Cespedes smashing competition in spring
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Yoenis Cespedes isn’t messing around this spring.
His torrid Grapefruit League season continued Tuesday, when he smashed his fifth home run in 10 games, helping the Mets beat the Astros 2-1.
Overall, Cespedes has posted a .444/.444/1.037 slash line while impressing the Mets with his work ethic.
“He’s asking to play, he’s not asking to DH — he wants to play again [Wednesday] in the outfield,” manager Terry Collins said. “He is determined to have a big year.”
The Mets are in a stretch of three straight road exhibition games, and Cespedes will have played in two of them before receiving a day off Thursday.
“He’s got a chance to make the club,” Collins joked. “We might hit him third, too.”
Tim Tebow entered the game as a defensive replacement in left field and went 0-for-1 at the plate. Tebow, who singled a day earlier for his first Grape- fruit League hit, smashed a line drive to left in the seventh inning that was grabbed by Andrew Aplin. As he returned to the dugout, Tebow received a standing ovation from many of the fans at The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches. Tebow, the former Heisman Trophy winner, is 1-for-11 (.091) at the plate for the Mets this spring.
Juan Lagares returned to action, as the starting center fielder, after resting a stiff back for the last two days. Lagares went 1-for-3 at the plate.
The Mets are looking forward to players whose teams have been eliminated from the World Baseball Classic returning to camp in the next day or two. Fernando Salas and Xorge Carrillo (Mexico) and Gavin Cecchini (Italy) will be in the first wave of players returning.