Last season, in his first extended look as a starter, that figure dropped to a disappointing .310 in 598 plate appearances with the Mets and Rockies. Considering that he doesn’t get on base enough and isn’t nearly as good a fielder as Lagares, it seems odd that the Mets would pencil Young into the leadoff slot.
via Terry Collins Leans Toward Eric Young in Leadoff Spot, at Expense of Lagares – WSJ.com.
One Reply to “Terry Collins Leans Toward Eric Young in Leadoff Spot, at Expense of Lagares – WSJ.com”
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This whole debate is a waste of time. Here’s the thing: it doesn’t matter how Young stacks up to other leadoff hitters in baseball. What matters is how he stacks up to other potential leadoff hitters currently on the Mets roster. Nobody within that subset of players is a clear choice. Every option carries both positives and negatives. Lagares may have an edge on defense, but Young has a lot more big league experience that comes into play, especially on the basepaths. There’s a point and counterpoint to every decision when your choices are limited. And is a current Mets outfield with Lagares vs. a current Mets outfield without him really THAT much better? It’s a legitimate major-league outfield either way now. Removing Lagares doesn’t suddenly turn it into the Opening Day outfield of 2013. (And, geez, if we’re putting defense at such a high premium, let’s discuss 2nd base for a moment….)
After spending the preceding 19 paragraphs pushing Lagares over Young, the author opens his 20th by admitting, “Lagares, like all burgeoning hitters, would do well to start the year in Triple-A and hone his swing.” That tells you all you need to know right there.
Lagares and Young each have things in his favor and against him. It all evens out in the end unless one just absolutely sucks, in which case he’ll be on the bench or in Vegas anyway. This is just more ginned up “controversy” to capture eyeballs. You can bet had Terry Collins spoken highly of Lagares as the potential everyday leadoff hitter, everybody would be vehemently arguing Young’s case right now instead.