The Mets had three outfielders in camp this year competing for a roster spot: Ben Gamel, Taylor Kohlwey and Trayce Thompson. So far this spring Trayce Thompson has been the most impressive.
A couple of days ago Taylor Kohlwey was reassigned to minor league camp, which isn’t incredibly surprising. This spring Taylor has gone 2-for-11 over seven games, both hit singles, with a walk and a sacrifice.
Taylor Kohlwey was drafted by the Padres in the 21st round back in 2016. He finally made his major league debut with the Padres last year where he went 2-for-13 in five games, both hits were singles. He was effective in the minors last season hitting .276/.390/.437 over 516 trips to the plate. Overall in the minor leagues he has hit .282/.371/.418 over seven seasons. He has shown that he can hit in the minors, it just didn’t translate in his quick trip to the majors last year, or his spring training this year.
For the Mets Taylor provides outfield depth. Injuries happen and there will be a point in the season where the Mets will need to call someone up to fill in for a couple of days. Taylor provides the depth to not have to push a top prospect up for a short term injury. Remember the 2023 Mets had Rafael Ortega play in 47 games last year.
