Mets Acquire Winker, A Known Commodity To The Fans

 

Citi Field. Photo by Jason Schott.

The Mets added some more depth to their outfield, as they announced on Sunday morning the acquisition of outfielder Jesse Winker from the Washington Nationals, in exchange for minor league RHP Tyler Stuart. In the corresponding move on the Mets 40-man roster, DJ Stewart was sent to Triple-A Syracuse.

The 30-year-old, who joined Washington before the start of the season, hit .257, with a .374 on-base percentage (117 points above his BA, and a .419 slugging percentage, with 11 home runs, 45 RBI, 18 doubles, 53 walks, and 14 stolen bases in 101 games. 

In the National League rankings, Winker is tied for fifth with 53 walks, and seventh in on-base percentage (.374) this season. Since May 25, he leads the NL with a .404 OBP (min. 178 plate appearances).

Winker is that rare player who made himself into a target of the fans without an obvious reason, like playing on a rival or in a big playoff game. There was a Monday night in May 2019, while Winker was playing with Cincinnati, that he ran over to the left field fence to make a catch and he and the fans were jawing with each other after the play. That banter continued between him and the fans for the rest of the series, and ever since then, even as he has visited with Seattle and Milwaukee, he has gotten a loud reception.

The best season of his career was when he was an All-Star with Cincinnati in 2021, and he hit .305, with a .394 OBP, and .556 slugging %, with 24 homers, 71 RBI, 53 walks, and 32 doubles in 110 games. Those were career highs in batting average, slugging percentage, home runs, RBI, and doubles.

The 6-2, 230-pound Winker, a Buffalo native, played for Cincinnati from 2017-21, then spent one year with the Seattle Mariners in 2022, last season with the Milwaukee Brewers before joining Washington this past off-season. In 711 career games, he is slashing .263/.370/.441 with 92 home runs, 311 RBI, 117 doubles, 183 walks, and 17 stolen bases. 

This season against right-handed pitching, he is slashing .266/.390/.450 with 12 doubles, 10 homers and 36 RBI in 229 at-bats. For his career, he’s hitting .278/.382/.468 with 98 doubles, 78 homers and 253 RBI vs. righties.

Winker has had great success in his career as a pinch-hitter, as he has hit .333/.452/.587, with five home runs and 16 RBI in 75 at-bats. In 16 career games at Citi Field, he has three doubles, two home runs and eight RBI in 16 career games. 

Stuart, 24, was New York’s sixth-round selection in the 2022 First-Year Draft and was 3-7 with a 3.96 ERA in 17 starts this year for Binghamton (AA).