Josh Satin has continued his hot hitting from AAA during his first three weeks at the major league level with the New York Mets. Though Satin is not considered a top prospect by any means, fans can take some solace in the fact that he has performed well since coming up from AAA Las Vegas. In 55 at bats, he has hit .382, 1, 8 with 9 2Bs replacing the demoted Ike Davis. However, now that Davis is back, Satin will see his playing time diminished as he has little versatility. At the very least, Satin has earned a roster spot on the 25 man as well as on the 40 man should the Mets send him down in a numbers game. 29 other teams could find a spot for Satin if he is DFA'd in what would be a foolish move for the Mets.
In spite of Satin's production, it is understandable that many are not giving it much credence. And while nobody should expect Satin to become a star, or a regular player for that matter, he fits the build of a couple New York players who got off to great starts and had a role on their teams even after they came back down to earth. Benny Agbayani was hitting .451 after 51 at bats during the 1999 season. It was unexpected that Agbayani was going to become a star, but he still finished the season very respectable. He hit .286, 14, 42 and was a part of the Mets postseason teams of 1999 and 2000.
Justin Turner was a story during the 2011 season for the Mets. He hit .260, 4, 51 with 30 2B in 117 games as the starting second baseman for the team during the season. Nobody thought Turner was a star, as even at his best is not the offensive player Daniel Murphy is. But a healthy Turner is a solid bench player. He can fill in at a couple of positions, work a count and be trusted to get a big hit in a big spot.
On the other side of town, there were a couple similar, any maybe more noteworthy stories. Remember Kevin Maas? The left had hitting power 1B got a chance to play when Don Mattingly was on the disabled list in 1990. In 79 games, Maas hit .252, 21, 41 in 254 ABs. Because of this, he got a chance to be the Yankees full time DH in 1991, hitting 23 HRs in 148 games with Mattingly entrenched at 1B. He only hit .220 and saw his playing time diminish over the next two seasons. That, coupled with injuries, led to Maas' time being cut short as an every day player.
While the 1998 Yankees were on their way to 114 victories, they brought up a September call up named Shane Spencer. Spencer, at the time, was 26 years old but preceded to hit .373, 10, 27 in just 67 at bats over 27 games. Over that time, he had a 1.321 OPS. He earned a spot on the postseason team and kept up his hitting, launching 2 HRs in the 1998 ALDS vs Texas. However, after that run, Spencer could not keep the momentum going as he would never OPS over .789 in a season again. Spencer would become a decent bench option for the Yankees over the next 4 seasons.
If Josh Satin becomes a viable bench option for the Mets next season, that can be considered a positive. Bench players usually have a little cost to them, perhaps as much as $2-$5 million a season. Satin will be making the league minimum, so if he can continue to hit, he becomes a bargain. It is nice to see a player who has paid his dues in the minor leagues take advantage of a chance he was not expecting to get. Hopefully he keeps it up.
In spite of Satin's production, it is understandable that many are not giving it much credence. And while nobody should expect Satin to become a star, or a regular player for that matter, he fits the build of a couple New York players who got off to great starts and had a role on their teams even after they came back down to earth. Benny Agbayani was hitting .451 after 51 at bats during the 1999 season. It was unexpected that Agbayani was going to become a star, but he still finished the season very respectable. He hit .286, 14, 42 and was a part of the Mets postseason teams of 1999 and 2000.
Justin Turner was a story during the 2011 season for the Mets. He hit .260, 4, 51 with 30 2B in 117 games as the starting second baseman for the team during the season. Nobody thought Turner was a star, as even at his best is not the offensive player Daniel Murphy is. But a healthy Turner is a solid bench player. He can fill in at a couple of positions, work a count and be trusted to get a big hit in a big spot.
On the other side of town, there were a couple similar, any maybe more noteworthy stories. Remember Kevin Maas? The left had hitting power 1B got a chance to play when Don Mattingly was on the disabled list in 1990. In 79 games, Maas hit .252, 21, 41 in 254 ABs. Because of this, he got a chance to be the Yankees full time DH in 1991, hitting 23 HRs in 148 games with Mattingly entrenched at 1B. He only hit .220 and saw his playing time diminish over the next two seasons. That, coupled with injuries, led to Maas' time being cut short as an every day player.
While the 1998 Yankees were on their way to 114 victories, they brought up a September call up named Shane Spencer. Spencer, at the time, was 26 years old but preceded to hit .373, 10, 27 in just 67 at bats over 27 games. Over that time, he had a 1.321 OPS. He earned a spot on the postseason team and kept up his hitting, launching 2 HRs in the 1998 ALDS vs Texas. However, after that run, Spencer could not keep the momentum going as he would never OPS over .789 in a season again. Spencer would become a decent bench option for the Yankees over the next 4 seasons.
If Josh Satin becomes a viable bench option for the Mets next season, that can be considered a positive. Bench players usually have a little cost to them, perhaps as much as $2-$5 million a season. Satin will be making the league minimum, so if he can continue to hit, he becomes a bargain. It is nice to see a player who has paid his dues in the minor leagues take advantage of a chance he was not expecting to get. Hopefully he keeps it up.
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