Mets 2024 Positional Outlook: Shortstop
Our preseason series of reviewing each position, and that said positions depth continues as the shortstop position is the next one up. Luckily for the New York Mets, they have one of the best shortstops in the league. What does the rest of the depth in the organization look like?
Francisco Lindor. Photo by Roberto Carlo
Big-League Starter
Francisco Lindor
Age: 30 (11/14/1993)
Contract: 10-year, $341 million
Roster Status: 40-Man Roster
MiLB Options: N/A
2024 Preview
Francisco Lindor may be the best shortstop in baseball. Specifically due to the fact that he is pretty much as consistent as they come.
Lindor turned in his best season as a Met in 2023, hitting .254/.336/.470 with 31 home runs and 31 stolen bases — the first 30-30 season of his career. His 6.0 bWAR and 6.0 fWAR each led the team by a wide margin and he was second to Pete Alonso in both home runs and RBI.
Lindor was in the top quarter of the league in both batting run value and fielding run value. Not only was he the only Met to do that, but he was the only shortstop in baseball to do that. He is simply an all-around star.
It might come as a shock for some to hear this, but Lindor is on a Hall of Fame track. He’ll be just 30 years old for the entire 2024 season, and he’s already accumulated 42.7 bWAR. Since integration, just six shortstops have accumulated more bWAR than Lindor through their age-29 seasons: Álex Rodríguez, Cal Ripken Jr., Robin Yount, Ernie Banks, Jim Fregosi and Alan Trammell. Four of the six are in Cooperstown. Rodríguez isn’t for obvious reasons, and Fregosi picked up just 2.8 more bWAR from his age-30 season through the end of his career.
As long as he stays healthy and stays away from hotel doors, Lindor has a good chance to play all 162 games this season. He’s a leader, and he’s a great mentor to the plethora of young infielders the Mets have coming up through the farm system.
Joey Wendle. Mandatory Credit: Rich Storry-USA TODAY Sports
Big-League Depth
Joey Wendle
Age: 33 (4/26/1990)
Contract: 1-year, $2 million
Roster Status: 40-man roster
MiLB Options: N/A
2024 Preview
Just like second base, the Mets’ big-league depth up the middle is 33-year-old utility man Joey Wendle.
He is the quintessential bench player — he can play anywhere. The Marlins used him exclusively as a shortstop last season, but he has played all over across his eight-year MLB career. He has 203 starts at second base, 176 starts at third base, 150 starts at shortstop and even 13 starts in left field.
The most likely infielder to snag a bench spot besides Wendle is Mark Vientos, and he exclusively plays the corners. That leaves Wendle as the only depth piece the Mets have up the middle. There likely aren’t going to be many starts up for grabs at shortstop, but there could be days when he’s needed at second when McNeil goes to the outfield.
Offensively, he struggled mightily last season. He hit just .212/.248/.306 last year (a measly .554 OPS), with just two home runs in 112 games for Miami. His career high in both long balls is 11, which came in 2021 with Tampa Bay.
He’s not a power bat by any means, but he’s hit for a decent average at points in his career. Obviously, last year wasn’t one of those points, but maybe he can bounce back if deployed against the right matchups in his utility role.
Upper-Level Depth
Zack Short
Age: 28 (5/29/1995)
Contract: Minor League
Roster Status: 40-Man Roster
MiLB Options: 0
2024 Preview
Also like the second base positional outlook, the depth the Mets have in the upper minors starts with Zack Short. Another utility man similar to Wendle, Short made his MLB debut in 2021 with the Detroit Tigers and played on and off for the past three seasons. He hit the 100-game mark for the first time in his career in 2023 and made double-digit starts at second base, third base and shortstop.
Short doesn’t bring much at the plate. He hit just .204 with a .631 OPS last year in Detroit, and both were career highs by far. However, his defensive versatility gives him some value as a depth piece until some of the many middle infielders the Mets have coming through the farm system are ready.
MLB veteran José Iglesias is at spring training with the Mets as a non-roster invitee, so he could also serve as depth if he makes it through camp and onto the Triple-A roster.
Coming Soon
Jett Williams
Age: 20 (11/3/2003)
Contract: Minor League
Roster Status: Not on 40-man roster; Rule 5 Draft Eligible December 2026; non-roster invitee to spring training
MiLB Options: 3
2024 Preview
Realistically, there is no “coming soon” at shortstop. Lindor is under contract through 2031. He will be the starting shortstop for the better part of the next decade. Technically, though, if someone is coming soon at shortstop, it’s Jett Williams. While Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said Friday that Williams will start getting more looks at other positions, he would still be the most likely choice if something happens to Lindor.
Skyrocketing lately in the various 2024 MLB top-100 prospect updates, Williams is arguably the best prospect in the system. In 121 games across three levels, Williams hit .263/.425/.451, showing off one of the best eyes in the entire minor leagues. Despite being just 5-foot-6, he hits for sneaky pop, slugging 13 home runs in 2023 while being just 19 years old the entire year.
His most likely future with the Mets is either at second base or center field, but he’s a good enough athlete where he’ll be able to step in for Lindor whenever needed. He just might be a year out.
Other options on the farm include Luisangel Acuña and Jeremiah Jackson, who are also about a year out. Jeremy Rodriguez, Marco Vargas, Colin Houck, Boston Baro, A.J. Ewing and Branny De Oleo are other names to keep an eye on, but all are still teenagers and won’t make an MLB impact for at least two seasons.
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