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Perhaps in an effort to please their fans by doing something before the conclusion of the MLB Winter Meetings, the New York Mets signed outfielder John Mayberry Jr. to a one-year contract on Thursday. Mayberry Jr. is obviously not the big splash that Mets fans were hoping for at the winter meetings, but he is a solid addition and could play a meaningful role for the Mets in 2015.
Mayberry Jr. gives the Mets a power-hitting outfielder who can come off the bench, which is something they’ve lacked in recent years. The Mets will either have Kirk Nieuwenhuis or Matt den Dekker as a left-handed hitting and defensively versatile outfielder on their bench in 2015, but Mayberry Jr. will give them an offensive spark from the right side coming off their bench.
Mayberry Jr. is coming off a down year, but he’s young enough to bounce back. He has the potential to provide more power than Eric Campbell, who would have otherwise been a backup outfielder and first baseman for the Mets.
Mayberry Jr. will also have the opportunity to play the outfield against left-handed pitchers in the event that Michael Cuddyer ends up in a platoon at first base with Lucas Duda. The Mets will give Duda a chance to hit lefties, but in case he struggles, Mayberry Jr. replacing him in the lineup may not be such a bad thing. For his career, Mayberry Jr. has a .857 OPS against lefties, with 30 of his 53 career home runs coming against lefties despite nearly 300 more at-bats against right-handed pitching.
With the Mets only expected to play Mayberry Jr. against lefties and provide some power off the bench, his role on the team will play right into his strengths. He has a real chance to excel for the Mets in a part-time role and could be the difference maker in giving them a couple of extra wins this season, making him well worth a $1.45 million contract. If things don’t work out, it’s a low-risk contract, but until proven otherwise, Mayberry Jr. is a solid addition to the Mets for 2015.
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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