Laura Albanese: 3 Mets observations from early on in spring training
Mets' Juan Soto during a spring training workout on Thursday in Port St. Lucie, Fla. Credit: Newsday/Alejandra Villa Loarca
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — At long last, there will be baseball.
The first week has come and gone and this revamped Mets team is getting set to take on the Marlins on Saturday in their first spring training game of the year. Here are three early observations from the first few days of camp:
1. Vibes are high
Despite last year’s collapse, new faces and a new coaching staff have imbued the first few days with optimism. Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor believe that this year’s roster is better than last year's, and owner Steve Cohen didn’t shy away from making the comparison. “I feel like there’s a different energy this year than last year,” he said. “I don’t know what it is. It just feels really optimistic.” There are going to be growing pains, of course. David Stearns blew up the core, and early on, even the players sometimes had a hard time identifying all of the new bodies, but the additions appear promising. Jorge Polanco and Freddy Peralta are gregarious and high energy; Bo Bichette and Marcus Semien bring stability and focus to the proceedings. It feels like a strong balance created by players known for being so-called “good clubhouse guys.”
2. The infield is coming along
Stearns signed Bichette to play third and Polanco to play first. That raised questions about how a Mets team focused on “run prevention” will achieve that goal with players out of position, but manager Carlos Mendoza and bench coach Kai Correa have been very involved in ironing out the kinks. Correa, brought on for his defensive acumen, has earned rave reviews from players, and his cerebral, creative approach seems well-suited to the Mets’ needs. “He’s the man,” said Mark Vientos, who’s attempting to shift from third to first. “He’s really cool.” Added Polanco: “I saw him working on different things that I thought were good. The way the other guys talk about him [speaks highly to his methods]. Now that I’m working with him, he seems pretty good. He’s a really nice guy and he works a lot.”
3. Slow and steady
New centerfielder Luis Robert Jr. has been putting on a show during live batting practice, but don’t expect to see it in a Grapefruit League game anytime soon. You won’t see Brett Baty play the outfield for a while, or Francisco Alvarez behind the plate. Mendoza is playing the long game, and for good reason: Robert has been hampered by lower-body injuries that have sapped him of his offense the last two years, Alvarez was routinely beaten up behind the plate last year, and Baty felt a mild twinge in a hamstring a few weeks back. Lindor had hand surgery last week and will begin a slow ramp-up. All of them have been active and getting ready, but caution is the key word.
Laura Albanese is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. She's been covering MLB since 2014 after starting at Newsday as an intern seven years earlier.
