There have been a lot of reasons bandied about in the media for the New York Mets’ hot start. A ton of credit has gone to the bullpen, which has been awesome for the first 20 games of the season. New manager Mickey Callaway has drawn positive reviews for making all the right moves to utilize his roster, while third baseman Todd Frazier has been talked up for creating a tremendous clubhouse unity through his “salt and pepper” routine. One person who almost never gets discussed is second baseman Asdrubal Cabrera, who has quietly been the most productive hitter in the Mets’ lineup over the first three weeks of the year.
In his first 20 games, Cabrera is leading the Mets in batting average (.354) and is tied for the team lead in home runs (4). Cabrera has also driven in 12 runs and played a strong second base, which is a huge positive after poor defense caused the team to boot him from shortstop last season. Callaway has utilized Cabrera heavily atop the lineup, batting him everywhere from leadoff to fifth, and Cabrera has delivered in every spot. Cabrera’s hot start is very important with the Mets getting little out of Yoenis Cespedes (.195), Jay Bruce (.190, although he is battling plantar fasciitis), and Michael Conforto (.213) in the early going.
The Mets acted quickly last winter when they decided to pick up Cabrera’s $8.5 million option for 2018. Fans seemed to like the move initially, but discontent began to grow as the free agent freeze made players who were better than Cabrera available for bargain basement prices. Those same fans began to question the wisdom of picking up Cabrera’s option, feeling that the money the Mets were paying him could have been better invested elsewhere. Cabrera has proven all of his critics wrong, producing like gangbusters out of the gate and showing that he has been worth every penny the Mets are paying him.
A lot of fans haven’t forgotten the fact that Cabrera very publicly demanded a trade after the Mets moved him off of shortstop last season, but he has been a good soldier since rescinding the request. Cabrera was the one veteran player who made it to the end of last season without getting hurt or traded, playing every day and producing with a bunch of young players around him. The losing environment no doubt took a toll on Cabrera’s morale, but he looks rejuvenated on the 2018 team. While Cabrera is unlikely to bat above .350 for the rest of the season, his strong start is a huge key to why the Mets are a .700 baseball team today.
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