With Games 1, 2, 6, and 7 to take place in an American League ballpark, who should New York Mets’ manager Terry Collins use at DH?
By Bryan Pol
Should the series go seven games, a rather strong possibility, four of those contests will potentially be played at Kauffman Stadium, an American League ballpark, which forces manager Terry Collins, in his first ever World Series as the majors’ current oldest skipper, to consider whom he will feature as his designated hitter.
Right-handed options may not factor much, as Royals’ manager Ned Yost used an all-righty rotation in the ALCS, with Edinson Volquez, Yordano Ventura, Johnny Cueto, and longman Chris Young, used frequently in the ALDS out of the bullpen, all notching a start.
Regardless, infielder and late July acquisition Juan Uribe, out with a chest contusion he suffered in the Subway Series, not having played since September 25 against the Cincinnati Reds, is attempting to work his way back onto the New York Mets’ roster, and becomes a dangerous right-handed bat with legitimate World Series experience, having won two World Series, with the Chicago White Sox and San Francisco Giants in 2005 and 2010 respectively.
Should he make the roster, could Collins use him off the bench or perhaps even utilize him at DH?
Here are some possibilities available to Terry Collins in what aims to be a tremendous World Series, with both teams not having won a Fall Classic in quite some time: 30 years for Kansas City and 29 years for the Mets respectively.
1. Juan Uribe
Juan Uribe, acquired from the Atlanta Braves on July 25 along with teammate Kelly Johnson, may be 36 years old, but he is the only member of the Mets with any World Series experience, something to consider with the Royals a year removed from their last appearance in the Fall Classic.
Despite hitting only .200 over 35 at-bats in nine games across two World Series appearances with Chicago and San Francisco, Uribe hit one of the biggest home runs for the Giants in their 2010 run, blasting a three-run homer against Texas Rangers’ reliever Darren O’Day, particularly decisive in an 11-7 Game 1 World Series victory. He accrued two RBI, off a single in the seventh inning and a walk in the eighth, major contributions in the Giants’ 9-0 win the following night in Game 2.
[su_youtube_advanced url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUEY99ZSoQI”]A career .256 hitter, Uribe has particularly thrived in his career against Kansas City, posting a .289 batting average with 11 home runs and 41 RBI in 75 games and 256 ABs. All told, Uribe hit .260 with 5 home runs and 21 RBI in 127 ABs at Kaufmann Stadium, posting his fourth-highest batting average in any ball park with a minimum of 125 career at-bats. Although rather putrid at getting on-base for his career, Uribe’s .335 mark against the Royals, 32 points above his career average, is his fifth-best mark against any club.
Alas, playing Uribe is contingent on his health: when Collins was asked about whether or not Uribe will be available for the World Series, the manager answered on Friday, “I don’t know.”
2. Michael Cuddyer
The Mets’ acquisition of Michael Cuddyer in the offseason, when he signed a two-year, $21 million at age 35 (he turned 36 by Opening Day), was all but forgotten with the trade for rising star Yoenis Cespedes and the call-up of dynamo left fielder Michael Conforto.
Signed to play the outfield, Cuddyer, who won a batting title with the Colorado Rockies in 2013, his last season as an All-Star, often spelled Lucas Duda at first base as the season drew to a close whenever the Mets faced a lefty starter. On the season, Cuddyer performed admirably, hitting .259 with 10 homers and 41 RBI, posting a very good triple slash line, .302/.352/.458, in 105 plate appearances in the season’s second half.
[su_youtube_advanced url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w09RnHIcAII”]In 224 career at-bats at Kauffman Stadium, Cuddyer hit .281 with 13 homers and 42 RBI, his 13 dingers being the fourth-most he struck at any ballpark.
For his career, Cuddyer has hit .272 against righties, although he fell out of favor with Terry Collins after his shoddy defensive play in leftfield in Game 1 of the NLDS against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Consequently, the Mets will only be calling on Cuddyer for his bat, which is beyond serviceable regardless of lefty or righty starter.
3. Kelly Johnson
During a spell when the Mets were the worst offense in the majors, managing a team batting average around .230, general manager Sandy Alderson saw promise in super utility player Kelly Johnson, who, in hitting .275 in 62 games with the Atlanta Braves, could play practically every infield position for the Mets. Acquired from Atlanta with Juan Uribe, Johnson immediately made an impact, hitting a home run in his Met debut on July 25 against the Dodgers.
