New York Mets: A closer look at the spring training non-roster invitees
By Ed Stein
Infielders
Peter Alonso – He’s the Mets top minor league prospect. Last year he clubbed 36 homers and drove in 119 runs between AA Binghamton and AAA Las Vegas. Mets fans see him as the next great hope. That’s a ton of pressure on the upstart 24-year-old first baseman. Whether he’s up to the task early this season remains to be seen.
Gavin Cecchini – When the Mets selected Cecchini with the 12th overall pick in the 2012 draft, they thought he would eventually become their starting shortstop or second baseman. Unfortunately, it hasn’t worked that way during his seven-year career. As a matter of fact, he hit rock bottom earlier this month. After the Mets signed Justin Wilson, Cecchini was waived from the 40-man roster and went unclaimed by the other 29 teams. This is his last chance.
Danny Espinosa – Same situation, different season, for Espinosa. Last year he tried to make the Yankees as a non-roster invitee but didn’t cut it. Instead, he spent some time kicking around Triple-A and Mexico. He’s played eight major league seasons (seven with the Nationals) and has a career slash line of .221/.297/.378 over 2910 career at-bats.
Andres Jimenez – The first clue he isn’t a serious roster threat is that he was assigned number 72. Jimenez is only 20, his best shot to be a major leaguer is ahead of him.
Dilson Herrera – A former wonder kid, Herrera made his New York Mets debut as a 20-year-old in 2014. He didn’t quite get a handle on top fight pitching and hit .215 over parts of two seasons for the Amazins. In 2016, the thought was Herrera was just beginning to scratch the surface of his talent.
The Reds saw him as the replacement for Brandon Phillips at second base and insisted on him being part of the compensation in return for slugger Jay Bruce. Injuries beset his career from there and Herrera didn’t play in the majors for two seasons. He finally made it back as a utility player in 2018, but only hit .184 in 59 games.