaard’s Tommy John operation which will keep the lefty absent until 2021. That does not mean manager Luis Rojas will not take the opportunity to Seth Lugo in that place, at least on certain occasions. But moving Lugo from the aid role will be a gamble given last year’s bullpen shortages.
If Wacha’s task is only 10-15, the Mets will have a better chance of surviving the absence of Syndergaard.
Andres Gimenez
From the top prospect of the Mets closest to the premier league ready, Gimenez leads the list among the position players. With the possibility that the roster will expand in the short season, the 21-year-old infielder – who is expected to play this season at Triple-A Syracuse – can get a chance to contribute with the Mets.
Luis Guillorme is the main reserve cutoff in spring training, but Gimenez will provide other options. He can also switch to second base if Robinson Cano needs a day off or is included as DH.
Dellin Betances
Another pitcher recovering from injury, Betances, if ready, can go full-time during a short season without worrying about the need to survive a full marathon. Betances, who missed almost all of last season with a shoulder blow and a torn Achilles, worked to increase their speed when spring training was suspended. If the hander is ready, he can give another arm of strength at the tip of the bullpen, joining Edwin Diaz and Jeurys Familia.
