Matt Oberste Is A Displaced First Baseman
NEW YORK—First baseman Matt Oberste often felt displaced at Double-A Binghamton this season because he played on the same team as Dominic Smith.
Oberste, a 2013 seventh-round pick out of Oklahoma, started 32 games at third base and 31 games at first but otherwise found himself at DH. He hit .283/.340/.409 with nine home runs, 21 doubles and 54 RBIs in 124 games.
“Overall, I was just a consistent hitter,” said Oberste, 25. “There was no hot streak. There was no big slump.”
The Mets then assigned Oberste, a righthanded batter, to the Arizona Fall League. Though he started 0-for-23 at the plate, he played left field for the first time as a pro in addition to first base.
Smith, one of the Mets’ top prospects, was selected in the first round of the same draft as Oberste.
“Dom’s a great player,” Oberste said. “That’s my boy. And him doing well is just a plus for all of us. I got to play third base as much as I got to play first last year.
“If I keep doing what I’m doing, (the Mets will) find me a position. Maybe me and Dom can play together in the major leagues some day. It doesn’t matter. I’ll back him up. You never know. Just whatever—as long as you make it.”
Oberste earned MVP honors at the Eastern League all-star game on July 13. He went 4-for-5 with a double and four RBIs while splitting the game at Akron between third base and first base.
“That was a great experience,” Oberste said. “I had never been in an all-star game before in my professional career. To go out there and win the MVP is something special.
“I didn’t know if I was going to be starting that game. I didn’t know if I was going to be playing that whole game.”
NEW YORK MINUTES
• Righthander Marcos Molina, who missed the 2016 season rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, returned to game action with two innings in the AFL on Oct. 13. He showed life and velocity on his fastball—up to 94 mph—while his mid-80s breaking ball showed good downer action.
• The Mets parted ways with Triple-A Las Vegas manager Wally Backman. Backman said he felt disrespected and did not believe he had any future with the organization at the major league level.
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