NEW YORK — The everlasting signs of spring surfaced Wednesday in Port St. Lucie, Fla., where Mets pitchers and catchers reported for the first day of camp. Players continue to undergo physical exams and participate in admissions tests, with the first official practice scheduled for Friday. But many Mets have already taken the field.
Manager Luis Rojas also delivered his annual “State of the Mets” speech, this time via Zoom. Some takeaways from his first conference of the year:
Versatility is king
Although the Mets don’t know for sure if the designated hitter will leave the National League, they are proceeding under that assumption, going so far as to have their pitchers practice in the backfields on Wednesday.
The bigger issue is what this will do to the Mets defensive lineups. Although Rojas did not commit to a firm starting eight, he indicated that Dominique Smith will play “more left field than first base,” and that JD Davis will spend a large part of his time in third. However, Rojas left plenty of room for others. Brandon Nimmo And Kevin Pilierfor example — to the man is gone, and for Jeff McNeil, Jonathan Villar and others to play third.
What is clear is that the Mets’ Opening Day lineup won’t be the only one. Last year, the Mets used a different starting eight almost every night, creating a series of unique lineups to start the season that only the inaugural 1962 Mets could match. This is unlikely to change this season for these reasons:
• Smith will see time in left field and at first base
• Nimmo will play center and left field
• McNeil will play primarily second base, but also potentially third and left.
• Pillar, Villar and others will substitute frequently to give rest to other starters
“There are several guys who can play multiple positions,” Rojas said. “In a camp like this, you want to give everyone a chance in the positions where they can come and play. … There are different strategies in terms of depth that we have in camp right now.
Thor continues to progress
Noah Syndergaard held a side session Wednesday as he continues to work after Tommy John surgery. The Mets’ expectation remains for Syndergaard to return in June, although that could change depending on his progress over the next few weeks.
“We’re still on schedule with him and what we’ve said in the past,” Rojas said.
Opening Ideas
The Mets “will be open-minded” about using openers this season, as well as other ideas that could affect their pitching staff. Rojas said he was hesitant to use the opening strategy in his first year as coach, but he plans to be less hesitant in 2021.
“There are different strategies every day,” Rojas said. “I know we’ve talked about it before, that you can never have too many throws. And I know we’ve stayed active this offseason, and I think we do that on a daily basis from a front office standpoint. There’s a lot of depth.
One reason the Mets intend to be flexible in their rotation is that no one on the staff pitched more than 68 innings last season. Some of their younger pitchers, like David Peterson, could be subject to strict innings limits in 2021, although Rojas said team officials have not yet discussed that.
Using openers could help the Mets deal with these issues. The team can also rely more than ever on its starters in depth, a group that this year includes Joey Lucchesi, Jordan Yamamoto, Jerad Eickhoff and Sean Reid-Foley.
Recommitment to organizational values
Earlier Wednesday, a report in The Athletic revealed that the Mets had fired Minor League hitting coordinator Ryan Ellis this offseason due to sexual misconduct. In light of Ellis’ firing, as well as previous accusations against former general manager Jared Porter and former manager Mickey Callaway, Rojas said the Mets have implemented new protocols allowing employees to report poor conduct.
“We set new expectations,” Rojas said. “New possibilities have also been added to report cases like this. It’s disappointing to see this from afar when we hear this news, and (it’s) upsetting. … These mistakes are simply unacceptable. We should have a safe working environment, a safe workplace, and everyone should feel safe here.
Ellis had been on staff since 2006, overlapping almost the entirety of Rojas’ tenure. Last summer, the Mets temporarily promoted Ellis to their big league team when Chilean manager Davis decided to work remotely during the season.
Rojas described his relationship with Ellis as strictly professional, saying he never had any indication that Ellis was not acting appropriately.
“It was upsetting to hear the news,” Rojas said. “It was disappointing to hear the news. But my confidence right now is working under the new owner. … Our new ownership has definitely set a new set of expectations, and there are new avenues for reporting these cases as well. So I am convinced that this type of behavior will simply be unacceptable in this organization.
