BAL HARBOUR, Fla. — The fellow sitting across from me at Makoto, an upscale Japanese restaurant throwing distance from his house, should be on his way to spring training after posting a .337 batting average in 2024 while finishing an absolutely magical season on a 22-game hitting streak.
This guy with a .300 average this decade, joining Freddie Freeman, Luis Arráez and Trea Turner in an oh-so-select and starry club, should obviously be in an MLB uniform, not splitting sushi and edamame with a writer here at the Bal Harbour Shops.
This fellow, who lifted his team with energy, enthusiasm and the rare sort of contact hitting mostly missing in today’s game, should not be struggling to find the job he wants for a fifth straight winter.
If Jose Iglesias was surprised to be in a position of limbo four winters running (and eventually signing minor league deals in all four), imagine how he feels today after helping lift the Mets from also-ran status, not to mention energizing a fan base with his biggest hit in a season of his hits, “OMG.” Iglesias, that rare two-way star (infielder and song writer), showed uninhibited passion, abundant drive and considerable skill in the Mets’ surprise ride to October.
