Bo Bichette is taking his first reps at third base for the Mets and the early hurdles only prove his dedication to winning in New York.
The transition from shortstop to the hot corner is never a simple switch for any veteran.
For a player who spent his whole life in the middle of the diamond, the angles at third base look entirely foreign right now.
A brand new spring training video shows exactly how steep that learning curve can be for the newly signed infielder.
Bichette (Drafted 2nd round, 2016 by Toronto) looks a bit heavy on his feet during these initial defensive drills at camp.
Here is the raw footage of Bo Bichette working through his first ground balls at third base under the Florida sun.
Here’s Bo Bichette taking ground balls at third base for over a minute … from a new angle today
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The footwork is not quite fluid yet and his internal clock is clearly still adjusting to the lightning speed of his new spot.
Yes, the video might make some fans a little nervous about the defensive alignment heading into opening day.
We have to remember that this is literally week one of a massive career shift for the dynamic slugger but it certainly does not look great
Bichette will adapt and carry the Mets lineup
Seeing him put in the dirty work makes us incredibly hyped for what this infield can accomplish together.
He brings an elite bat to Queens that fundamentally changes the ceiling of this entire roster.
Last season, he absolutely crushed opposing pitchers with a .311 average, 18 home runs, and a stellar .840 OPS.
That kind of consistent offensive production will easily overshadow any early defensive clumsiness we see in February.
It is hopefully just a matter of daily repetition and getting comfortable with the strange new angles off the bat.
Every single dropped ball or missed step in spring training is a valuable lesson learned for a deep run in October.
The sheer athletic ability that made him a perennial star in the American League will translate perfectly once the muscle memory kicks in.
But it does make the Blue Jays look good at this point for letting him walk.
Will Bo Bichette become a reliable defensive third baseman for the Mets by midseason?
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