Just Mets

The Mets signed Michael Cuddyer to a two-year, $21 million contract last November with hopes of him bringing his veteran leadership and skill set that made him the 2013 National League batting champion to a club that was desperate for offense (at the time).

The two-time All-Star has stepped up with the first part. He has clearly become a vocal leader in a clubhouse with many young players, doing an admirable job in the absence of David Wright for most of the year.

From that standpoint, Cuddyer has been a success.

The problem, of course, is Cuddyer has failed to produce, thus causing the Mets to reshuffle their outfield alignment on several occasions and count on unexpected production from other players.

Yes, Cuddyer has been playing a large part of the season hurt, and he was placed on the disabled list with a bone bruise in his left knee in late July. But the end result has been  that he has not performed to expectation, whatever the reason is.

He is getting healthy now. Cuddyer is expected to play in game two of the GCL Mets doubleheader against the GCL Cardinals today at Tradition Field, followed by a game with the St. Lucie Mets on Friday before being activated ahead of Saturday Night’s game against the Rays in St. Petersburg.

The question now is, what will Cuddyer’s role be? Right now, even the manager hasn’t made that determination.

“He will play when I think he should play,” Terry Collins said on Wednesday. “We’ve got a DH in Tampa, where he might DH one game and I know we’ve got a ton of lefties coming up, so he will play in those games for sure, but I have nothing etched in stone.”

Because Cuddyer had underperformed and gotten hurt, the Mets have used Michael Conforto, Yoenis Cespedes, Kirk Nieuwenhus, Darrell Cecilliani, Kelly Johnson, and John Mayberry Jr. – among others – to play left field to try and squeeze more production from the position.

The closest anyone has come to demonstrating ownership of the position before the trade for Cespedes is Conforto.

While it can be argued Conforto needs more at-bats in the minor leagues, he’s shown the promise he’s been touted for since the club drafted him just last year at this level, posting a .767 OPS with a home run and seven RBI in eight games since the Mets called him up from Double-A Binghamton.

With all of that said, where does Cuddyer fit?

When the club is playing in American League parks – like Tropicana Field this weekend and Camden Yards in two weeks – Cuddyer can serve as a designated hitter, or he can play left field to spell someone else who can be the designated hitter. That’s an easy solution.

But it gets harder to find Cuddyer a regular spot beyond those five games.

In the eyes of Sandy Alderson, that might not be a bad thing, as told Kristie Ackert of the Daily News during the club’s west coast trip last month Cuddyer had been playing more than originally anticipated this season.

“One of the problems we’ve had, is we have had to overuse a couple of players, I think Michael is a perfect example,” Alderson said last month. “He is someone who has played quite a bit more than we anticipated he would have to because of David’s absence and some other injuries we have had.”

One way to limit Cuddyer’s usage and preserve his knee is to use him in a platoon. The Mets could conceivably use him in a platoon with Curtis Granderson, who struggles badly against left-handed pitching. He could also be used in a platoon with Conforto in left field if Cespedes is the regular center fielder.

But he could also see reps at first base against tough left-handed pitchers, which would give Lucas Duda necessary time off while keeping Cuddyer in the lineup, who really is a better option than someone than Eric Campbell for all of these scenarios.

Assuming the Mets keep Conforto – and there are plenty of reasons to do so – it’s logical to conclude he will be the one who splits the bulk of the time with Cuddyer. If that’s the case, Cespedes will become the Mets everyday centerfielder (which he says is his natural position anyway) with Juan Lagares being relegated to a late inning defensive replacement.

While many onlookers believe Cuddyer should sit on the bench and become strictly a pinch hitter, that realistically will not happen, and maybe it shouldn’t happen either, at least until he proves he is an incapable piece in the role he is given. But limiting his exposure will keep him healthier, fresher, and probably limit his weaknesse, thus making him a more productive player.

Just how Alderson envisioned it would and should be.