Andres Gimenez: Mets 2020 Rookie Of The Year

Expanded major league rosters provided the Mets with the opening they needed to audition 22-year-old shortstop Andres Gimenez this season.

Gimenez was better than advertised. Regarded mostly for his speed and defense, Gimenez produced offensively at a respectable .263/.333/.398 level with three home runs and eight stolen bases in 49 games. He emerged as the team’s starter at shortstop, ahead of Amed Rosario, in September.

Gimenez, who also received starts at second base and third base, entered the season regarded among the organization’s top prospects, but his stock had dipped after a disappointing 2019 season offensively at Double-A Binghamton.

“I think everybody these days expects somebody to be in Triple-A, slugging .575 before they get called up, and that’s not always the way it goes,” Mets assistant general manager Adam Guttridge said. “With Gimenez, he can make so many contributions on the defensive side and on the baserunning side, that he also doesn’t have to be that guy in order to help you at the big league level.

“He certainly benefited from having 28 (players), because otherwise it might have been more difficult for him to break camp . . . But he certainly had the argument to be one of our best 28 and then maybe even better than that.”

Gimenez, who signed out of Venezuela in 2015, said his sense of belonging with the Mets began in spring training.

“There wasn’t one moment,” he said. “It’s the confidence I was able to grow throughout the year, and it’s something where my teammates have been really receptive to me. (That) dates back to spring training where they embraced me as one of their own, and I think that comfort comes before even stepping on the field. I think it goes back to the clubhouse.”

NEW YORK MINUTES

— Lefthander David Peterson completed a strong rookie season for the Mets and figures into the rotation plans for 2021. He went 6-2 with a 3.44 ERA and 1.21 WHIP in 10 appearances, including nine starts.

— Righthander Franklyn Kilome’s control was a factor in his subpar numbers in his debut season. He walked nine batters over 11.1 relief innings and pitched to a 11.12 ERA.