Just Mets

The Mets have been searching for a solution to hit in the leadoff spot in the order for the better part of two years.

Actually, more like 3 1/2 years.

Curtis Granderson – who was originally signed to be a middle-of-the-order threat in the Mets lineup – has been a fixture at the top of the order for about a year. And, while he sometimes shows an ability to get on-base – including Saturday night when he went 2-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored – he has yet to be the consistent presence at the top of the lineup the club needs to be able to manufacture runs.

Granderson has hit .237/.325/.388 from the leadoff spot in the lineup. He’s batted 33 points below the league average among leadoff hitters, his on-base percentage is three points below the league average, and his OPS is 18 points below the league average.

He has posted modestly better numbers when leading off an inning, posting a .328 on-base percentage and a .748 OPS, but he has struggled as the first batter of a game, posting a .211/.286/.368 line which has contributed to the team’s struggles to score in the first inning in 2015.

Overall, Mets leadoff hitters have hit .227 (28th in MLB) with a .317 on-base percentage (17th in MLB) and a .693 OPS (18th in MLB) with 74 strike outs (3rd most in MLB) and 34 walks (3rd most in MLB).

Still, manager Terry Collins says Granderson remains the best option among those he has on the roster to hit in the leadoff spot in the order, as Juan Lagares continues to show the discipline necessary to transition him into that role.

“It’s got to be a guy that gets on base,” Collins said. “As much as we like Juan, the way he’s swinging the bat, he’s not a get-on-base guy.”

Lagares has swung at 36.3 percent of pitches outside the strike zone in 2015 and has a .300 on-base percentage this season.

Collins said Ruben Tejada could be a candidate to eventually hit leadoff for the Mets.

“The one guy who gets on base is Ruben,” Collins continued. “So, as you’re looking at options down the road, he’s the one guy who you could possibly put there.”

The only problem is, realistically, Tejada is not an everyday player. He’s done a nice job over the last month or so, but as has been the case time and time again, eventually he will be over-exposed. And, Tejada isn’t exactly a thoroughbred horse, either.

It’s yet another example of the Mets trying to fit a square peg into a round hole, putting players in situations they weren’t originally brought here to be in, and asking them to play in foreign positions. The answer for the Mets is to just go and find a leadoff hitter, if one isn’t going to be grown organically from within the organization.

It doesn’t get any simpler than that.