Despite struggling to reach expectations for this season, the New York Mets, with the highest payroll in baseball, surprised many around the league when they decided to become sellers at the trade deadline.
Moving star pitchers Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer for key prospects, along with sending off MLBbro Tommy Pham, who’s enjoying a resurrection year, solidified the fact that the Mets were punting on the 2023 season.
It also meant playing time would be up for grabs as the team turns to the Minor Leagues to find a diamond in the rough.
Enter DJ Stewart.
Originally called up to the big league club from Triple-A on July 4th, Stewart’s playing time increased this month following Tommy Pham’s departure.
DJ Stewart Producing For Mets: Who Is He?
With the opportunity he has been given, DJ has shown he can produce, flashing great power at the plate.
Just last week, during a two-game set with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Stewart went 4-for-6 with three home runs, three runs scored and five RBI’s. His best game came on Wednesday night as he hit two homers in an 8-3 Mets win.
If the name DJ Stewart is unfamiliar to you, just know, he’s didn’t come out of nowhere. Son of Reggie Stewart, a former 13th round pick by the San Diego Padres in 1991, the 29-year-old, was originally selected by the New York Yankees in the 28th round of the 2012 draft out of high school.
DJ decided to play ball at Florida State, enjoying a stellar college career before being drafted again in 2015, this time by the Baltimore Orioles, in the first round.
In 30 games during the 2020 shortened season, DJ experienced his greatest success in the majors, registering an .810 OPS.
Stewart hit .213, with 26 home runs, 73 runs scored and 75 RBIs in his 195 games with the Baltimore Orioles, showing tremendous potential as an everyday starter.
Following last season, he opted to become a free agent, eventually signing with the Metropolitans.
Stewart has a batting average of .220 with 11 hits, four home runs, eight RBIs and six runs scored in 26 games for the Mets this season. Along with his potential at the plate, he is also no slouch defensively, as he has made several nice defensive plays in the outfield since being called up.
DJ has been presented with a great opportunity in front of him to prove he’s worthy of being a starter or key rotation player on a big league ball club. His journey these past few years seasons have given him the fuel to get it done.
Via MLB.com: “I Love this game and I had injury issues. I know what I’m capable of doing whenever I’m healthy,” Stewart said. “What kept me going was getting back to the big leagues. This game is unbelievable. I don’t take it for granted playing at the big-league level. I have a little girl. Diapers are not cheap. That’s what keeps me going.”
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