2nd glance
Mets experimenting with Yoenis higher in order
PORT ST. LUCIE — There is a big change going on with the Mets that is not getting much attention. Slugger Yoenis Cespedes, who has spent most of his career batting third, fourth or fifth, is hitting second this spring in Mickey Callaway’s lineup.
Trying to get the right lineup mix is a top priority.
Cespedes played just 81 games last season. He batted third in 66 of those games. He batted second twice. He did not bat second in 2016 and in the 57 games he played for the Mets after coming over in the trade from the Tigers in 2015, Cespedes hit second 20 times. “I’m good with it,’’ Cespedes told The Post of batting second before the Mets 5-2 loss to the Astros on Sunday at First Data Field. He then went out and crushed a solo home run in the first, his third of the spring, off a Lance McCullers Jr. fastball.
“I’ll hit wherever they want me to in the lineup,’’ Cespedes said. “This team is going to be good this year and I want to be a part of it. It doesn’t matter if I hit second, third or fourth.
Callaway said, “You want to get Ces hitting as much as possible and he has to be comfortable with it.’’
“I like the righty-lefty aspect of the lineup,’’ Cespedes said later through translator Carlos Guillen. “All we need is to be healthy. When we were healthy in 2015 you saw where we got, we got to the World Series.’’
Cespedes also said one of his favorite things about this spring training is “being part of this group.”
“Guys are well-conditioned and we are having fun and getting our work done,” he said.
Todd Frazier and Cespedes have hit it off in particular.
“I’m pretty darn excited to see what we can do as a lineup,’’ Frazier said. “I didn’t know how good of a guy he really was until now. People see what he was a few years ago in spring training with the horses, whatever, but this guy works his butt off. He’s fearless and I can’t wait to play the whole year with him. It’s going to be pretty exciting.’’
Said Cespedes of Frazier: “I know him from the Home Run Derby in 2014. He is such a nice guy, I hope we get closer.’’
The two-time Home Run Derby winner is batting second, a trend throughout the game, sluggers batting second, your best hitter second. Aaron Judge is hitting second for the Yankees. He blasted 52 home runs last season and put up a .422 on-base percentage.
Cespedes on-base percentage the last two seasons was .354 and .352.
Callaway said this experiment is not as much analytically driven as it is by personnel.
With Cespedes batting second, that’s why you will see Amed Rosario batting ninth. The Mets trotted out what figures to be their regular lineup Sunday.
When Michael Conforto returns he will bat leadoff. On Sunday that job fell to Juan Lagares. Then it was Cespedes, Jay Bruce, Frazier, Adrian Gonzalez, Asdrubal Cabrera, Brandon Nimmo, Kevin Plawecki and Rosario.
This lineup gives the Mets good lefty-righty balance.
General manager Sandy Alderson calls batting Cespedes in the twohole, “a well-formed experiment.
“It’s not just a matter of analytics,’’ Alderson said, “it’s about how he adapts to that. What he perceives of that role. Whether he is committed to it. Those are all issues. Kind of an abstract measure gives us a total answer.
“I think he is committed to the experiment and we’ll see where we end up.’’
Time will tell and we’ll see if teams pitch around Cespedes. Cespedes may be such a prototypical No. 3 or 4 hitter that this could be a misstep.
“It’s a question of maximizing your opportunities,’’ Alderson said. “We’ll see if it stays that way. Generally speaking, I like the lineup we’ve got. I think it’s pretty well balanced, right and left. We don’t have an obvious leadoff man unless Nimmo is playing. It’s still a work in progress.’’
Right now, batting slugger Cespedes second is the way to go.