Two weeks ago, "pretty strong source" told Mets radio voice Howie Rose that the Mets would not be calling up 1B prospect Peter Alonso this season "no matter what."
Since then, Alonso has been promoted from Double-A Binghamton to Triple-A Las Vegas, where he crushed three homers for them Saturday night. Meanwhile, the Mets have gone from 28-34 to 31-44, and are almost certain to sell at the trade deadline.
With an eye on seeing what they have in Alonso -- a consensus Top 100 prospect in baseball -- and letting him adjust to the majors during a potential lost season, should the Mets change their thinking and call him up in the near future?
Danny Abriano, SNY.tv | Twitter |
An argument can be made that the hardest adjustment to make for a minor league player is the jump from High-A to Double-A, where Alonso hit .314/.440/.573 with 15 HR in 65 games this season. Both in terms of development and age, Alonso is beyond where Michael Conforto was in 2015 when he was promoted directly from Double-A.
Shouldn't the Mets get Alonso up here this season with an eye toward 2019 and beyond?
Andy Martino, SNY.tv | Twitter |
Mets player development people are impressed with Alonso's bat and willingness to learn. They also like that he's a complete hitter who uses all fields and isn't homer happy.
That said, his defense is very much a work in progress. He shouldn't be called up until that aspect of his game is in better shape. If that happens by September, then a late-season call-up would be the right thing to do.
Danny Abriano, SNY.tv
Regarding that defense, Mets GM Sandy Alderson said in early-May that it had improved "quite a bit." So we know Alonso has been making strides.
On the timing of a potential call-up, do the Mets need to trade some veteran pieces in order to pave the way for Alonso and perhaps Jeff McNeil to get a shot? And what kind of role could the success or failure of now part-time outfielder Dominic Smith play? Smith got the shot before Alonso because of tenure, but is already behind him when it comes to perceived future value.
Andy Martino, SNY.tv
Evaluating defense is an inexact art. And fans would love to see Alonso. It comes down to when player development people think it's the smart move from a baseball standpoint.
Smith is playing the outfield to give the Mets more flexibility. As far as how his performance will impact Alonso, the law of averages says the Mets will be lucky if one of them is a big leaguer long-term.