Mike's Mets - Man the Lifeboats, Part 2

 

By Mike Steffanos

Today we look at the New York Mets' position players as we search for some reason to hold onto hope for the 2023 season.

We're doing a series of posts looking at the current state of the struggling New York Mets. Yesterday, we discussed the starting pitching, which was supposed to be a strength for this club but has, at least this far, been their Achilles Heel. I intended to move onto the bullpen next, but with today's callup of prospect Mark Vientos, let's look at the position players instead.

The Mets lineup was a strength of the 2022 club for about 3/4 of the season. Unfortunately, they saved the worst for last. The lineup came up short in September and in their playoff series against the Padres. Owner Steve Cohen acknowledged his club was a bat short this winter and tried to rectify that by signing Carlos Correa in a drama that played out over the holiday season and into the New Year. As I'm sure you know, that didn't work out.

My hope as a fan was that contributions from some of their prospects could boost the Mets offensively this season enough to offset the loss of Correa. Instead, the whole team is struggling offensively simultaneously with the underperformance of the starting pitching. It's a double dose of badness that has contributed to the Mets' dismal 20-23 record and the real possibility that they may not recover.

On the other hand, there have been some positive developments. Although, as with all rookies, Brett Baty and Francisco Álvarez have endured ups and downs, both have held their own offensively and defensively. And no, that's not to say that either is tearing up major league pitching. But they both look like they belong in the big leagues.

Álvarez has slashed .254/.323/.475 over his last 20 games — numbers that 90% of the veteran catchers in MLB would be happy with — while earning raves over his surprisingly solid defensive play. Francisco still needs to cut down on the strikeouts, but he seems to be going in the right direction.

Meanwhile, Baty has scuffled a bit at the plate this month but shows signs of coming out of it. He still gives the club really solid, professional-looking at-bats. Brett is striking out less often than Álvarez. He just needs to tap into his power more consistently. Baty's .244/.330/.397 slash line through his first 24 MLB games this season won't put him as a favorite in the Rookie of the Year balloting, but that's a solid line for a kid still figuring things out.

Up to this point, Baty and Álvarez look like they're here to stay. The hope is that they can find more consistency as they gain more MLB experience and help the Mets turn things around this season. But even if that doesn't happen, their development bodes well for the Mets going forward as the club attempts to transition away from depending completely upon older players at the tail end of their MLB careers.

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