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The New York Mets have a new leadoff man, and his path to the top spot in the lineup comes with a certain feeling of inevitability. That’s what Anthony DiComo of MLB.com said about the team’s decision to move A.J. Ewing to the top of the lineup.
“When you step back and take a look at what he’s done in a short stint in the big leagues, he’s putting up a .380, .390 on-base percentage against right-handed pitching -- that is incredibly rare for a rookie,” said interim manager Andy Green. “[The role] fits his long-term skill set. It’s [his] speed, he sees pitches, grinds out at-bats, shoots the ball around the yard. And it also fits Carson [Benge] to be a middle-of-the-order type of guy.”
Green may be right about this, but it feels like Ewing and Benge are cut from the same cloth to at least some extent. Benge does the same sort of things, although he probably doesn’t have as much pure speed as Ewing.
No matter. The point at the moment is that the Mets have an acute shortage of good players, and they’re both in the lineup and producing. It doesn’t make a ton of difference who’s where given how the Mets season is going, and it’s definitely worth giving it a try.
Green’s message to Ewing was “don’t change,” and Ewing seems to be down with that. Like Benge, he knows who he is and what he can do, and his high level of confidence is a big part of what’s gotten him this far in his rookie year.
“I think I see a lot of pitches no matter where I’m at,” Ewing said. “I don’t think that where I’m hitting is necessarily going to change my approach. But I’m comfortable being at the top of the order, and I’m excited for that.”
Francisco Lindor will sub in as the leadoff hitter against lefties, and it will be interesting to see how all this goes. They’re in a position to have patience with this move, and that seems to be how it’s going to play out.
“We’d love to give him some time to adjust to that spot,” Green said. “He doesn’t complicate life too much. He’s just going to step up and have his at-bat, and his at-bat profiles really nicely in that spot.”
It'll be interesting to see what happens when Ewing starts hitting for power, as Benge now looks like he could hit 15-20 homers this year. The same could easily happen with Ewing, which might make it tough to keep him out of the middle of the lineup given the pathetic offensive production there to date.
Continue reading...
“When you step back and take a look at what he’s done in a short stint in the big leagues, he’s putting up a .380, .390 on-base percentage against right-handed pitching -- that is incredibly rare for a rookie,” said interim manager Andy Green. “[The role] fits his long-term skill set. It’s [his] speed, he sees pitches, grinds out at-bats, shoots the ball around the yard. And it also fits Carson [Benge] to be a middle-of-the-order type of guy.”
Green may be right about this, but it feels like Ewing and Benge are cut from the same cloth to at least some extent. Benge does the same sort of things, although he probably doesn’t have as much pure speed as Ewing.
No matter. The point at the moment is that the Mets have an acute shortage of good players, and they’re both in the lineup and producing. It doesn’t make a ton of difference who’s where given how the Mets season is going, and it’s definitely worth giving it a try.
Green’s message to Ewing was “don’t change,” and Ewing seems to be down with that. Like Benge, he knows who he is and what he can do, and his high level of confidence is a big part of what’s gotten him this far in his rookie year.
“I think I see a lot of pitches no matter where I’m at,” Ewing said. “I don’t think that where I’m hitting is necessarily going to change my approach. But I’m comfortable being at the top of the order, and I’m excited for that.”
Francisco Lindor will sub in as the leadoff hitter against lefties, and it will be interesting to see how all this goes. They’re in a position to have patience with this move, and that seems to be how it’s going to play out.
“We’d love to give him some time to adjust to that spot,” Green said. “He doesn’t complicate life too much. He’s just going to step up and have his at-bat, and his at-bat profiles really nicely in that spot.”
It'll be interesting to see what happens when Ewing starts hitting for power, as Benge now looks like he could hit 15-20 homers this year. The same could easily happen with Ewing, which might make it tough to keep him out of the middle of the lineup given the pathetic offensive production there to date.
Continue reading...
