A question that would have been laughable a year or two ago is now being asked more and more. Can Luis Guillorme, once regarded as a fringe MLB player with an impeccable glove, offer more to the Mets than J.D. Davis, who’s currently on the 10-day IL after being hit by a pitch.
Obviously, it’s a small sample size, but Guillorme has picked up right where he left off last season, when he surprised everyone with his offensive repertoire. Guillorme is batting .571 (4-7) with two runs, four walks and a .727 OBP through six games this year. Over the last two years, Guillorme is batting .359/.468/.453 with eight runs, six doubles, nine RBI, 14 walks and a .921 OPS. He owns a .506 OBP in his last 23 starts dating to Aug. 6, 2019.
The defense is unquestionably superior when Guillorme is out there, as evidenced on a tide-turning play during game one of yesterday’s doubleheader. Roman Quinn took off from second with two outs as part of a double steal, and James McCann’s throw sailed high. Instead of the ball landing in left field, Guillorme went to his apex to snag it. Quinn thought the ball went astray and was caught off the bag when Guillorme applied the tag, ending a major Phillies’ threat that would have changed the whole landscape of the game.
Guillorme is also a guy who doesn’t strike out much. See below for his 22-pitch at-bat against flamethrower Jordan Hicks from this spring, which ultimately led to a walk. Obviously, having two (or even three guys if you include Jonathan Villar) who are capable of contributing in multiple places is helpful. Who knows? If Guillorme keeps this up, it might eventually be Davis who’s coming off the bench, and ultimately, that might be in the best interest of the team.
Time will tell.
Luis Guillorme’s 22-pitch at-bat against Jordan Hicks.
— MLB (@MLB) March 14, 2021
Enjoy. pic.twitter.com/5lSvlbktre
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