New York Mets Make Right Choice Non-Tendering Eric Young Jr.
By Bryan Zarpentine
@BZarp
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The New York Mets parted ways with just one player following Tuesday’s non-tender deadline, cutting ties with outfielder Eric Young Jr. Mets manager Terry Collins has always been a fan of his, which is why there was always the possibility that the Mets would retain Young Jr. for 2015. But ultimately the team made the right decision by taking him off the roster.
Young Jr. played in 100 games for New York in 2014, and at times his role was akin to that of an everyday player. But that was in a dreadfully unproductive outfield that spent long periods of time without center fielder Juan Lagares due to injury, forcing Collins to give Young Jr. undeserved playing time. Young Jr. hit .229 with an on-base percentage of .299 in 2014, numbers that are woeful for a player who strives to be a leadoff hitter. By the end of the season, Young Jr.’s role on the team had been diminished to little more than a pinch runner, as his speed became his one and only asset. The Mets would like to have more speed on the roster, and that’s something that Young Jr. can bring to the table, but not if he’s going to struggle so much to get on base.
Looking ahead to 2015, the Mets’ everyday outfield is all but spoken for with Lagares, Curtis Granderson and the newly acquired Michael Cuddyer. The only role that would be available for Young Jr. would be a bench role. However, Kirk Nieuwenhuis and Matt den Dekker are far better options to be the Mets’ reserve outfielders than Young Jr. Nieuwenhuis is competent playing all three outfield spots defensively, and he’s proven himself comfortable coming off the bench and not playing every day, two things that Young Jr. does not bring to the table. From den Dekker, the Mets get far better defense and more pop than they would get from Young Jr., as well as a modest amount of speed.
At this point in his career, Young Jr. is nothing but a glorified pinch runner, as he brings little else to the table outside of his speed. Despite the fact that Collins likes him, the Mets have far better options in their outfield and on their bench. There is no room for him on the Mets roster in 2015, making the team wise to finally cut ties with him.
Bryan Zarpentine is a New York Mets writer at www.RantSports.com. Like him on Facebook, follow him on twitter @BZarp and add him on Google.
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