Despite many changes, 'unexpected' remains Mets' way of life
Washington Nationals second baseman Cesar Hernandez, left, tags out New York Mets right fielder Starling Marte trying to steal second base during the first inning of an opening day baseball game at Nationals Park, Thursday, April 7, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Credit: AP/Alex Brandon
WASHINGTON
Just in case anyone forgot during a long, strange winter, Opening Night 2022 reminded us of the one eternal truth involving the Mets, regardless of owner, manager or roster composition.
Expect the unexpected.
This year’s group couldn’t even get to the lineup card without undoing most of what we thought we learned in spring training. Tylor Megill starting on the mound at Nationals Park rather than Triple-A Syracuse? Sure. Robinson Cano at second base? Check. Mark Canha, mostly corner outfielder, starting in center? Why not. Jeff McNeil in left? Starling Marte in right?
Buck Showalter, as always, had his reasons. Of course, the domino to it all was Brandon Nimmo’s lingering neck injury, and once he was a no-go for Thursday’s opener, Showalter got to put on his lab coat. And for those of us who’ve known Buck for a while — yours truly, going on a quarter-century — he derives a tiny bit of glee from tweaking the conventional wisdom.
“We talked a lot about the versatility of things and the way we can move them around when we have a Nimmo out, or something happens with Jake, we don’t have the sky is falling,” Showalter said before Thursday night’s game. “We just move on. We’ve got some guys capable of playing different places, have experience at it, too. It’s not something we’re hoping and wondering about.”
Showalter’s answer was specifically in response to my question regarding Cano, who you may recall was wearing a first baseman’s mitt at one point late in spring training. Cano, you see, is supposed to be a man without a position on these Mets, a twice-suspended steroid cheat one more PED strike away from flushing the last $48 million he’s due from owner Steve Cohen.
Within days of arriving at Clover Park, Showalter told everyone that McNeil was his team’s starting second baseman, relegating Cano to DH duty and mostly a backup role. Given that designation, it was fair to wonder how long Cano could prove himself valuable enough to keep on the roster.
But Cano never seemed to worry about it during the abbreviated spring camp, and with his plainly evident clubhouse popularity, he appeared to be on secure footing. After discussing the matter with him a week ago, I told him during a brief conversation Thursday — in front of the lineup card — that it was funny how things turned out.
“Yes sir,” the ever-smiling Cano replied, bat in hand as he walked to the indoor cage.
As backups go, the Mets probably could do worse than one with 2,234 career hits, five Silver Sluggers and two Gold Gloves. And this particular Opening Night stage didn’t hurt, either. In 2019, at this same stadium, Cano homered in his first Mets at-bat — off a Max Scherzer changeup — and later added an RBI single in the 2-0 victory. Cano also had the defensive gem of the game, aborting a double play for a nifty flat-footed throw that cut down a runner at the plate.
But that’s ancient history now. Cano is coming off a full-season PED ban rather than being part of then-general manager Brodie Van Wagenen’s signature trade of his checkered Mets tenure. And the 2022 roster is not supposed to be a work in progress. Cohen investing more than $280 million in this crew speaks to his desire for a World Series contender, but that includes a nimble ability for last-minute adjustments, which is what Showalter was up to on Opening Night.
While it was somewhat surprising that the Mets leaned into Nimmo as centerfielder after signing Marte to a four-year, $78 million deal, leaving him in rightfield for Game 1 follows the Mets’ strategy of using him there exclusively at that position during spring training. As for Canha in center, he has logged 34% (152 of 445) of his career outfield starts there, but he figured to go to left later in the game with Stony Brook product Travis Jankowski entering as a defensive upgrade.
And if you were wondering why Dominic Smith — arguably the Mets’ spring MVP (.423 BA, 1.377 OPS in 13 games) — was on the bench for Opening Night, don’t. While he has reverse splits against lefties, McNeil’s got to play and Showalter isn’t going with Smith over him anyway when he needs someone for the leftfield spot, in part because of the defensive drop-off.
This was all fun to ponder in Port St. Lucie, when it was just practice. But it finally got real Thursday, and we’ll see if Opening Night was more about the Mets’ versatility or vulnerability.
“We just want our curiosity to be satisfied,” Showalter said. “Just want us to be good as we’re capable of being.”
But for the Mets to do the expected? That happens rarely, if ever.
David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.
