PORT ST. LUCIE — The Mets didn’t commit $60 million to Curtis Granderson because they want him to hit singles.
So if there was a promising sign for the team on Tuesday, it was Granderson twice rounding the bases after depositing a ball behind the right-field fence at Tradition Field.
Hey, it’s a start.
“It’s been interesting to watch the whole team,” Granderson said on a day his two home runs and three RBIs led the Mets to a 6-2 exhibition victory over the Astros. “[Lucas] Duda has done it, [Ike Davis] has done it, there is power here.”
Davis and Duda homered in the Mets’ first two exhibition games, respectively, but Granderson with two swings on Tuesday doubled the team’s output for the spring.
In the first inning, he hammered Rudy Owens for a two-run homer, before returning in the second and hitting a solo blast against Jorge DeLeon.
The best sign in the first inning might have been Eric Young Jr.’s leadoff walk, putting a runner aboard for Granderson before he connected.
“As long as you’re able to get guys on base like we were able to do in that first inning today, you’ve got a chance to bring guys around, which we were able to do,” Granderson said.
Granderson was given the option earlier in camp of skipping the first week of exhibition games, but he decided to play because he wanted at-bats after missing most of last season with the Yankees.
David Wright and Daniel Murphy are yet to appear in Grapefruit League action as they attempt to reduce the fatigue that can lead to abdominal injuries. But Granderson would rather get his swings.
“The only way I’m going to get ready is to play,” Granderson said. “For me, at-bats help me the most. At the same time, I don’t want to overdo it.
“I don’t want to fatigue anything, but my body felt fine, and with the first game being Feb. 28, ‘Hey, throw me in there.’ We’re not going to play nine innings, I know that. This is only my third game so far. Everything feels good, and I think this is a good pace to keep.”
Granderson hit .229 with seven homers and 15 RBIs in 214 at-bats for the Yankees in 2013, a season that included getting drilled by a pitch and sustaining a broken right forearm in spring training. He then was hit by a pitch in May and broke his left pinkie. In his previous two seasons with the Yankees, he hit a total of 84 homers.
But two blasts by Granderson on Tuesday served their purpose, providing the Mets a glimpse of what they can expect for their huge investment.
“I hope to see 25 more of those when the bell rings,” manager Terry Collins said.
The Mets signed the 32-year-old Granderson because of his bat, but also appreciate his contributions to a clubhouse in which he is the oldest position player. Collins recalled seeing Granderson, earlier in camp, walking across to another field for workouts, but not without first stopping to chat with prospect Brandon Nimmo, who was hitting nearby.
“That’s just the kind of person [Granderson] is, and certainly that helps make that blend in the clubhouse that much easier when you have veterans like we do that haven’t forgotten where they have come from,” Collins said.
Granderson said coming to the Mets hasn’t been a difficult transition.
“The big thing has been the energy, enthusiasm, getting their work done,” Granderson said. “There is real good team chemistry from the old guys and the young guys, which is hard to find sometimes. When you put a group like this together and everyone feels like they can talk to guys, joke with guys, jab at guys, that makes everyone comfortable.”