The Piazza for the Mets' worst position player of 2014 goes to...
There were a few stinkers on the Mets roster this season, but I think one player in particular probably has the best shot at taking home the Piazza for Worst Position Player. Let's see if the AA staff and community are on the same wavelength.
The nominees for Worst Position Player are:
Anthony Recker: Recker frequently swung hard, rarely made contact, and occasionally hit the ball a long way. The result was a .201/.246/.374 slash line that left a lot to be desired, even for a backup catcher. Still, he was above average at throwing out base stealers and his combined OPS+ of 83 between 2013 and 2014 isn't that bad.
Ruben Tejada: Tejada isn't a worthy starting shortstop on a good team, but his 2014 season wasn't really so terrible. Yes, the 11 intentional walks he received inflated his .342 OBP, but he played respectable defense at a premium position and hit five home runs. It was a tremendous improvement over his calamitous 2013 season. I'll boycott 2015 if Tejada is the plan at shortstop, but I think he'll be useful as a middle-infield reserve.
Chris Young: Signing Young was a decent move as insurance for Juan Lagares, but it wasn't the stroke of genius some made it out to be. Even if he bounced back to replicate his career year at the plate, that's still just a 109 wRC+, or about what Curtis Granderson produced this season. Plus, his defense and baserunning skills have diminished as he's aged. Young never got into a groove with the Mets, and his .205/.283/.346 line in 287 plate appearances justified his release in mid-August.
Eric Young Jr.: EYJ seems like a nice guy and could be a useful bench piece. It's just that he logged over 300 plate appearances this season. That's too many, and it would have been more if he hadn't been on the disabled list for three weeks. It's tough to ignore his poor .610 OPS, especially when he batted leadoff 53 times this season. To his credit, he stole 30 bases with a strong 83% success rate.
And the Piazza for Worst Position Player goes to...
Chris Young! To cheer Chris up, here he is during happier times with the Mets, post-home run:
Here is how everyone voted:
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aaron Yorke | Eric Young Jr. | Wilmer Flores | Chris Young |
| Andrew Cohen | Chris Young | Eric Young Jr. | Ruben Tejada |
| Chris McShane | Chris Young | Eric Young Jr. | Anthony Recker |
| Chris Strohmaier | Chris Young | Ruben Tejada | Anthony Recker |
| Colby Conetta | Chris Young | Eric Young Jr. | Ruben Tejada |
| Eric Simon | Chris Young | Anthony Recker | Eric Young Jr. |
| James Kannengieser | Chris Young | Eric Young Jr. | Josh Satin |
| Jeffrey Litt | Chris Young | Eric Young Jr. | Anthony Recker |
| Jeffrey Paternostro | Chris Young | Bobby Abreu | Wilmer Flores |
| Joseph Wolkin | Chris Young | Ruben Tejada | Eric Young Jr. |
| Matthew Callan | Chris Young | Eric Young Jr. | Ike Davis |
| Michael Avallone | Chris Young | Ruben Tejada | Eric Young Jr. |
| Nicholas Walsh | Chris Young | Eric Young Jr. | Ruben Tejada |
| Scot Cohen | Chris Young | Ruben Tejada | Eric Young Jr. |
| Steven Schreiber | Chris Young | Josh Satin | Bobby Abreu |
| Sydney Hunte | Chris Young | Curtis Granderson | Ruben Tejada |
And here is the final vote tally, using a 3-2-1 points system:
| Player | Points |
|---|---|
| Chris Young | 46 |
| Eric Young Jr. | 21 |
| Ruben Tejada | 12 |
| Anthony Recker | 5 |
| Bobby Abreu | 3 |
| Wilmer Flores | 3 |
| Josh Satin | 3 |
| Curtis Granderson | 2 |
| Ike Davis | 1 |
Now it's your turn to vote. We'll summarize the community awards in a post at the conclusion of The Piazzas.