Carlos Mendoza breaks down Mets lineup philosophy; Shintaro Fujinami assesses struggles
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — When the Mets were at their best under Buck Showalter during their 101-win campaign in 2022, the manager was able to pencil in virtually the same lineup each time out.
Brandon Nimmo led off, Starling Marte flanked him in the No. 2 spot, Francisco Lindor provided pop at No. 3 and Pete Alonso was the regular cleanup hitter.
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza is hoping he can be in a similar situation when filling out the lineup card in his first season at the helm.
"If everyone’s healthy and performing, I would like to have a consistent lineup, to be honest with you," Mendoza said Saturday. "I think it’s important for guys to get used to and familiar with whoever’s not only hitting in front of them but behind them and create that connection when you’re talking about a lineup."
Mendoza provided some clues to how he will plan to lay out the team's lineup during the season ahead of the team's contest with the Astros. He said his preference is to hit Alonso in either the third or fourth spot in the lineup and not to bat Nimmo and Jeff McNeil back-to-back as lefties.
It is Mendoza's intention not to stack players batting from the same side of the plate in the lineup to "give lanes" to an opposing pitching staff and manager. The Mets' front office, led by David Stearns, helped provide the manager with some versatility by adding infielder Joey Wendle and outfielders Harrison Bader and Tyrone Taylor.
"It’s a combination of everything," Mendoza said. "Obviously, you want the on-base guys at the top of the order and then the combination of power, but then it depends on who you’re playing, how the bullpen is constructed and whether you want to go after the starter, the lefties, righties. It all depends."
The Mets have platoon possibilities with Mark Vientos, Taylor batting from the right side of the plate and DJ Stewart, Brett Baty and Ji-man Choi on the left. Francisco Lindor is the team's lone switch hitter.
Shintaro Fujinami dissects struggles
Shintaro Fujinami's first spring training camp with the Mets has provided plenty of turbulence.
For the 29-year-old right-hander, who signed a one-year, $3.35 million deal in the offseason, the spring began with a visa issue and a return home to Japan for a personal issue. He looked unhittable in a pair of perfect innings with two strikeouts and struggled to find the plate in his other two outings.
On Friday night, Fujinami threw two wild pitches, hit a batter and issued three walks as he allowed the Nationals to pick up three runs. For the second-year pitcher, the lack of control boiled down to mechanics.
"My pitching arm, right hand gets too far behind and doesn’t come up in time, and the timing is a little bit off," Fujinami said through an interpreter.
But the uneven performances could lead Fujinami, who has three minor-league options remaining, to Triple-A to start the season. Michael Tonkin, Yohan Ramirez, Sean Reid-Foley and Austin Adams have all looked strong in spring, and none of them carry options.
"I can’t control how the front office or coaches evaluate me, so I just focus on what I can do and see what happens," Fujinami said.
Jeff McNeil health update
Jeff McNeil's spring debut is right around the corner.
The Mets second baseman has yet to appear in a Grapefruit League game as he works through discomfort in his left biceps. McNeil took batting practice on Saturday and will get his first live at-bats in a minor league game on Sunday.
"It’s another good day — full workout, defensive work, coach BP, velo machine," Mendoza said. "It’s one of those where we want his first few at-bats in the game in a controlled environment, if you want to call it [that]. We’ll do that in a minor league game before we put him in a game here with us, potentially on Tuesday."
McNeil is the lone projected starter who has yet to appear in a game this spring. He is coming off a partially torn UCL in his elbow, which kept him out of the 2023 season's final weekend, but experienced no setbacks with that injury entering camp.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NY Mets: Carlos Mendoza on filling lineup, Shintaro Fujinami struggles
