By Adeniyi Precious 
Tyler Naquin, former Mets outfielder, is having a weird career shift. Remember when the Mets traded for him at the 2022 trade deadline? He was one of those additions that didn’t really make a splash. While Daniel Vogelbach was arguably the best of the bunch, even he became a bit of a disappointment by the end. And then there was Darin Ruf… yikes. Oh, and Mychal Givens didn’t do much to help the bullpen either.
Naquin came in to fill in for the injured Starling Marte and ended up starting in right field for a bit. But his time with the Mets ended quickly after the 2022 season, posting a lackluster .203/.246/.390 line in 130 plate appearances. It was a surprise, considering he had decent numbers in the past, including a .809 OPS in 2021. His last MLB appearance was pretty forgettable too—eight hitless plate appearances and seven strikeouts in 2023 with the White Sox. Now, if he’s coming back, it’s not as a hitter, but as a pitcher.
Yep, Naquin’s taking a shot at a reverse Rick Ankiel situation. After a minor league deal with the Cleveland Guardians, he’s giving pitching a try. The Guardians have a history of converting position players into pitchers, with Anthony Gose being one of their recent projects. Naquin’s making this change at 34, which is pretty late, but he’s known for his strong arm, so we’ll see if it translates to the mound. It’s going to be an interesting story to follow.