Sometimes, taking a high-risk, high-reward approach to a young player with the potential to be good is okay, and Acuña seems to fall into that category.
The Mets will select players for the 25-man roster by the weekend. The obvious guys will make it, and then some guys will be in the bubble.
One is Luisangel Acuña, who finished 2-for-3 with a walk and two singles in the Mets’ 6-5 victory over the Miami Marlins in a split-squad game on Monday afternoon at Jupiter, Fla. It may seem simple for the average fan to say Acuña should make the roster since he adds that speed dimension to that lineup, but there’s another school of thought here.
Some say Acuña would be better off refining his skills at Triple-A Syracuse. Others feel he would be better served as an everyday player in the minors rather than a bench player with the Mets. It will be interesting to see how the Mets approach this with him. This decision will not be easy.
The Mets view him as a player to build around after acquiring him for Max Scherzer a couple of years ago. He showed why they felt that way in a call-up last season when he filled in for Francisco Lindor, who missed some games in September with back soreness.
Acuna had two hits in his major league debut against the Philadelphia Phillies on Sept. 14. He hit two leadoff singles in that game, one against ex-Met Taijuan Walker and another against Carlos Estevez. He acquitted himself well in the 10 games he played for the Mets in September. He hit .308 with a slash line of .325/.641/.966 to go with his three home runs and 6 RBI. He also played well defensively.
Photo courtesy NY Times
You can say it was a sample size, but there was a reason why he was a highly touted prospect. For the kid to do it in the middle of a pennant race is a testament to how good he can be, especially while filling in for an indispensable MVP candidate.
It’s easy to understand why there’s a case for him to make the team. Through trial and error, he can contribute and learn on the job in the majors. Yes, he will go through growing pains, but the potential may be too much to ignore where the Mets have to live through his mistakes.
Acuña has been okay so far in spring training. In the 15 games he played, he hit .265 with a .306/.294/.600, two RBI, and three stolen bases. That’s good enough to be a bench player at best, but would it serve the Mets and Acuña well to be a platoon player?
The Mets don’t want him to lose confidence or be rusty by not playing daily. If Jeff McNeil is not out for 3-4 weeks with an oblique injury, then it would have been easy for them to send their prized phenom to Syracuse.
It will be interesting to see how Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns handles this one. He will make a decision based on the big picture, such as what’s best in the long term.
If it were up to me, he would travel north with the team next week and play against the Houston Astros to start the Opening Weekend series. It would be good to see how he fares in this dynamic environment. He may look bad, but he’s better off learning from his major struggles than succeeding in the minors. Who knows, maybe if he is good enough, he can be an upgrade over Brett Baty.
The Mets could use Acuna as a versatile player, so he has that flexibility. Sometimes, it’s okay to take a high-risk, high-reward approach to a young player with the potential to be good. We saw that with Acuña in September, which is why he has been talked about as a contributor to this year’s team.
Don’t expect him to be fazed by anything. He is willing to learn and get better. His confidence serves him well to handle the grind in the majors.
But again, Stearns doesn’t think like you or me. He has a plan on how to use the players, so the Mets fans will have to trust him to make the 25-man roster. This is what he is being paid to do. Ultimately, he has to do what’s best for the team’s interest and the player’s career.
It’s quite a dilemma Stearns has with his prized player. Only he dictates Acuña’s fate.
