Asdrubal Cabrera is an Upgrade to Shortstop

While he may not be an elite player at his position, the New York Mets’ new shortstop, Asdrubal Cabrera, still represents an upgrade over what the team had, Mark Simon of ESPN writes.

In the last five years, Cabrera has appeared in at least 135 games, averaged nearly 15 HR the last four years, and his OPS has “fluctuated between.694 and.762.” After a solid but unspectacular showing in 2015, Wilmer Flores becomes a utility player for the Mets with Cabrera on board.

By comparison, Cabrera’s batting averaged matched against Mets’ shortstops versus righties is “five points worse during the last two seasons, but his on-base percentage is 17 points better and his slugging percentage is 58 points better.” A baseball scout tells Simon that while Cabrera’s talent may not be elite, he’s still a valuable asset to the team.

Speaking to reporters on a conference call last week (via MLB), Cabrera had high praise for his new double play partner and new Mets second baseman, Neil Walker.

Cabrera referred to Walker as a “great second baseman” who “plays hard, plays the ball right, and I’ll work with him to try to win the World Series.” In regards to the Mets’ team and the city of New York, Cabrera had a lot more praise.