PORT ST. LUCIE — Ryne Stanek saw enough of the Mets’ new center field addition when the two were teammates in Houston for parts of two seasons to be anything but a believer.
Jose Siri’s speed and defense are elite.
“I liken him to chaos,” Stanek said Wednesday at Clover Park. “There is always something that is going to happen when he’s involved. Whether it’s stealing a base, running into the wall, making a play, he is always doing something to impact the game one way or another. Talent is definitely not lacking for him. He’s a pretty freak talent.”
In a lineup that includes plenty of offensive potential — with Juan Soto, Francisco Lindor, Pete Alonso and Mark Vientos among the headliners — the Mets were willing to overlook Siri’s anemic bat for a chance to add a valuable piece defensively.
The 29-year-old Siri was the team’s first noteworthy acquisition of the offseason, arriving in a Nov. 19 trade with the Rays for reliever Eric Orze.
“It surprised me that Tampa traded me,” Siri said through an interpreter. “But then I thought about it: [New York] is a big city, it’s a great team, and then I started thinking about the opportunities that I would be able to have.”
Among them was a good chance of returning to the postseason — he reached the playoffs three straight years with the Astros and Rays before missing last season.
Offensively, there isn’t much to love about Siri, who posted a .187/.255/.366 slash line with 18 homers and 47 RBIs last season. Included were 170 strikeouts in 402 at-bats.
Upon his arrival to camp, Siri told manager Carlos Mendoza his goal is to improve his plate discipline. Last season, Siri’s chase rate of 35.2 percent placed him in MLB’s 12th percentile, according to Statcast. His whiff rate (swing and miss) was 41.9 percent, placing him in the first percentile.
“There is swing and miss there, and that is something he brought up to us,” Mendoza said. “He wants to make more contact. He wants to put the ball in play. There’s power there. There is room for improvement … making better swing decisions, but I think it comes down to putting the ball in play.”
Siri is expected to fill the role Harrison Bader had with the team last season as a less-than-full-time player. Tyrone Taylor for a second straight season is expected to also receive opportunities at the position.
Soto and Siri both hail from the Dominican Republic and know each other. For Siri, the opportunity to play alongside one of the game’s biggest stars will only add to the allure of New York.
“We have a real good relationship and it’s going to be a lot of fun in the outfield,” Siri said. “I also think we have a great chance to do a lot of good things offensively. The things that I admire about [Soto] are the way he talks about hitting, his thought process and his overall approach.”
Defensively, Siri is at the top of the class among center fielders — his 16 outs above average ranked in MLB’s 99th percentile last season.
His arm strength and sprint speed are also at elite levels, according to Statcast. The 6-foot-2 Siri is a highlight reel in the making with his ability to reach above fences — sometimes levitating — to rob opponents of home runs.
“It never hurts your feelings to have some elite defense behind you, especially in center field,” Stanek said. “You are less worried about contact because somebody like that’s out there. Gap to gap, [Siri] covers so much ground. The speed is real. The glove is obviously real.”
Siri was asked if there is a center fielder better than him defensively.
“We’ll see when the season starts,” Siri said. “I don’t want to get too ahead of myself.”
For now, Siri is just absorbing his new surroundings.
“I feel very fortunate and thankful that God gave me the opportunity to come to a team like this,” Siri said. “A great fan base, a great organization.”
