Mets veteran doesn’t think of himself as ‘villain’

Mets outfielder Jesse Winker has done some reflecting on why he’s been labeled a villain in baseball.

There came a point last season where in every stadium Winker played, he was met with loud jeers. In the moment, he seemed to relish in the boos. But upon reflection, he questions the actual meaning of his being constantly heckled.

“I don’t know if I’m necessarily a villain,” Winker said, via Steve Serby of The New York Post. “I just try to play, and play hard, and help the team win. Everything else that happens, those are the only things I’m trying to do is help the team win, and play.”

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There’s no better example of why Winker’s been dubbed a villain than Game 1 of the NL Wild Card Series against his former team, the Milwaukee Brewers.

As he helped ignite the Mets’ 8-4 win with a two-RBI triple in the second inning on Tuesday, he did so with some words for shortstop Willy Adames — first during what appeared to be his run around the bases and then when he stood at third during a pitching-coach visit.

It appeared, based on a Jomboy breakdown, that Adames clapped back, saying, “I’ll let you know in the parking lot,” as Winker was at third base.

After the game, a visibly irate Winker denied having said or done anything wrong to warrant Adames’s anger

“Rounding first, I was watching Pete (Alonso) and (Mets third base coach Mike Sarbaugh) the whole time,” Winker said. “As soon as I saw Sarby windmill, I focused my attention on second and I’m like, ‘I’m going to third.’ That’s all that happened.

“If y’all think that I’m able to run and talk, you don’t know my athletic abilities. Can’t do that.”

Winker spent the 2023 season with the Brewers and greatly underperformed. He had a .199 average, .567 OPS and one home run in 61 games (197 plate appearances).

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Manny Gómez may be reached at mgomez@njadvancemedia.com.