Juan Lagares hit .338/.380/.494 over the course of 82 games with the Saint Lucie Mets and .370/.391/.512 over the course of 38 games with the Binghamton Mets in 2011.
He finished third in the Mets triples chain with nine, and his.349 batting average was the best among full-season farmhands for the Mets organization.
For the 2012 Binghamton team, he batted .283/.334/.389 with six triples. Binghamton Mets pitcher Emmanuel Garcia had previously held the previous record of 353 putouts established by him.
He led the Eastern League’s outfielders in both outfield assists and putouts with a total of 17. In his first 17 games with the Las Vegas 51s, Lagares slugged .346/.378/.551 with 13 hits. Kirk Nieuwenhuis was replaced by him in the majors.
He made his MLB debut in the fifth inning, replacing Collin Cowgill in center field with the Dodgers tied at 2-2. The New York Yankees lost 7-2 to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
In 121 games as a rookie, he batted .242 with four home runs and 34 RBIs. His batting average was just.281, thus he was primarily valuable because of his defensive prowess.
This year was his best, as he was awarded the Gold Glove for his centerfield defense. With four homers and 47 RBIs in 116 games, he had an OPS+ of 102, which is above average.
A member of the Mets’ World Series-winning squad in 2015, he appeared in 143 games and batted.259 with six homers and 41 RBIs during that season.
Despite a decent .321 OBP in 2014, his OPS+ dropped to 79 in 2015, and his batting average slipped back to a below-average .289 that year. However, he was at his best in the playoffs, going 8 for 23 (.348) with seven runs in 13 games.
What Team Did Juan Lagares Play For?
Juan Lagares plays for the Los Angeles Angels.