Mike’s Mets Player Review Series: Amed Rosario

Now that the 2020 season is over for the New York Mets, we have been looking back at the year that was. After taking a more general view of the offense, pitching, and coaching staff, it’s time to take a deeper dive into the Mets’ players. This series will take a look at every player on the roster for the Mets at the end of the season from A (Pete Alonso) to Z (Daniel Zamora). The review will look at their season statistics, stories, and what role (if any) they will have next season. We continue the series today with a look at shortstop Amed Rosario.

Player Review: Amed Rosario

2020 Stats: 46 Games, 143 At Bats, .252 Batting Average, 36 Hits, 3 Doubles, 1 Triple, 4 Home Runs, 15 RBI’s, 20 Runs Scored, .643 OPS, -0.1 WAR

Story: After a strong finish to 2019, the Mets had high hopes that Amed Rosario would continue his breakthrough performance in 2020. That simply didn’t happen as Rosario never got going with the bat. Walks remained an issue for Rosario, who only drew four all season, but the extra-base power the Mets were hoping would compensate for the lack of on-base skills vanished to the tune of just eight extra-base hits in 143 at bats. Rosario also didn’t steal a single base and attempted just one theft all year, a significant decline from his 19 steals in 29 attempts a year ago. Those offensive struggles also impacted Rosario in the field as he made some misplays on balls he was routinely fielding prior to 2020, leading the Mets to eventually hand some of Rosario’s playing time to Andres Gimenez. Rosario ended up on the short side of a platoon, facing primarily lefties down the stretch while Gimenez got the bulk of the playing time.

Grade: C

Rosario’s performance was one of the Mets’ biggest disappointments of the 2020 season. Instead of building on his post-hype breakthrough from 2019, Rosario regressed into some of the bad habits that plagued him in the previous two years.

Contract Status: Arbitration Eligible (First Time)

Odds of Returning: 80%

2021 Role: Starting Shortstop

Rosario’s role with the Mets depends entirely on how the Francisco Lindor situation plays out. If Lindor lands in New York, Rosario is either going to Cleveland as part of the deal or moving to another position to accommodate him. The Mets may not go in that direction since Sandy Alderson recently indicated the team will be more active in free agency than trades, so that would indicate Rosario is likely to begin the season as the starting shortstop. The presence of Gimenez will put pressure on Rosario to get out of the gate hot or risk seeing his playing time diminish as 2021 progresses.

Check back tomorrow as our Player Review Series continues with a look at catcher Ali Sanchez!