PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Mets shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera hadn’t yet settled into camp on Monday morning. But second baseman Neil Walker wasted little time approaching his new double-play partner.
Cabrera and Walker represent the Mets’ revamped middle infield. And as spring training unfolds, the two veterans will be tasked with learning to work together.
“He’s a really good second baseman and I think we’ll be alright,” Cabrera said on Monday, his first day in camp. “We’ll enjoy playing together . . . He knows what he has to do and I know what I have to do, too. It doesn’t take that much.”
Experience, more than anything, is what distinguishes the Mets’ new middle infield from its predecessor of a season ago. Wilmer Flores returned to shortstop after bouncing around the infield. Daniel Murphy endured an often bumpy transition to second base.
Cabrera and Walker may not represent a clear upgrade in terms of defensive range. But both have played more than 800 games at their respective defensive positions, which should smooth out the rough edges that popped up in the middle field last season.
“I think our defense may be a little bit better but we’ll see,” general manager Sandy Alderson said last week. “Certainly, we’re happy with those players. It’s going to be a new look for us and I think interesting to watch in spring training.”
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While the defense may prove to be a push, the new double-play duo may prove to be an offensive upgrade. And for the Mets — who have typically prioritized offense over defense — the success of the new combo will rest upon what they do at the plate.
Cabrera, 30, hit .265 with 15 homers and 58 RBIs with the Rays last season. Over the winter, he signed a two-year, $18.5 million deal to join the Mets.
“I’m really excited to be here, to be part of this group,” Cabrera said. “It looks like they’re really, really good guys.”
Walker, 30, arrived in a trade in December that sent longtime Mets lefty Jonathon Niese to the Pirates.
“We’re happy with that combination,” Alderson said of the new middle infield. “I think that in those particular cases, I don’t want to say ‘offense first.’ But one of the key things for us losing Daniel Murphy was to get a little better against righthanded pitching. Having more lefthanded hitters in the lineup would be important for that reason. That’s where Walker and Cabrera come into play.”
Both Walker and Cabrera are switch-hitters who have enjoyed success against righthanders.
For now, the challenge immediately ahead of Walker and Cabrera will be learning to work together. It’s a process that Walker doesn’t think will take more than a week-and-a-half of reps in camp.
“It’s going to take a little bit of time to just understand what he likes,” Walker said. “Particularly around the bag on double play turns, and feeds, understands what he’s familiar with, what he likes to do, how he likes to come across the bag, how I like to come across the bag, those types of things.”
Extra bases
The Mets will wear their distinctive 1986 uniforms for all Sunday home games this season, the 30th anniversary of the club’s last World Series championship.
- Newsday