Each year at 213 we look through the Non-Roster Invitees to spring training and get to know them a bit. Are they in camp to get a look at big league hitting/pitching to aid their development? Are the Mets just trying to get a better look at a future rookie? Are they a veteran trying to get back to the major league level? What can we expect from them this season?
Jake Hager joins many players (Oscar De La Cruz, Jared Robinson, David Rodriguez, etc) that the Mets have signed this year who haven’t made the majors yet with their original clubs. We’ve repeated this too much throughout this article series – the Mets had no upper minors depth at all. The Mets needed to do a lot to create that depth.
Hager was a first round pick by the Rays back in 2011. He stayed with the Rays through the 2017 season and then signed with the Brewers. Over his career in the minors he has hit .259/.312/.376. Ultimately his stats show a stark difference between AA and AAA. In Double A he hit .270/.323/.406/.728 and in Triple A .237/.286/.361/.647.
So the question is – what can he do this spring? How does he perform in Syracuse? The Mets top tier infield prospects are still a while away from making the majors. If there are any injuries on the team, Hager could be on the short list for players to be added to the 40 man roster to play for a week before being DFA’d. There are a few players that are in a similar pool (Brandon Drury, Jose Peraza). Let’s see what he can do this spring!
