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Atlanta Braves positional previews vs NL East: Left Field

By Daniel Rasmussen

VENICE, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 28: Marcell Ozuna #20 of the Atlanta Braves looks back for the signal in the first inning during the spring training game against the New York Yankees at Cool Today Park on February 28, 2020 in Venice, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images)
VENICE, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 28: Marcell Ozuna #20 of the Atlanta Braves looks back for the signal in the first inning during the spring training game against the New York Yankees at Cool Today Park on February 28, 2020 in Venice, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images) /
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Yoenis Cespedes #52 of the New York Mets. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images)
Yoenis Cespedes #52 of the New York Mets. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images) /

4. New York Mets

No team in the National League East deals with the unpredictability on a season-to-season basis more so than the New York Mets.

Entering 2020, the Mets find themselves in another peculiar situation, with outfielder Yoenis Cespedes trying to work his way back from a bizarre non-baseball injury that left him on the shelf for all of the 2019 season.

The 34-year old Cespedes has seen his share of disappointment during his time in New York, as he hasn’t played more than a hundred games in a season since 2016.

The Amazins have their share of options in the event that Cespedes can’t come back and take the left field job.

He’ll have to earn it in order to surpass the terrific production the Mets got last year from J.D. Davis.

Davis, who came to New York from Houston in a trade in January of 2019, put together a very impressive stat line in his first full major league season.

In 453 plate appearances, Davis slashed .307/.369/.527 with 22 home runs and a 136 wRC+.

It was that kind of production that made Mets fans long to forget about Cespedes.

However, it remains to be seen if Davis will be able to keep up that pace going forward, now that the major league book is out on him. Repeating his performance for a second full season won’t come easy.

Also, if Cespedes does show that he is healthy and ready soon enough – especially given a potential abbreviated 2020 season – he may demand enough attention to move Davis to a part-time role on a Mets club that is quickly filling out its lineup with young star power.

Be it J.D. Davis the whole way, the return of Yoenis Cespedes, or some combination of both, the Mets have a couple of high-upside options in the left field department, though it comes with high-bust potential as well.

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