New York Mets' DH Role 'Undefined' Heading Into Spring Training
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The Mets used the offseason to bring in a haul of impact acquisitions, as well as retain some of their own star players. However, they did not make a change in an area they probably could've upgraded: the designated hitter position.
As it stands, the Mets are heading into spring training with the same post-trade deadline DH platoon of Daniel Vogelbach and Darin Ruf.
Despite having the same veteran duo on the roster, who will presumably share the job, GM Billy Eppler wouldn't commit to this platoon and says the DH role is still undefined.
“I would say the DH position is undefined," Eppler told Inside the Mets by phone. "We have a number of players that contributed in it last year, but I would say it’s undefined.
“There’s a number of different ways we can utilize the DH on any given night. We’ve used it for workload management purposes and matchups. That’s ultimately what we will use spring training and the conversations with the coaching staff to figure out."
Assuming the Mets do decide to run with the same platoon, Vogelbach posted a productive .829 OPS against left-handed pitching with the Mets last season while Ruf struggled against righties with an anemic .413 OPS.
But as abysmal as Ruf's 29 games with the Mets were last season, Eppler and the front office believe he can bounce back based off his track record.
"He’s got a long track record of hitting left-handed pitching," Eppler said. "He hit left-handed pitching in 2022 and 2021. Unless some things have materially changed, we would bet that skill still exists in him."
Ruf has a career .891 OPS against left-handed pitching. Prior to being traded to the Mets, he posted a .826 OPS versus lefties for the San Francisco Giants in 2022.
Beyond Ruf, Eppler and the Mets were very pleased with what they saw out of Vogelbach on the other side of the platoon.
"I’ve connected with Vogey over the winter time and he did a good job for us after the trade deadline," Eppler said.
"I think he was one of the most impactful bats moved at the deadline, even if you measure it against some of the bats that weren’t moved, that were rumored to be moved. He was up there in OPS."
The Mets picked up Vogelbach's $1.5 million club option earlier in the offseason.
Some other candidates that could see time in the DH role include Pete Alonso, for load management purposes, and Tommy Pham and Eduardo Escobar for their splits against lefties.
One exciting young star does not appear to be a candidate to compete for the DH spot in spring training: top prospect catcher Francisco Alvarez.
“We see Francisco as a catcher over the long-term," Eppler said of Alvarez. "So you wouldn’t be able to develop a guy as a catcher if he was sitting in the designated hitter role full-time."
And that's that. The Mets want Alvarez to develop his framing and receiving skills as a catcher, meaning he will not be in the mix as a DH candidate.
Lastly, it sounds like the Mets are done making position player moves for the offseason.
“Our roster is pretty well filled out with not a lot of flexibility left on the position player side," Eppler said.
"There’s a number of people we either acquired or are on guaranteed contracts, so I think it’s not too difficult to start writing out the depth chart. It’s not a complete picture, but it’s a majority of the way there and we’ll look to define those roles over spring training."
With just 16 days until pitchers and catchers report, the Mets appear to be finished making moves, and have an "undefined" DH role that they're looking to receive clarity on during spring training.
Read More:
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- These Mets' Prospects Made MLB Pipeline's Top 100 List
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