As Spring Training winds toward the latter stages, it once again looks like Eric Campbell is going to find his way onto the roster, and I just don’t understand why.
I get it…he’s versatile, but that’s not the only thing that’s important. Defensively, we’ll call him average at best. He can play first, third and the outfield, and even some other spots on an emergency basis. He’s not a kid. The verdict is already out. He’s a AAAA player. What I mean by that is he’s too good to play in Las Vegas, but he’s not good enough to cut it as a Major League player, and the numbers back me up.
In his two seasons with the Mets, Campbell has amassed 363 at-bats, hitting .231 with a .317 OBP. He’s his 6 homers and drove in 35 runs. In two years of spot time, Ruben Tejada was certainly a better option, but it came down to money.
If you ask me for an alternative, I don’t have one at the moment, which I know seems like a cop-out. The Mets have five outfielders (assuming Michael Conforto is healthy), and a full infield (assuming Asdrubal Cabrera is ready to go for opening day). Matt Reynolds will likely fill Tejada’s old role, with Wilmer Flores being a super utility man. Alejandro De Aza and Juan Lagares are here to back up in the outfield, so what exactly does Campbell provide?
That’s right…nothing.
The player known as “Soup” will likely break camp with the team, but let’s hope he’s not around long and he can be replaced with a Major-League caliber talent.
