Tyrone Taylor joined the Mets as the team’s fourth outfielder and has started multiple games in all three outfield spots so far this season.
More than that, he’s one of the most productive hitters on the team.
Despite only 54 at-bats, Taylor’s 13 RBIs were second on the team behind Brandon Nimmo’s 15 RBIs.
He also has a team-high OPS of .869 and OPS+ of 147.
Two National League scouts who saw Taylor several times this season, including on the just-concluded West Coast tour, said they didn’t notice any major changes in his swing.
“He’s more selective,” one scout said. “But the talent was always there. They have to be careful not to use him too much.”
That probably won’t be a problem, especially since J.D. Martinez is expected to be in the Mets lineup for the first time in Friday’s homestand opener against the Cardinals.
Taylor’s ability to fill the entire outfield allows Carlos Mendoza to rest all three starting outfielders while keeping important hitters Nimmo and Starling Marte in the DH lineup. did it.
No one would complain about the addition of a 36-year-old right-handed power hitter, but with Martinez, that luxury will disappear.
Given Taylor’s performance at the plate, the Mets will likely want to keep him active.
According to Fangraphs, Taylor is swinging at fewer pitches outside the strike zone (27.6 percent compared to a career mark of 36 percent). He also hits line drives more and fly balls less often.
Taylor’s defense was solid, if not spectacular.
After Wednesday’s win over San Francisco, in which Taylor hit a double and a home run, Mendoza said he plans to continue “rotating” the outfield.
And even with Martinez, Taylor made it clear he won’t be on the bench for long.
“[Taylor’s] He’s going to be a big part of this team going forward,” Mendoza said.
Michael Tonkin is a former Metropolitan University graduate.
Also.
On Tuesday, three days after the Mets selected Tonkin, the Yankees claimed the right-hander off waivers from the Mets.
The 34-year-old right-hander signed with the Mets before this season, became a DFA for the first time last month, and was traded to the Twins for financial reasons.
After appearing in one game at Minnesota, Tonkin returned to the Mets on waivers.
In his two years with Queen’s, Tonkin pitched in five games, allowing 10 runs (four earned) in seven innings.
Jose Buto earned his long-awaited entry into the starting rotation for the first two games, especially in the absence of Kodai Senga.
But after pitching six innings in each of the first two games, Butt was pretty similar to the rest of the previous rotation, pitching just 4 1/3 innings while walking five times.
The Mets are looking for more action from Butt in Friday’s series opener against St. Louis, as the Mets rank 26th in innings pitched by starting pitchers this season and already have a strained bullpen.
