New York Mets planning on Adrian Gonzalez as starter at first

The New York Mets are hoping to turn back the clock with Adrian Gonzalez, as they expect him to be their starting first baseman at the start of the 2018 campaign.

When the New York Mets inked Adrian Gonzalez to a contract worth the major league minimum, it was a move that made sense. Despite a horrendous .242/.287/.355 batting line and three homers in 252 plate appearances in an injury plagued season, the signing carried little risk. After all, the Braves are still on the hook for the majority of his salary, so if he had nothing left, the Mets would not be the hook for much.

As such, it would make sense to regard Gonzalez as a potentially valuable bat off the bench. The problem is, the Mets are actually looking at Gonzalez as their probable starter at first base for the coming year. At least, that is the plan as the Mets look ahead to Spring Training.

On the surface, this is a peculiar idea, especially with Dominic Smith waiting in the wings. However, there are questions within the Mets front office as to whether or not Smith is ready for the majors. While he did hit nine homers in his 183 plate appearances in 2017, his .198/.262/.395 batting line left a lot to be desired.

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At just 22 years old, Smith is certainly still regarded as the Mets first baseman of the future. He more than held his own in AAA last year, producing an excellent .330/.386/.519 batting line over 500 plate appearances. While he had only 16 homers, Smith did hit 34 doubles, providing the hope that his power will develop as he gets older.

Likewise, the Mets are hoping that Gonzalez’ poor production in 2017 was a manifestation of injuries, instead of age. In 2016, he had a decent year, with a .285/.349/.435 batting line and 18 homers. That may not be the type of production most teams want from their first baseman, but it is definitely better than what he produced last year.

With that one year deal, Gonzalez is really nothing more than a stopgap until Smith is ready. If that proves to be the case after Spring Training, and Gonzalez struggles, then nothing much was lost. Likewise, Gonzalez can serve as a veteran mentor over those first couple of months in Florida, helping guide Smith through the proper way to get ready for the season.

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The New York Mets anticipate opening the season with Adrian Gonzalez in the lineup at first. Of course, those plans are subject to change.