Tim Locastro Gives Mets Much Needed Outfield Depth
One of the biggest surprises for the New York Mets so far this spring has been outfielder Tim Locastro.
In January, the Mets inked the 30-year-old to a minor league pact, and he has come to Spring Training raring to go.
At the dish, Locastro has hit .379/.471/.621 (11-for-29) with five doubles, seven RBIs and five stolen bases.
While it is unlikely the New York native keeps this up, indicative by his career triple slash of .227/.325/.381, a 82 wRC+ and a .296 wOBA, if Locastro can give New York depth at the outfield positions, it would be a huge benefit.
On the team's 40-man roster, the Mets have four primary outfielders in Brandon Nimmo, Starling Marte, Mark Canha and Tommy Pham. Beyond that, infielder Jeff McNeil can slot into left field if need be.
Over an 162 game season, however, teams cycle through more players than what their 40-man roster looks like on Opening Day.
Locastro is in a position to contribute to the big league team at some point this season, with their pipeline lacking in the outfield department, particularly in the upper minors.
Last season, the Mets rostered players similar to Locastro in Travis Jankowski and later, Terrance Gore. With a sprint speed in the 99th percentile, Locastro fits that bill for the team in 2023.
The Ithaca College alum was league replacement last year and had a down 2021, but was worth 1.8 fWAR total between 2019-20 for the Arizona Diamondbacks.
In a player who will likely be shuffled between the majors and minors in 2023, should he bring to the table what he did just a couple years ago, Locastro could turn out to be a good depth piece for the Mets.
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