[su_youtube_advanced url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtvx4aOW5vE”]In 49 games with the Mets, the left-handed Johnson hit .250, a point below his career average. Against righties, Johnson hit .264 in 277 at-bats, although he did surprisingly manage a .273 in 33 at-bats against lefties.
Unfortunately for Johnson (albeit, in a very small sample size), the infielder only hit .172 in 29 at-bats at Kauffman Stadium, homering only once.
[su_youtube_advanced url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIFYaAF0pl0″]Regardless, in clutch situations, Johnson has the penchant for coming through in big spots. This season, Johnson hit .307 with runners in scoring position (in 88 at-bats), managing 6 homers and 38 RBI in such scenarios. Johnson even hit .278 with RISP and two outs, a relatively remarkable figure.
4. Lucas Duda
Heading into Game 4 against the Chicago Cubs, Duda was 3-for-24, scratching together a pathetic .125 average, striking out 13 times in those 24 at-bats.
Then came his heroics in the World Series clincher: he went 3-for-4 with 5 RBI, including a three-run homer in the top of the first inning that quieted a raucous crowd at Wrigley Field, a fan base that was otherwise lulled to sleep in an 8-3 Met victory, during which the Cubbies were never close.
[su_youtube_advanced url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnOF11ph8S0″]While this game effectively ended his slump and catapulted the Mets to the World Series, Duda will have sat for six days until the start of the World Series on Tuesday.
Given Michael Cuddyer’s career average against righties (.272) and great numbers at Kauffman Stadium, Cuddyer could play first in Kansas City while Duda serves as the designated hitter, which will allow the slumping slugger to focus solely on hitting, which could get him going and sustain the push he conveyed in Game 4 of the NLCS.
Whatever it takes for Duda to resuscitate his power—he blasted 27 homers in the regular season—a move to DH could be a move bold enough to maximize the Mets already formidable offense.
5. Daniel Murphy
Admittedly, Daniel Murphy is on a tear that puts Babe Ruth, Carlos Beltran, and Reggie Jackson to shame, homering in six straight games, an MLB postseason record, crushing seven homers in all. His collective 1.026 OPS in the playoffs, 1.294 in the NLCS, is unprecedented. He earned the NLCS MVP, hitting .529 with 4 home runs and six RBI, a tear that puts the Mets in a tight spot heading into free agency this offseason, when Murphy can walk.
There is no use questioning his bat any longer, especially since Murphy is a .288 career hitter, and in nine games, a .421 hitter in the playoffs.
[su_youtube_advanced url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Pm-kBzbXUg”]But Murphy’s glove and range, despite some remarkable plays in the infield these last two rounds, remains a question mark, even more so now that the margin for error becomes that much slimmer against a Kansas City Royals’ team that is prone to playing small ball, stealing bases, and running the base paths unlike most can in the majors.
The Mets need to play flawlessly in the infield, and with Wilmer Flores already replacing Ruben Tejada at shortstop, the Mets’ defense up the middle is shaky, a cause for concern against a hungry Royals’ team, looking to avenge a seven game loss in the 2014 World Series to the San Francisco Giants, that can play a National League style of ball New York did not see at all against a Cubs team that could mash it, and then suddenly could not (at least not as prolifically) against a formidable Met rotation.
Why not help that rotation out by playing Kelly Johnson at second and Murphy at DH?
While casting Matt Reynolds out at shortstop so as to replace Flores is far too drastic—he does not have a single game of major league experience—replacing Johnson with Murphy, while still keeping the latter’s bat in the lineup, would not appear so earth-shattering.
To fortify the defense up the middle, the Mets may feature Juan Lagares in centerfield and Yoenis Cespedes in left, although taking Michael Conforto, who hit .275 against righties, five points above his season average, is a risk. Even so, Conforto is hitting 1-for-15 (.067) in the postseason, no different from what Lagares, who will most certainly outhit any pitcher on staff, might and can manage.
Certainly, though, Conforto could even act as the designated hitter with the Cespedes/Lagares combination in left and right.
No matter what, the Mets could ride this Murphy tear all the way to a championship, but they cannot understate the prevalence of defense in what projects to be a tight matchup with Kansas City.