Port ST. LUCIE – Jeff McNeill’s hat trick played third base on Sunday – he made a catch and made a mistake throwing errors in addition to another on a missed catch – offering a reminder as to why the Mets eliminated him from last season.
Uncomfortable with most throws, McNeill went into left field in 2020 and saw action at second base behind Robinson Cano as well. Cano was suspended for this entire season after testing positive for a banned performance-enhancing drug for the second time, with McNeill mainly touted as the second baseman. But there are also questions as to whether JD Davis is a full-time third baseman, leaving manager Lewis Rojas to try different options this spring.
“we are confident [McNeil’s] Ability to play third, but if you want to rank your positions, I know he is more acclaimed for playing at second base and even left field, but he has been well into third base in the past. Seen, ”said Rosa as the Mets and Marlins played at the 4–4 exhibition at Clover Park. “I know we can go back to last year when he struggled a bit for third place, but we believe he can play there.”
The more likely Plan B at third base, according to Rosas, is Jonathan Villar, who defeated a three-run homer as the starting second baseman. The veteran Willer reached this offseason on a $ 3.55 million one-year contract, giving the Mets a true backup shortstop behind Francisco Lindor, as well as someone who can play second and third.
Willer, who has not played third base since 2016, ranked in a game last week and continued to build up the Rips during pregame drills. Willer can also take an occasional turn in the outfield, where he has performed brilliantly in his career.
“They paid me money so that if I needed to play the outfield, I’d go there,” Villar said. He said, “I will be ready to play whatever position I want.” If they want me to play a catch, I will do it. “
Team officials have liked Davis’ early play at third base. One noticeable adjustment has been his vengeance so as not to play deep, in order to reduce the possibility of him being beaten on slow grounders in front of him.
But the Mets want to find an opportunity for Willer’s left-handed bat and see third base as the best option.
“He’s going to get more exposure at third place than McNeil at the camp,” Rojas said. “[Villar] And the Jedi will be the two most played at third base and we want to see Mack early in the third play and we can see that again. “
While an argument could be made that McNiel would be best served only to focus on second base, versatility has a value.
“Spring training is for that and just for giving [McNeil] A bit more performance and to make sure he feels comfortable and he clicks back into position, but I believe he can play there, ”said Tejas.
McNeill’s likely to play outfield could be restricted by the additions of Kevin Pilar and Albert Almora Jr.. In addition, there is a lack of universal DH signals that Dominic Smith will start in left field most of the time. But it is expected that McNeill will get a chance in the left before the camp ends, as well as taking at least one more look at the third.
“We want to see the combination,” Rojas said. “We want to see different positions and how people look there. It is a win every day. We have not done good defense today, but you can teach a lot from it and it can definitely tell you where you need to work. “
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