Paul Articulates – Welcome to the drive-in

Do not adjust your TV! Although it may seem abnormal, the New York Mets have the 4th highest run total in MLB at the all-star break, trailing only the Yankees, Dodgers, and Braves.

That’s right – a team that has not cracked the top 10 in runs in any season since 2008 is now racking them up like the big boys.  This is the first time in 10 years (excluding the pandemic-shortened 2020 season) that they have even been in the top half of the league for runs scored.   For a team that is usually built around a pitching staff, the orange and blue seems to actually enjoy the offensive side of the field this year.

There are many reasons that this team is scoring, and we should take a look at them to determine whether this is a sustainable trend, or an anomaly.

1. Pete Alonso (1st) and Francisco Lindor (7th) are among the top 10 run producers in MLB.  They have both been very effective with runners in scoring position.  Pete is having a banner season with his league-leading 78 RBIs complemented by 24 HRs and an .865 OPS.  Lindor, much-maligned for his mediocre batting average has been there in the clutch with 66 RBI so far which projects to 115 for the season.  He also has scored 54 runs which projects to 94 on the season.

2. The team has been very effective in setting the table.  Mark Canha (.370), Jeff McNeil (.362), Brandon Nimmo (.358), and Starling Marte (.345) all have solid OBP stats.  With this knack for getting on base, the Mets actually have the potential to score more if they re-align the batting order.  Nimmo and Marte have typically held the top two spots, but Canha and McNeil have been buried below the run producers and are left on base far too often.

3. The base running has been more aggressive.  Lots of credit to distribute here.  Start with Francisco Lindor who has been aggressive on the base paths since he arrived in NY – stealing bases, taking two on a single, and occasionally baiting the opposing pitcher into a balk.  The addition of Marte has been great for the running game when his tightly strung muscles are not injured.  And we must not forget the job Joey Cora is doing at third.  He is challenging the defense, keeping the base-runners aware of where the ball is, and always keeping them on their toes.  When the shift is on, runners are not being held and he has them halfway down the line, intimidating the opposing pitchers.  That never happened last year.

4. Players continue to embrace the “move the line” philosophy.  There have been more “productive outs” in the first half of this year than I saw all of last year.  The Mets are #4 in Runs and #5 in RBIs amongst 30 MLB teams this year, but only 22nd in home runs.

Without a doubt, the aforementioned four points are contributing to the Mets scoring this year, which has been essential to winning as their pitching staff has been devastated by injuries.  As the season moves on into the post all-star phase, I would expect more of the same.   

Players will heat up and players will cool down, but if the Mets keep on putting players on base with smart hitting and working the pitchers, then there is enough talent in the lineup to drive them in.  

Without reliance on the long ball to score, this year’s approach is sustainable into the fall when the weather gets cooler and the ball doesn’t fly as far through the denser air.  And if the pitching returns to full strength, then this year’s 4.7 runs per game stat is going to be enough to win a lot more games.  Let’s go Mets!