The Mets Bench Mob, a collection of role players making the team go these days, received more insurance as Mason Williams gets another chance.
Acting Mets GM Zack Scott is not, as we have wondered, asleep at the wheel trying to find players who can fill the gaps while the regulars work their way into the Mets lineup from injuries.
Trolling the MLB Transaction Wire, during the offseason and daily, Scott has uncovered “no-names” like Kevin Pillar, Jonathan Villar, Luis Guillorme, Tomas Nido, Albert Almora Jr., Jose Peraza, Jose Martinez, and now the latest player to join what has been tagged – the Bench Mob – outfielder Mason Williams (featured image) is on his way to the Mets, according to a report by SNYs Andy Martino on Sunday.
Typical of this ilk of players, Mason Williams, is a veteran of professional baseball. Signed by the New York Yankees as a draftee in the fourth round of the June 2010 Amateur Draft, as a highly touted speedy outfielder, Williams never cracked the Yankees outfield, appearing in only 25 games from 2015-2017.
Granted free agency by the Yankees, Williams signed with the Cincinnati Reds and Baltimore Orioles as a free agent in 2018, only to be released and re-signed by each team twice, the last release coming at the hands of the Orioles on September 20, 2020.
Zack Scott took a flyer on Williams on April 15, 2021, assigning him to the Mets Triple-A team in Syracuse, where he flourished, slashing .373/.458/.569 with a home run 8 RBI during the first month of the minor league season.
Always a prodigious hitter at the Triple-A level, Williams’ season in 2019 produced a .308 BA, .371 OBP, .477 SLG, and a .848 OPS over 121 games, with 18 HR and 67 RBI.
The problem for Williams has been transporting those numbers to the major leagues, especially in the power department.
In any event, Luis Rojas will likely give Mason Williams the same opportunity afforded to the rest of the Bench Mob, hoping there’s lightning somewhere in his bat.
Mets: Meanwhile, On Other Fronts…
Meanwhile, last night’s ESPN national telecast between the Mets and Braves was mercifully postponed due to inclement weather.
With the domino effect in place, hopefully, the Mets were able to get tonight’s starting pitcher against the Diamondbacks, Jacob deGrom, if not the whole team, on an early flight to Phoenix, avoiding what would have been an ETA around 5 AM ET if the game had been played.
Another domino fell with two more doubleheaders added to the Mets schedule as make-ups for the two postponements this rainy and cold weekend in New York.
In the only game, this weekend, Francisco Lindor, Jonathan Villar, James McCann, Billy McKinney, and Brandon Drury all left the yard to help the Mets put up their season-high runs, with a 13-2 drubbing of the Braves.
Even Cameron Maybin for into the action with his first hit as a Met after going 0-27, albeit on a slow dribbler.
More good news for the Mets came with Taijuan Walker making his first start since coming off the injured list with left side tightness. The right-hander hurled five scoreless innings and struck out eight, as the Mets jumped to five games over .500 while increasing their lead to 3.5 games in the National League East Standings.
Ironically, and perhaps inexplicably, there is still not another team in the division with a .500 or better record.
Setting Up The Mets Week
After the Diamondbacks, the Mets road trip continues with what should be an interesting and challenging series at Petco Park against the red-hot San Diego Padres, and then on to Baltimore for an interleague series with the still-floundering Orioles before heading home.
In a matter of days, Seth Lugo and Pete Alonso are expected to rejoin the team as the Mets continue to inch closer to full strength.
The Mets Injured List (IL) also has Kevin Pillar, Luis Guillorme, J.D. Davis, and Brandon Nimmo listed as hopeful returnees by the end of this week.
While the Mets are playing .750 baseball (15-5) at Citi Field, their 10-15 mark on the road isn’t going to cut it over the long haul. We’ll watch with interest to see if they can turn that around on this road trip.
Here’s What Readers Are Saying…
Bart Rosenberg So I guess the new team song will be Classical Gas. 
Baseball, it is said, is only a game. True. And the Grand Canyon is only a hole in Arizona. Not all holes, or games, are created equal.
