There are very very few people that think Jason Bay should be in the plans for the 2013 Mets. I’m not even convinced Jason Bay thinks it. On the other hand, the Mets need outfielders and Jason Bay technically qualifies as such.
He hit a home run last night which I believe brings his SLG up to .297. Luis Castillo is a better slugger than that. I truly believe the concussions may have had a huge effect on Jason Bay and that he’s still not right. There’s so much we don’t know about concussions and the things you need to do to be a successful baseball player require a level of focus and reaction time that is based in the brain. Reasons and excuses aside, the question remains as to whether Jason Bay has any chance at returning to being a capable major league outfielder, and if he can do so by early 2013 for the next time the Mets expect to play games that matter.
The time remaining in this season is not substantial, but it’s just enough to plant the seed of hope. So I ask you, what can Jason Bay do in the remaining games on the schedule to make you believe their is a chance he can contribute next year. I’m not asking for you to be convinced the Mets should keep him around, just what it would take for you to think “Maybe he can be a Scott Hairston next year..” and believe it. 10 home runs? 20? An OPS of .900 the rest of the way? Watching him consistently identify and crush bad pitches?
Remember that the Mets currently have pretty much none of their outfield spots set in stone for 2013, so the floor to make this team is theoretically pretty low. Is it Jason Bay low? Answer in the comments or tweet @ceetar.