The Mets have signed journeyman utility man Brooks Conrad to a minor-league contract and assigned him to the Las Vegas 51s.
After many years as a “AAAA” player, Conrad had a strong year in Japan in 2013, then returned to minor-league stardom in 2014, posting an .878 OPS in 133 games for El Paso. An undersized switch-hitter who plays multiple positions with varying levels of mediocrity, Conrad has been a slugger in the PCL several times over and delights fans with high energy, grit, and an always-filthy uniform. It’s unknown whether the 35-year-old will ever wear the orange and blue in Flushing, but he’s an ideal player for Wally Backman and will be a viable replacement when/if the Mets promote Dilson Herrera and/or Matt Reynolds. In fact, one way to describe Conrad would be as a minor-league version of Wally Backman with power. Despite Conrad’s ability to own PCL pitchers, draw walks, steal bases, and be an offensive sparkplug, his inability to make contact against MLBers, lack of defensive skills, and a weak arm have prevented Conrad from making it in the big leagues.
Hmm … could Herrera or Reynolds be on the way up? Particularly with Daniel Murphy hitting below the Mendoza Line and giving up more runs on defense than he’s providing on offense?
What do you think? Is there more to this signing than putting a smile on Wally Backman‘s face? Could this be a preemptive move to the promotion of Herrera and the benching — or jettisoning — of Murphy? Post your thoughts in the comments.