Ryan Cordell Makes Most of Unexpected Start

The Mets signed outfielder Ryan Cordell to a minor league deal on January 9 with an invite to big league camp. With the Mets acquiring Jake Marisnick from the Astros and the possible reemergence of Yoenis Cespedes, making the Opening Day roster would be an uphill battle for Cordell.

Cordell, 27, was given his first chance as extended Major League experience in 2019, with a mixed bag of results. Offensively, he hit only .221/.290/.355 with eight doubles, seven home runs, and 69 strikeouts in 247 plate appearances for the White Sox.

The speedster was valuable on defensive however, his seven outs above average (92nd percentile) was tied for 15th among all outfielders. Thanks in part to great jumps, he was in the 98th percentile in that category and his sprint speed was in the 96th percentile according to Baseball Savant. He played all three outfield spots in 2019, with five OAA in left field, two in center, and zero in right.

On Wednesday, it was announced by Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen that projected left fielder J.D. Davis will be reassessed in a week after falling hard on his shoulder on Tuesday.

Mets expected starting center fielder Brandon Nimmo was scratched from the lineup on Wednesday. For now, Mets manager Luis Rojas is saying it was done as a precaution after a team cardiologist recommended that Nimmo be sent for additional cardiac screening.

Cordell got the unexpected start instead on Wednesday against the Astros and he was impressive on both sides of the ball. The right-handed hitter got the Mets on the board with a solo homer in the fourth inning off right-hander Joe Biagini.

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During the next half inning, Cordell made a diving catch with the bases loaded that potentially saved the Mets against a big inning.

In his next at-bat following the opposite field home run, the 27-year-old Cordell laid down a bunt for a hit. Cordell is 4-for-11 to start camp, though that does come with four strikeouts.

Cordell is a career .273/.334/.458 hitter in the minor leagues, but has yet to see that translate into success at the plate in the big leagues. That means, his value comes in his glove and speed, similar to that of Marisnick.

The current statuses of Davis and Nimmo should give Cordell more of an opportunity for playing time this spring. He would certainly need a strong camp and a few injuries to get added to the 40-man and Opening Day rosters.