The New York Mets announced the Opening Day 30-man roster with shocks abound. How did Mets prospects Andres Gimenez and David Peterson fair?
The New York Mets have announced their 30-man Opening Day rosters. The announcement doesn’t come without its fair share of controversies.
Your 2020 #Mets #OpeningDay roster! #LGM pic.twitter.com/srl4MBMvYK
— New York Mets (@Mets) July 23, 2020
The obvious locks made it. Even the bench was mostly set. Eduardo Nunez was a minor surprise; it’s a little surprising to see the Mets carrying three catches as well. Neither is all that shocking though.
The big shocks start with Andres Gimenez. The shortstop prospect has never played above double-A and struggled offensively during the regular season in 2019. He burst out in a big way in the Arizona Fall League, but then struggled again in spring training.
The Mets got a great look at Gimenez in summer camp. Amed Rosario was one of the last players to report to camp, and Gimenez replaced him. He also locked excellent in simulated games, though he didn’t play in either of the exhibitions against the New York Yankees.
Gimenez’s inclusion on the roster likely comes down to his speed. With the new extra-inning rule that puts a runner on second base, speed on the bench is more important than ever. The Mets looked to remedy their lack of speed with Gimenez. It doesn’t hurt that he plays elite defense and could be a late-game defensive sub for Rosario or Robinson Cano.
The other major news is Corey Oswalt winning the fifth starter job over David Peterson. This isn’t a complete shocker, but it’s a disappointing move. The Mets have tried Oswalt in this role to no avail. He was so bad in 2019 that he moved to the bullpen.
Oswalt started against Yankees on Sunday, and it wasn’t pretty. He allowed five hits, two walks, and two runs in three-plus innings. He allowed home runs to both Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez.
Peterson is the closest Mets pitching prospect. He’s an older prospect, he’ll turn 25 before the end of the season, and he’s been passed over. It’s disappointing that the Mets aren’t giving him a shot to prove that he can be a long-term member of the rotation.
Also making the roster are Chasen Shreve, Paul Sewald, Drew Smith, and Hunter Strickland. These four will make up for the absence of Robert Gsellman, Jared Hughes, and Brad Brach. This shows how weak the Mets bullpen depth is.
