Allan Dykstra, playing winter ball in Venezuela with the Magallanes Navigators and is tearing up the league batting .412/.512/.559 in just 12 games. He is currently on a 7-game hitting streak and has hit safely in 11 of the 12 games with two doubles and a home run.
Fresh off winning the 2013 Sterling Player of the Year award, when he hit .274/.436/.503 with 21 HR’s and 82 RBI’s in 372 at bats, he is now preparing himself for a solid season and a possible major league debut in 2014.
With first base a huge issue on the major league roster, Dykstra is showing the Mets fans that he may be the answer for 2014 and beyond. I am sure that is something we all can’t wait to see.
(Photo Credit: Gordon Donovan)
With the state of 1B and the possible/probable trade of Ike Davis or Lucas Duda (I believe they’ll trade whoever gets the better return), I really hope they give Allan a look at 1B in spring training. He hasn’t yet played in AAA, but he’s 26 and not exactly a prospect. I hope to see him in 2014 at some point, if not straight out of spring training.
While I don’t think Dykstra is a starting caliber MLB player, it’s mind-numbing that he wasn’t given a shot late last year. He’s mostly beat up on younger, less experienced competition but he’s done it impressively. There’s no reason why he can’t get a shot on a non-contending team– which it appears the Mets are.
Good for Allan. A solid performance in winter ball is a must for Dykstra, because his offensive performance really went into a nose dive last year in Double-A after the all-star game. Dykstra has some of the batting qualities the Mets covet. He has a great eye at the plate and walks a ton, 102 times last season. That gave him a .426 on-base-percentage, the best in the Eastern League. He certainly deserves a serious look beyond Double-A this season and some great winter league stats have go to help.