PORT STREET LUCIE — Tuesday marked one month since Mets pitchers and catchers reported. With spring training well behind us, a general feel for the club may be starting to develop.
There’s still work to be done on the Opening Day roster, but we’ve reached a point in camp where the players are getting used to each other, and with no further injuries and a pitching staff ready to go on March 28th. It is important to welcome the
The only major physical issue for the Mets at this point is Kodai Senga’s shoulder strain, which will likely keep him out until at least early May. Jeff McNeil has yet to play in an exhibition game, but he has been working out after missing early camp with a sore bicep. McNeil is expected to be ready by Opening Day.
To help players assess the current state of this team, we asked Francisco Lindor for help. He was outspoken at the start of camp in his belief that the Mets had a playoff-caliber club.
What did Lindor learn about the team in spring training?
The Mets have a solid defense: Lindor used the word “dynamic” to describe the position players on the 40-man roster.
“We have a lot of guys who can play defense,” Lindor said. “We have a lot of players who can move around.”
Harrison Bader and Tyron Taylor have helped improve the Mets’ outfield defense, and Starling Marte is regaining the vigor he had before undergoing double groin surgery two years ago.
Marte, Bader and Nimmo have started playing together in the outfield, and Lindor has been amazed by their athleticism.
“We have three center fielders,” Lindor said. “One of my thoughts is that if the opposing team puts the ball up in the air and it’s very high up, they’re all going to go after that ball. Are they going to hit them? can move.”
Francisco Alvarez’s offseason workouts were no illusions. Lindor watched video of the 22-year-old catcher training in the offseason and was impressed. But Alvarez wasted little time, showing improvement, especially with his throws to second base, and Lindor was convinced the Mets had “elite” talent.
“He’s a good player and he asks questions,” Lindor said. “He seems to want to be better, and he doesn’t seem to get upset when he’s criticized. That’s beautiful.”
Lindor calls pitches in his head from the shortstop position. He often asks Alvarez why the catcher and pitcher were or were not on the same page in certain situations. Lindor found himself learning from Alvarez.
“I’m going to say, ‘What’s the reason behind this pitch?’ ” Lindor said. “and [Alvarez] There’s a reason. I’m open to that too. People will come up to me and give me their opinions because I’m learning or relearning something. ”
The Mets don’t have an ace – until they do: Lindor, who played three seasons at the top of the Mets’ rotation alongside stars like Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander, isn’t daunted by the lack of such talented pitchers on his staff this spring.
Chiga, Luis Severino, Jose Quintana, Sean Manaea and Adrian Hauser are the starting five. However, Senga will begin the season on injured reserve, with Tyler Megill, Jose Butt and Joey Lucchesi vying for the spot.
“We have Severino. If he has a good year, he’s going to be one of the top pitchers in the league,” Lindor said. “Chiga, he’s not one of the top yet, but if he has a good year this year he can be one of the top. Hauser, he’s not one of the top, but if he has a good year he could be in the top 20. Quintana, he can go back to being one of the top 20 pitchers in the league.”
In other words, it’s a rotation of individuals with something to prove.
“I feel like those are the pitchers that were in there.” [top] Or they’re fighting to get into the elite category,” Lindor said. “If they go out and get it done, they’re going to throw themselves into it, and that’s special.”
Nimmo is the team leader. While Lindor himself is considered a leader within the Mets’ clubhouse, Nimmo has perhaps garnered the most attention this spring, organizing a family golf trip to Pop Stroke two weeks ago as a team bonding event. did.
“Since the first year I came here, [Nimmo] He’s one of those players who has always been respected as a leader,” Lindor said. “He just had players that came before him… and maybe he didn’t believe he was one of the leaders, but in my eyes he was always the player who could handle things. He’s in a position where he feels like he can handle anything, so I’m happy for him.”
