Mets get first taste of ABS life as Carlos Mendoza promotes ‘aggressive’ strategy
PORT ST. LUCIE — The Mets used the umpires during live batting practice Thursday at Clover Park and got their first taste of MLB’s new automated batting system.
Francisco Álvarez has already had success with it, receiving a call from Jonah Tong.
Tong later lost his own challenge later in his journey.
Expect more challenges from the Mets this spring, according to Carlos Mendoza.
Asked how the team will follow the new rule this spring, the manager said, “Be aggressive. Challenge as much as you can. We want to see who is right and who is wrong.” [at challenging].”
Their level of success in the spring will influence how the Mets deal with ABS during the regular season.
“We want guys to be aggressive … before we start setting guidelines and coming up with a game plan,” Mendoza said.
Francisco Lindor said he understands Steve Cohen’s decision not to captain, telling MLB.com on Thursday, “I respect it.”
Cohen said Monday that as long as he owns the Mets, there will be no player with that title.
“There will be no captain,” said Cohen.
Lindor said Thursday that he understands the move.
“This is Steve’s decision, which is in the front office,” Lindor told the site. “I respect us. At the end of the day … captaincy or not, I’m still going to do the same thing. This is not something that will make me different. So I respect it. I’m glad you put it all to rest, so we can stop talking about it. And move on.”
Over the years, Lindor, Brandon Nimmo and Pete Alonso have been considered options to become the franchise’s first captain since David Wright.
When Nimmo and Alonso left the Mets this past season, it was thought that Lindor might be involved.
Instead, the shortstop, sidelined following a procedure to treat a stress reaction to the hamate bone in his left hand, will not be Wright’s successor.
“I’m going to focus on baseball,” Lindor said. “I feel like we have leaders [without] captains and all that. A clubhouse is a clubhouse. Let’s play baseball and focus on winning.”
Michael Tauchman will have a chance to earn playing time in right field after signing a minor league contract earlier this week.
Mendoza said lefty Tauchman, who spent last season with the White Sox, “will be a part of that competition that we have.”
With Juan Soto now in left field, Carson Benge may have a chance to make the team in spring training, while Tyrone Taylor and Brett Baty will also be fighting for playing time.
As for Benge, who has only 24 games at the Triple-A level, Mendoza was impressed with his “ability to control the strike zone.”
“One thing I’ve seen here the last couple of days in his at-bats is his ability to make bad plays on hard pitches, especially when he gets back in the count,” Mendoza said. To me, that’s a really good sign. He knows how to stay in battle.”
