Mets must be patient with Amed Rosario

Given the team’s offensive struggles to begin the season, it’s tempting for the Mets to call up star prospect Amed Rosario. However, New York cannot afford to rush Rosario to the big leagues too quickly.

We are two weeks into the MLB season. As per usual, Mets’ fans panic are at infinite levels. Even though New York is a respectable 7-6 on the young season, fans have found reasons to worry.

The Amazins are coming off three brutal losses to the Miami Marlins. The offense has been a wild rollercoaster. The most recent abomination featured 7.2 hitless innings, 5.1 of which were courtesy of journeyman Dan Straily.

While the Mets are tied with the Brewers for the league lead in homers with 22, they are just 25th in baseball in team batting average. More troubling, the team is getting nothing out of the leadoff spot. Primary leadoff hitter, Jose Reyes is just 4-for-46 (.087) to begin the season. The collective leadoff average, which also includes Curtis Granderson, and Michael Conforto is actually a tick worse – just 5-for-58 (.086).

Adding to the mess, there is word that people inside the Mets’ organization is expressing more concern about Reyes internally than they are letting on to the public. As Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News writes:

"Like Reyes, the Mets offense is a little concerning so far this season too; that is why some in the organization are more worried about their converted third baseman than they are saying publicly, remarks that have been pretty blunt — but hopeful."

According to Ackert, the concern with Reyes isn’t limited to the fans. Those inside the organization – namely, the people responsible for making decisions about the roster – are also apparently growing uneasy with Reyes’ futility.

Mets’ general manager Sandy Alderson has been proactive the last few seasons in his efforts to bring a World Series to Queens. We’ve seen him acquire key pieces like Yoenis Cespedes, Addison Reed, and Jay Bruce at the trade deadline. He was also quick to promote Michael Conforto straight from Double-A in 2015. However, that was when the Mets’ everyday lineup featured players like Eric Campbell and John Mayberry, Jr.

New York is in a similar position as it was in 2015. The Mets have a seemingly perfect answer to the Reyes problem in star shortstop prospect Amed Rosario. Most experts agree that Rosario is one the sport’s top minor leaguers. In fact, ESPN’s Keith Law recently ranked him as baseball’s number one overall prospect.

After a somewhat slow start to his minor league career, Rosario broke out in 2016, slashing .324/.374/.459 between High-A and Double-A. After just 56 games at Double-A, Rosario was promoted to Triple-A prior to the 2017 season. In 11 Triple-A games this year, he’s slashing .357/.391/.357.

Rosario has always been known for his elite defense since he was signed in 2012 out of the Dominican Republic. Benjamin Chase recently wrote an extensive scouting report on Rosario and included these tidbits on his defense:

"Defense (70) – The carrying tool for Rosario all along has been his absolutely elite defense. While he had some seeming issues with first-step quickness before his strength gain, he had such smooth movements afterward that he easily handled anything hit his way and then some.He has tremendous range and his hands are incredibly soft as he handles balls and throws. There’s really little not to like about Rosario defensively, and he will very likely jump quickly to the upper levels of defensive shortstops in the league once he gets to New York."

Chase also mentions how Rosario has improved his offensive skills as he’s become stronger over his minor league career. He’s always been a contact hitter with a very quick swing, and his added strength has allowed him to consistently produce line drives. 

There is no debating that Rosario is the real deal. He seems to profile as an ideal leadoff hitter, something the Mets have been lacking for years. As Reyes and the rest of the Mets’ leadoff options continue to struggle, there’s going to be increased pressure on the Mets organization to call him up.

However, the Mets need to be cautious. First off, there is no need to make such a rash move so soon. Despite their offensive struggles, New York has scored the fourth-most runs in the league.

Moreover, playing Rosario would require current shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera to slide over to third base, a position he has virtually never played.

The Mets have several more sensible options to replace Reyes in the lineup. Wilmer Flores is capable of playing third and producing offensively, especially against lefties.

T.J. Rivera is another option at the hot corner. The Mets recently optioned Rivera to Triple-A , but with the Mets currently sporting a four-man bench, it figures he will be back soon.

New York’s options at the top of the lineup should also be sufficient in the short term. Granderson has extensive experience in the leadoff spot and has demonstrated a nice ability to work pitch counts and get on base. The Mets also have Lagares and Conforto, who are far from perfect leadoff hitters, but remain not-terrible options.

Most importantly, it is imperative that the Mets allow Rosario to completely develop. We have already seen the negative affects of rushing top prospects, like Conforto and the Twins’ Byron Buxton, to the big leagues.

Rosario has already been on a fast path through the minors. First, he’s only appeared in 67 games above Single-A. The Mets also pushed him through past Low-A ball quite quickly, despite mediocre numbers. Thankfully, this does not seem to have had an adverse affect so far.

However, promoting Rosario to Queens in the near future is both unnecessary and irresponsible. The Mets are not in a desperate situation, and they seem to have other capable pieces to help mitigate their current offensive problems.

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Rosario is the real deal, but he is still a developing talent. New York doesn’t need him yet, which is a good thing for both the team and Rosario. The Mets and their fans must be patient. I’m just as excited to see Rosario on the big stage as everyone else. But it needs to be at the right time.