Hitting coach interested in Lagares’ new swing

PORT ST. LUCIE — Juan Lagares’ new swing has Mets officials intrigued. The next step is ensuring Lagares receives enough practice with it this spring. “He’s made some adjustments and it’s going to be interesting to see how he takes that into the game,” Mets hitting coach Pat Roessler said Friday. “We may have to run him on the back field a little bit to get him some extra at-bats to make him more comfortable.” Lagares spent eight days in Southern California during the offseason with swing guru Craig Wallenbrock. The purpose of the sessions was to change Lagares’ launch angle so he hits the ball in the air more frequently.

“He did hit some balls hard last year, and when his timing is not off, hit the ball on the ground,” Roessler said. “I think he’s got a better chance of hitting the ball in the air more often. We told him the other day we don’t mind him hitting ground balls as long as the first hop is 420 feet away.”

Roessler spent three years as assis- tant hitting coach under Kevin Long, who departed in the offseason after interviewing for the Mets’ managerial opening. Long was named Nationals hitting coach in November.

“I may be more the point guy [now], but I thought Kevin and I worked well together,” Roessler said. “We had a pretty good thing going. It’s one voice and I think it’s going to be a seamless transition.”

David Wright was an interested observer for the MichiganArmy game at First Data Field that followed the Mets’ workout.

Wright’s brother-in-law, Blake Beers, is a right-handed pitcher for the Wolverines. Beers pitched onethird of an inning in relief and allowed four runs, two of which were earned, on three walks.

Manager Mickey Callaway organized a team shark fishing outing that was expected to include more than a dozen players and staff members. The group departed on a bus from the Mets complex.

Position players must report by Saturday. The Mets’ first full-squad workout is scheduled for Monday, but several players likely will participate in live batting-practice sessions beginning Saturday.