7 years agoWhen outfielder Jay Bruce re-signed with the New York Mets this winter, he said he didn’t expect to play first base in 2018; a position he spent some time at last year in an effort to raise his value on the trade market. With an outfield logjam and current first baseman Adrian Gonzalez struggling, however, Bruce will reportedly play at least one game per week at the position. Despite walk and strikeout rates in line with some of the best numbers of his career and a career-best 46.3% hard-hit rate (and a huge home run on Sunday), Gonzalez simply hasn’t been viable with a .227/.312/.394 slash line to date. Former first round draft pick Brandon Nimmo, however, has been about as productive as the team could hope for with a .313/.488/.563 line. Nimmo unfortunately has been relegated to the bench on most days with the crowded outfield of Bruce, Yoenis Cespedes, and Michael Conforto, but there’s no doubting the Mets’ lineup potential is maximized with Nimmo in the lineup and Gonzalez on the bench.--John Smith
Source: MetsBlog