Dilson Herrera may give Mets fans a reason to care less that Daniel Murphy moved on.
Herrera, in his sophomore year with the club, hit an inside-the-park home run on Friday to tie an exhibition in the bottom of the ninth against the Marlins.
As it happens, Herrera is the top prospect to replace Murphy, who in January signed with the Nationals. Murphy walked and grounded into a double play in two trips to the plate on Thursday as the Nationals topped the Mets in the spring opener for both teams.
.@Dilson_H brought some theatrics to the bottom of the 9th today with a thrilling inside-the-park HR. #Metshttps://t.co/vO3B6fQVjG
— New York Mets (@Mets) March 4, 2016
Herrera, who turned 22 on Thursday, hit .211 with three home runs in 90 at-bats for the Mets last season after starting the season with the team’s triple-A affiliate in Las Vegas. Last May, in his first game in the majors, Herrera turned a double play with a backhand flip to the shortstop.
The Mets have “a viable alternative from within the organization” to succeed Murphy at second base, general manager Sandy Alderson told reporters last fall, referring to Herrera.
Herrera’s homer on Friday bounced off the left field wall and rolled to the foul line. He churned around the bases and dove head first across home plate.