Grandy & Mets hope to stave off Father Ti me
PORT ST. LUCIE — By simply relocating from The Bronx to Queens after the 2013 season, Curtis Granderson traded in not just the Yankees for the Mets, but for a youthful glow.
Even at 32, Granderson was the 15th-oldest Yankee in 2013, a relative pup among position players that included Travis Hafner, Derek Jeter, Lyle Overbay, Alex Rodriguez, Alfonso Soriano, Ichiro Suzuki, Mark Teixeira, Vernon Wells and Kevin Youkilis.
Granderson was the sevent-holdest Met in 2014, with Bobby Abreu the only position player his senior. He admits watching those older than him exit each season, and knows that with Bartolo Colon having departed for the Braves, he is now the oldest Met. At 36, Granderson is 19 months older than the next oldest on the list, David Wright.
“I went from a young Yankee to an old Met in like six months,” Granderson said. “Then, after last season, when Bartolo left, it was like, ‘ Oh, no.’ ”
Yet — even as the graybeard — Granderson is back to something that, for lack of a better term, is Yankee-ish. The Mets have replaced the Yankees as the team with the greatest expectations in New York and — almost to honor that — the team with the veteran roster.
The most expressed fear of what could derail the 2017 Mets is the fragility of their brilliant rotation. But their daily core is not exactly a sturdy lot.
The Mets’ projected starting lineup averages 31.6 years old. The closest in the majors is the Blue Jays at 31; the nearest in the NL are the Braves and Giants at 29.8. To emphasize how much youth is served these days, the defending-champion Cubs are the youngest in the majors at 25.9 (for those keeping score at home, the Yanks are tied for ninth in the AL and 13th in the majors with an average age of 29).
If it were just age for the Mets, it would be less of a problem. But the right side of the infield — Lucas Duda, 31, and Neil Walker, 31 — are both coming off back ailments and surgery. Asdrubal Cabrera, the 31-year-old shortstop, dealt with left knee tendinitis last year. Jose Reyes, 34 in June, has a long history of leg ailments, and is now the starting third baseman because Wright, 34, is not ready to start the season due to back, neck and shoulder issues. On Tuesday, while taking infield practice, Wright loaded his arm as if to throw, but didn’t.
The Mets always are concerned about the legs of Yoenis Cespedes, 31, and Jay Bruce turns 30 on Opening Day. Integral backup catcher Rene Rivera is 33.
“I’m not really concerned about it, though it has caused us to think about how we manage playing time a little,” said Sandy Alderson, by coincidence the majors’ oldest general manager, at 69. “We do have flexibility and depth with the 25-man roster.”
Indeed, like Robert Gsellman and Seth Lugo offer protection and depth for the delicate rotation, the Mets’ lineup has protection. Wilmer Flores recently bemoaned not having a full-time job, but it would be a surprise if he totaled fewer than 400 plate appearances, starting against all lefties and being the most obvious beneficiary if there is an injury anywhere in the infield.
Michael Conforto, Juan Lagares and T.J. Rivera also provide cover, and Alderson said he believes the Mets’ top prospect, shortstop Amed Rosario, could become a factor by midseason.
Both manager Terry Collins and bench coach Dick Scott emphasized the need to be proactive in getting the core rest, with Collins noting that moving Flores, Rivera and Ty Kelly all over the field this spring was a big-picture decision. The Mets have created a target number of starts they would like from each veteran and will plot playing time around that.
For Granderson, Collins mentioned 135-140 games, but admitted that might be ambitious as Granderson switches from the less-demanding corner-outfield spots to center field on a regular basis. Granderson has started just 67 combined games in center the past four years, and has not started more than 32 in any season since 2012.
Granderson turned 36 this month and is the second-oldest starting center fielder in the majors, five months younger than Oakland’s Rajai Davis.
Yet, Granderson keeps himself in top shape and said, “Mentally and physically, I feel fine.” And — irony alert — Granderson’s two prime center-field backups, Lagares, 28, who has an oblique ailment, and Brandon Nimmo, 24, who has an injured hamstring, are likely to begin the season on the disabled list.
In fact, aside from Wright — whom the Mets were bracing for not having much, if at all, this season anyway — the position crew has been durable this spring, especially considering the age and injury history.
“We are going to manage playing time,” Alderson said. “We look at it as a preventive approach. It doesn’t mean we will avoid every injury by any means. But, hopefully, we can avoid what comes from overuse.”