Brad Penner – USATODAY Sports
The New York Mets‘ outfield has been sub par all season, to put it kindly. The unit is only as strong as its weakest link, and right now that weak link is Collin Cowgill. The Mets have already sent Kirk Nieuwenhuis to the minor leagues after his poor play early in the season. Cowgill should be the next to go, and he needs to go now.
During spring training, Cowgill looked like the kind of spark plug the Mets needed, especially in their outfield. He hustled, he played hard, and he took the extra base. But outside of a grand slam on opening day, Cowgill has contributed little to the Mets on offense. He’s also fallen short of expectations on defense, misplaying a ball earlier this week against the Miami Marlins that contributed to the Mets losing their lead and losing the game.
The most disappointing part of Cowgill’s season has been his inability to buy into the team’s hitting philosophy. He has not been patient at the plate, drawing only one walk this season, and that goes against what the team is trying to accomplish. If Cowgill is going to play, he fits best in the lead off spot, but if he can’t draw walks and get on base then he can’t be the spark plug that the Mets need him to be. Until he can buy into the team’s hitting philosophy, show some patience, and get on base consistently he shouldn’t be in the majors with the Mets.
At the moment the Mets have Jordany Valdespin and Juan Lagares, two athletic young outfielders with some power that can man center field making Cowgill expendable. The Mets also have outfielders in AAA in Andrew Brown and Jamie Hoffman that are off to good starts this season and would make suitable replacements for Cowgill on the roster. Cowgill has had enough time to show the Mets what he’s all about, and he’s proven that he’s not a player that they need. Now it’s time for him to go.
Bryan Zarpentine is a New York Mets writer at www.RantSports.com. Follow him on twitter @BZarp and add him on Google+.
