Mets' Nick Madrigal has big shoes to fill after last year's utility man hit a high note

PORT ST.

LUCIE, Fla.

Nick Madrigal doesnt sing.

He isnt planning on performing a postgame summer concert.

Hes not expecting to bust out a spirit-lifting catchphrase.

No, no, he said with a smile, I dont know if any of that is my strength.

At his best, Madrigal is all about hitting singles a lot of them not hit singles.

Advertisement Is there another spring training clubhouse in MLB where a utility infielder is competing for a final spot on a roster while also potentially replacing a key catalyst from a memorable playoff run? OMG, its the paradoxical situation Madrigal finds himself in with the New York Mets.

Jose Iglesias set a high bar (and not just with his catchy bars) for all future possible Mets reserve infielders.

Based on the position Madrigal is battling for, its hard not to see him in these early days of spring training and not think of Iglesias, whose musical creation became the theme song for a team that reached the NLCS.

But in a sure sign of a new season, Iglesias old No.

11 now coincidentally belongs to Madrigal.

It was a big role that he had last year and they had a great run, had some momentum, Madrigal said.

I just gotta focus on what I can control, and thats coming in and trying to be the best player I can, the best teammate I can.

I feel comfortable with the guys and Im getting to know them every day.

Its a pretty easy clubhouse to slide into; everyone is close-knit.

Iglesias, 35, still lingers in free agency, which shocks some Mets officials.

Iglesias drummed up the vibes of the Mets season with his song OMG, but he also played with passion, supplied masterful defense and hit .337.

Perhaps if the construction of the Mets roster looked different, they wouldve re-signed him by now (and maybe an injury can change things).

But Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns said last week he valued keeping some avenues open for some of our younger players.

Stearns prefers to not freeze his entire position-player group, as he put it, meaning he likes having the flexibility of utilizing minor-league options.

Iglesias no longer holds a minor-league option.

Neither does anyone on the Mets projected lineup outside of catcher Francisco Alvarez, and its not like hes going anywhere.

Bench players like Luis Torrens, Tyrone Taylor and Starling Marte? Nope, no options, either.

Hence the freeze situation Stearns referred to.

Advertisement Madrigal, 27, holds minor-league options.

Hes on a split contract (different salaries in the majors and minors), and theres no guarantee that he will win a bench spot, but hes firmly in the mix along with younger players such as Luisangel Acuna and Brett Baty.

To claim a role, Madrigal doesnt have to be everything Iglesias was to the Mets.

Club officials didnt bring up Iglesias when talking with him over the winter about a deal.

For the Mets decision-makers, getting the best version of Madrigal would be plenty.

In Madrigal, the Mets saw someone worth taking a flier on.

The Chicago White Sox drafted him with the fourth pick in 2018.

In 2020 and 2021, his first two major-league seasons, Madrigal slashed .317/.358/.406.

Since then, his numbers dipped; over his past three seasons, all with the Chicago Cubs, Madrigal slashed just .251/.304/.312.

Madrigal attributed some of his struggles to bad swing habits that he got himself into while overcompensating for lower-body injuries.

He said his legs feel good now, and hes got his swing mechanics back where he wants them.

Defensively, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said Madrigal will get reps at shortstop.

In the majors, Madrigal has played only second base and third base.

But he played some shortstop in college and said he always devoted some practice time to the position.

From the very beginning, their main message was to be yourself, Madrigal said.

Thats something I appreciate.

They werent telling me to try and do this or that differently.

They know what kind of player I can be.

I havent shown it in the past couple of years, but they know who I am deep down.

They just said, Dont put too much pressure, just play your game.

It was music to Madrigals ears.

(Top photo: Jeff Roberson / Associated Press).

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