Luis Guillorme Mets' leading man for second straight game
Mets shortstop Luis Guillorme throws to first base for the out on the Phillies' Johan Camargo during the ninth inning of a game Saturday at Citi Field. Credit: AP/Jessie Alcheh
Luis Guillorme batted leadoff as a starter on Saturday night for the first time this season, filling in for Brandon Nimmo, and went 3-for-3 with a walk for the Mets.
Manager Buck Showalter liked what he saw so much that he put Guillorme right back in the top spot, playing second base, on Sunday night at Citi Field.
And why not? Guillorme entered the night batting .352, and in his previous 13 games, he was hitting .447 with seven runs, a double, a home run, two RBIs, four walks, a steal and a 1.053 OPS.
“He’s always been a guy that has intrigued me from afar,” Showalter said of Guillorme, who led off Sunday night’s game with a double and scored with heads-up baserunning.
But Showalter did not ask too many questions when he arrived with the team, wanting players to know they would get a fresh start under his stewardship.
Guillorme has made the most of it.
“Really, he’s always been capable of this,” Showalter said. “I think Luis is in a good place. He knows that the people really get what he brings and what he’s capable of bringing. And it’s a real rare skill set that can do the things defensively he can do. And shame on us if we don’t take advantage of it.
“It’s so easy in today’s game to kind of stamp guys as ‘this is what they are, who they are.’ . . . We’re wrong a lot. Everything changes, especially at his age — 26, 27 28, 29. [Guillorme is 27.] You’ve got to be careful about saying ‘this is what they’re always going to be.’ But you know, there was a lot of positive stuff about Luis when I got here, and they were right.”
Notes & quotes: Jeff McNeil was not in the starting lineup as Showalter sought to “give his legs a rest.” The manager also said Nimmo (wrist) was feeling “good” and that he and McNeil potentially could be available off the bench Sunday night . . . The Mets acquired INF/OF J.T. Riddle from the Reds for cash considerations. He will be assigned to Triple-A Syracuse.
Neil Best first worked at Newsday in 1982, returned in 1985 after a detour to Alaska and has been here since, specializing in high schools, college basketball, the NFL and most recently sports media and business.
