- Dilson Herrera connects for his 1st Major League Home Run in Miami.
What a holiday weekend for Dilson Herrera. First he was shocked when he received the call to join the Mets at Citi Field on Friday against the Phillies. On Saturday he records his first major league base hit and Sunday he drives in his first run.
But on Monday in Miami, Herrera showed the Mets fans exactly why he is touted as a top prospect and maybe even the next full time second basemen for club.
In his first at bat in the top of the third, he launched an 87 MPH change-up for his first major league home run. I was sitting down the left field line, and just happened to move a bit closer to the field with my son and two friends. I had a feeling that something special was going to happen for Herrera in this game. It just felt like he was going to do something big. Well after that thought left my mind, the Colombian native launched a ball high towards the Marlins Park roof and it just kept sailing until it landed in the Clevelander restaurant beyond the left field fence. What a way to get his game going in Miami.
In the top of the sixth, Herrera came up with two men on and instead of trying to do too much and pull the ball, he went with the pitch and drove a 96 MPH fastball that got past Giancarlo Stanton and all the way to the wall for a two-run triple, driving in Travis d’Arnaud and Matt den Dekker.
One thing that struck me was the way Keith Hernandez raved about Herrera’s swing this weekend on how he just loved it. That was an impressive compliment from the former all-star.
In his first four games, Herrera is batting .308 (4 for 13), with a triple, home run and four RBI’s and now has a three game hitting streak.
The only down side to Herrera’s great game was that he did struggle on the field. But he is a 20 year old rookie, just called up on Friday to man second base for a major league club. Now granted the Mets are not in contention, and that is why this is a great time for Herrera to go through some growing pains at the position.
He was charged with two errors, but he owned up to it, “No excuses,” Herrera said through an interpreter to the NY beat writers. “Errors are going to happen. I’m going to make mistakes and errors. I’m not perfect. But I’m also going to continue to work on it and get better.”
Even Terry Collins knows that it will be a work in progress.
“He’s going to be fine,” Collins told the media about Herrera. “He’s a good-looking little player. He’s got to get used to the speed of the fields here. They’re shaved down pretty good. The infields are pretty fast everywhere, in every ballpark. He’s got to get used to the speed of the game up here. I think when he does we’ll see some different results.”
The first error came on a ground ball to his left, and even though he was able to get in front of the ball, he bobbled it a bit and then couldn’t get a handle on the ball to throw the runner out. The next time he ran up on the ball and threw it away trying to get the runner out at first after a push bunt to the right side of the infield. But on the bright side, he was involved in three double plays, turning two and starting one himself.
The exciting thing about yesterday’s game, was not only getting to see him hit his first major league home run live, but more so watching the emergence of an exciting big league ball player.
The promotion may have been a shock to Herrera and most Mets fans, but we are all getting a chance to see exactly what he has been doing in his minor league career, and that is hit and make things happen. Can’t ask for anything else especially from a 20 year old rookie. Good things are in store for Herrera and even though his offensive outburst wasn’t enough to lead the Mets to victory, it was enough to excite us Mets fans of what more is to come.
All Photos by: David Conde
