After a stint with the Pittsburgh Pirates, the New York Mets claimed Guillermo Heredia off waivers to join the team for the last month of the 2020 season. Despite not being known for his power, Heredia provided some along with his good defense in center field.
Guillermo Heredia's first hit as a Met is a BIG one. ? #LGM pic.twitter.com/ZeB6ikPavJ
— New York Mets (@Mets) September 23, 2020
Heredia joined the Mets because they were in need of outfield depth after cutting Billy Hamilton. He spent most of his time in summer camp but joined the big league roster during the final week of the season. During his time in Pittsburgh, he only batted .188/.278/.188 in 18 plate appearances.
Small Power Surge
Heredia upped his average and also showed some surprising power with the Mets. His slash line was .235/.278/.588 with two home runs in the same 18 plate appearances. Using some small sample size numbers he had his highest line drive rate along with a 22-degree average launch angle which could have contributed to the limited power numbers.
Defensively, Heredia did a solid job defensively for both teams that he played for. He had two outs above average and two defensive runs saved. Heredia has always ranked as a good defensive center fielder and should continue to show value there in 2021.
In my opinion, Heredia deserves an invite to Spring Training for the 2021 season. I liked what I saw in the handful of games with the Mets and could serve as a cheap/undervalued option as a fourth or fifth outfielder. If he does not get the opportunity with the Mets, he will certainly get it somewhere else.
2020 Grades On 20-80 Scale (2021 Projection)
Hitting: 25 (35), Should fall in the .230-.240 range during 2021.
Power: 55 (30), Most in a full season was 6.
Run: 55 (50), Good footspeed both on the bases on defense.
Arm: 45 (45)
Field: 60 (60), Solid and reliable defender.
Overall: 45 (35), Could be a useful bench player but has to provide a little more power to be a weapon.