The New York Mets are setting the stage for one of the most unconventional Opening Day infields we’ve seen in decades - and it’s not just a quirky footnote, it’s potentially historic.
The buzz centers around two of the Mets' newest additions: Bo Bichette and Jorge Polanco. According to the team’s current plans, Bichette is slated to start at third base, while Polanco will line up at first.
On paper, it might not sound like a seismic shift. But dig a little deeper, and the move is nothing short of unprecedented in modern baseball.
Let’s start with Bichette. The former Blue Jays star has never played third base at any level of professional baseball.
Not in the majors, not in the minors - nowhere. His entire career has been spent at shortstop, and while there was plenty of talk during his free agency about a potential position switch, most assumed a move to second base was in the cards.
That would’ve been a more natural transition. But the Mets had other ideas.
New York went out and traded for Marcus Semien, a Gold Glove second baseman who’s firmly entrenched at the keystone. Combine that with Francisco Lindor locked in at short, and suddenly Bichette’s path led to the hot corner - a position that demands quick reactions, a strong arm, and a whole new set of instincts. It’s a bold experiment, to say the least.
Then there’s Polanco. The longtime Twins infielder has played just one game at first base in his major league career - and it wasn’t even a full nine innings.
Now, he’s penciled in to take over for Pete Alonso, a franchise cornerstone and one of the premier power bats in the game. That’s not just a positional change; it’s a cultural shift in the infield.
How rare is this kind of move? According to MLB researcher Sarah Langs, you have to go back nearly 80 years to find a comparable Opening Day scenario.
The last - and only - team in the last century to start two non-rookie infielders on Opening Day with one or zero prior MLB games at their new positions? The 1948 Brooklyn Dodgers.
That team featured Jackie Robinson making his debut at second base after spending his rookie season at first, and Billy Cox starting at third.
Anytime you’re mentioned in the same breath as Jackie Robinson - even in a statistical anomaly - you know something unusual is happening.
For the Mets, this isn’t just about plugging holes. It’s about fitting puzzle pieces into a bigger picture.
They’ve built a star-studded infield with Semien, Lindor, Bichette, and Polanco - all accomplished veterans, all capable of producing on both sides of the ball. But the positional reshuffling required to make it all work is going to be one of the most intriguing storylines to watch when the season gets underway.
Can Bichette handle the hot corner after a career at short? Will Polanco adjust to the footwork and responsibilities of first base, especially with the expectations that come from replacing a slugger like Alonso? There are no easy answers, but one thing’s for sure - the Mets are betting big on versatility and upside.
And if it works? We could be looking at one of the most dynamic infields in baseball.
If it doesn’t? Well, Opening Day might just be the start of a long experiment in Queens.
Either way, it’s going to be fascinating to watch it unfold.