Mets Player Performance Meter: Position players, April 15-21
The Mets had an excellent week, stopping the surging Pirates in their tracks with a three-game sweep at home before taking the first two out of three from the Dodgers in LA. The offense performed very well this week right up until yesterday’s game when they were shut out by Tyler Glasnow for eight innings. But a healthy Glasnow can do that to the best of lineups. The worst news of the week was the news of Francisco Alvarez’s injury. Pete Alonso slumped this week as well, but the rest of the lineup was able to weather that with Starling Marte remaining the Mets’ most consistent hitter, the Mets continuing to get contributions off the bench, and Francisco Lindor finally coming around with the bat.
We’ll get the bad news out of the way first. In Friday’s game Francisco Alvarez injured his thumb in a stumble as he rounded first base and imaging revealed a torn ligament that will require surgery and sideline him for 6-8 weeks. It’s a huge blow for the Mets, as Alvarez is very valuable on both sides of the plate. As if to underscore that point, Omar Narváez, now serving as the starting catcher, went hitless in ten plate appearances this week, reaching base just once via a walk. Tomás Nido was called up from Triple-A Syracuse to serve as the backup catcher and made an impact defensively in the first game he played in, throwing out a runner trying to steal; it was the first caught stealing for the Mets this season. Nido, who was hitting well in Syracuse, is 1-for-3 with the bat so far since returning.
Brett Baty had to miss some time this week as well due to hamstring tightness, but his injury was not serious enough to warrant a trip to the injured list; he returned as a pinch hitter in Saturday’s game and started yesterday’s game. Baty had just one hit—a single—in eleven plate appearances this week. He also reached base once via a hit by pitch and scored a run.
Pete Alonso is the everyday player who has seen the biggest drop-off from last week to this week, putting up a dismal 33 wRC+ in 26 plate appearances. He had just four hits and only one of those was for extra bases. Alonso scored three runs, drove in a run, and walked twice this week.
Brandon Nimmo also had a mediocre week with a 60 wRC+ in 28 plate appearances. He had just three hits—all singles. He also struck out a whopping eight times, which is tied for the team lead and very un-Nimmo like. That said, his four walks were also tied for the team lead and he was hit by two pitches, so he has a respectable .321 on-base percentage for the week. Nimmo scored three runs and drove in three runs this week.
The other player to walk four times this week is DJ Stewart, who has been the Mets’ hottest hitter of late. In addition to the four walks, in just 15 plate appearances, Stewart collected four hits, including a double and a home run, drove in four runs, and scored two runs—good for a team-leading 242 wRC+ for the week. It was Stewart who got things started for the Mets in Friday’s victory with a solo homer in the second inning. Stewart’s playing time could get slashed significantly when J.D. Martinez arrives (possibly this week), but there is no doubt he has turned things around sufficiently to stick around.
Speaking of turning things around, Francisco Lindor is finally in the green, posting a fantastic 171 wRC+ for the week. Most importantly, he is finally hitting from the left side. Friday’s game marked Lindor’s first extra base hit from the left side and it was a big one—a go-ahead two-run homer that put the Mets in front for good in the series opener in LA. It was like a monkey off Lindor’s back and he has looked much more comfortable ever since. His eight hits this week lead the team and three of those eight hits were for extra bases, including that home run. Lindor scored five runs, drove in four runs, and walked twice this week.
Starling Marte also had a huge home run in the Dodgers series in Saturday’s game in the sixth. Marte remains the Mets’ most consistent hitter, leading the team in runs scored (6) and RBIs (8) this week. He is also the only Met to steal multiple bases this week and the only Met to go deep more than once this week. Overall, he put up a 133 wRC+ for the week and continues to look a lot more like 2022 Starling Marte than 2023 Starling Marte, which is huge for the Mets.
Harrison Bader rounds out the quartet of Mets with long balls this week, as he continues to be productive on both sides of the ball. Bader posted a 151 wRC+ in 24 plate appearances this week and his five RBIs are second only to Marte for the team lead. His seven hits match Marte’s total as well and are second only to Lindor for the team lead. As the home run indicates, he is starting to hit for power as well. He has three extra base hits this week, including a clutch double in Monday’s victory that helped the Mets get to .500. And they have not looked back since.
Jeff McNeil also collected seven hits this week, including four doubles, good for a 138 wRC+ for the week. One of those doubles was part of a seventh inning rally for the Mets in which they plated two runs to go ahead of the Pirates on Tuesday and eventually secure the series victory. That represented McNeil’s only run batted in of the week, but he also scored three runs and stole a base.
Tyrone Taylor continues to be a key contributor for the Mets off the bench. Taylor had a huge day in the Mets’ 9-1 victory over the Pirates in their series sweep on Wednesday, going 3-for-4 with two RBIs, a run scored, and a stolen base. That represents the entirety of his run production for the week, but he did have an additional hit in his nine plate appearances for the week.
Joey Wendle had a solid week with the bat, but continues to struggle defensively, making costly errors in the field. Wendle had four hits in nine plate appearances, driving in a run and scoring two runs. Zack Short, meanwhile, went hitless in six plate appearances this week, but did walk twice and score two runs.
