The New York Mets would be making a wise decision if they sign Dee Gordon as he would make a great fit.
With some of the bigger names sent away last year, the New York Mets are going to have some new faces in 2018. We already know one new face, Mickey Callaway. After the years of dedicated service put in by Terry Collins, the Mets have moved on to Callaway. There will be new faces in the dugout in the form of Callaway’s staff, of course. But there will also be new faces on the field as well.
Even if the pitchers get well, they can’t do it themselves, am I right?
The Mets are in the market for a second baseman. Neil Walker did a nice job there in place of Daniel Murphy, but Walker was traded away. Defense up the middle is important and the Mets have a vacancy at second base. One name that has come up as a possibility is Dee Gordon. We know that the Marlins like to slash payroll. Gordon is someone who will be within reach for the Mets. Should they make the move?
In a word, “yes”.
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Our friends at Metsmerized Online believe that he would be an expensive gamble that the Mets shouldn’t make. They believe that too much stock is being placed in his batting average and that he doesn’t walk enough.
In a vacuum that’s true, he doesn’t walk very much. But, average and walks are not the only thing that make up what a leadoff hitter does. Leadoff hitters must make contact and Gordon doesn’t strike out. He has gone over 100 strikeouts just once in his career, meaning he puts his bat on the baseball.
His speed is still fine by the way. Over his three years with the Marlins, Gordon led the league in steals twice. Last season, he stole 60 bases, his second-best total in his career. The Mets top total last year was 24, posted by Jose Reyes. 60 is higher than 24. Gordon would be a definite upgrade in the speed department.
The other key component to a leadoff hitter is how often they get on base. The leadoff hitter and the second place hitter need to be providing the guys in the middle of the order with RBI opportunities as often as possible. So we look at the on-base percentage. For his career, Gordon is good but not great with a .329 OBP. However, when we look at his numbers more recently, they are far better.
During his time in Florida, he posted on-base percentages of .359, .305 and .341. His collective OBP was .340 which is high in today’s game. He has also gone over 200 hits twice in the three years, leading the league with 205 hits in 2015. Walks are nice, but despite not walking often, Gordon has improved at getting on base over the years. Leadoff hitters must get on base and that is exactly what Dee Gordon does.
Next: Five best second basemen in Mets history
As far as defense up the middle, Gordon boasts a career fielding percentage of .985 and one Gold Glove (2015). He earned that in one of his two seasons that he went to the All-Star game. Dee Gordon is the complete package and would make a great fit in New York. Go make your play Sandy Alderson.