Is Gavin Cecchini a part of the long-term future for the New York Mets? Nobody, not even Cecchini himself, has a clue.
The New York Mets refuse to play Gavin Cecchini, even though it makes sense to do so. He could be the future of the second baseman of the future, but he only has 21 career at-bats in the majors.Cecchini oozes potential and has proven to be a much better defender at second base than he was a shortstop. But there is no possible way that a team hoping to make the playoffs in 2018 is going to bank on a player with so little big league experience to be a starter.
The Mets need to see what they have in him so they know whether or not they need to get a second baseman in the offsesaon—or if they already have their starter in the organization.
However, the team appears to have no plans to give Cecchini an extended look.
“I have no clue,” Cecchini told Zach Braziller of the New York Post when asked where he stood with the organization. “You got to ask them that. All I can do is control what I can control, and focus on me getting better every single day.”
This doesn’t make sense. Communication with players is key, whether it’s a veteran role player or a young prospect. That’s especially true when it’s a youngster, like Cecchini, with a chance to be a long-term starter.
“The guy has bat potential,” manager Terry Collins said. “I still think he’s got a chance to be an everyday player.”
What’s worse is that the team doesn’t appear to be communicating with Cecchini what they need to see him do.
“There are some things that I know the guys on the offensive side want to work with him a little bit,” Collins said. “This year he’s made a couple of changes they are trying to fix.”
What are those things? Clearly, nobody has told the 23-year-old infielder.
Cecchini hasn’t been nearly as successful in Triple-A as he was a year ago. His numbers are down across the board. A .325/.390/.448 slash line over 117 games in 2016 has turned into a .267/.329/.380 line over 110 games this season.
But we’ve seen players struggle their second time around at the same level in the minor leagues, only to thrive when they jump up a level in competition. It’s entirely possible that Cecchini would see his numbers jump with regular playing time in Flushing.
While there’s no guarantee, it’s very likely that the Mets are trying to showcase Asdrubal Cabrera for a trade. It makes sense to shop players for trades, especially veterans who may not play a part in the team’s future plans.
But it also makes sense to communicate with your players. It doesn’t hurt anyone with the Mets to tell Cecchini what they need to see from him, or what moves they need to make, in order for him to start.
Cecchini was one of general manager Sandy Alderson’s first draft picks with the Mets. You’d think that he would want him playing, though Alderson typically does try to avoid getting involved in constructing the daily lineup.
But clearly, someone has told Collins that Cecchini isn’t to get regular playing time. That’s a problem. If you’re not going to play him, then trade him.