LOO GOTTA BELIEVE!
Guillorme, a master of getting on base, is making the most of his playing time
percentage is significantly lower than average. While the rest of the players in the league swing at 47.4% of the pitches they see, Guillorme is offering at just 39.4%. He’s also seen 31 pitches this season that Baseball-Savant defines as “waste pitches,” ones well outside the strike zone that are typically meant to either set up a subsequent pitch or get a hitter to swing at something they have no chance of contacting. Of those 31 pitches, Guillorme has swung at zero. Baseball-Savant estimates that Guillorme’s worldclass plate discipline has been worth three runs for the Mets.
The Mets’ utility infielder — whose lightning-quick hands also make him the resident ping pong guru in the clubhouse — is not the type of hitter who will get himself out. But when he trades his bat for a glove, he’s a master at turning batted balls into outs. Teammates have referred to Guillorme as a “wizard” in the field, and after some especially flashy leather displays in Monday’s game, Showalter lauded Guillorme for “putting on a clinic” at second base. Bouncing between second, third base and shortstop, Guillorme is one of 42 infielders this season that’s been worth one or more Outs Above Average (minimum 100 attempts).
The guy just doesn’t make a lot of mistakes in any facet of the game. In the simplest possible terms, good offense plus sound defense means a player will grade out pretty nicely by Wins Above
Replacement. As of Thursday morning, Guillorme has been worth 1.2 WAR per FanGraphs. Of the 27 other NL position players that have reached that threshold, Guillorme has the fewest plate appearances. He is, quite literally, making the most of his limited playing time. Showalter is keen on saying that he doesn’t view any of his players as part timers, both because he gives them ample opportunities to get into the game, but also because of the mental stigma that comes with being labeled a reserve. Whether it’s coincidence or not, Guillorme has really taken off in his first year playing for Showalter.
If there’s any nits to pick, it’s that 25 of Guillorme’s 31 hits have been singles. But the Mets, a team happily enjoying Pete Alonso’s Popeye arms and Francisco Lindor and Starling Marte’s power resurgences, don’t need Guillorme to dismantle the ball. Getting on base in front of the big boppers is completely fine and dandy.
So far, nobody in the National League is doing a better job of that than Guillorme, a man who went from a bench ornament under Mickey Callaway to fan favorite in the Luis Rojas era to legitimate piece of Showalter’s first Mets team.
Guillorme surely won’t be Tony Gwynn for the entire season, but that doesn’t belittle what he’s done in this increasingly-growing sample size. If anything, the unbelievable Guillorme story is a microcosm of the Mets’ season. They’re kicking everyone’s teeth in, but doing so with All-Stars like Alonso and Lindor as well as cult heroes like Guillorme, Nick Plummer and Drew Smith.
Last season, a 15-15 record in June precipitated the Mets’ brutal backslide. Check in at the end of the month before re-evaluating, but people like Guillorme are going to try their damndest to leave the sour taste of 2021 firmly in the past.