Paul Articulates – A look at the infield

In Tuesday’s all-star game, there was a point in the middle innings when I realized that the entire National League infield was Atlanta Braves.  Matt Olson was on first, Ozzie Albies was at second, Orlando Arcia was at short, and Austin Riley was at third.  Certainly this was a reflection of the outstanding year that Atlanta is having, but it also had a very foreboding quality.  With the Mets striving to build the best team in the east, and with a strong set of players in their infield that we thought were “keepers”, I had to ask myself, “Do the Mets have an infield to compete with the Braves?”

Before going forward, I want to clarify something.  Baseball games are not won or lost by competitions between infielders – they are won or lost by the full teams.  However, it is reasonable to compare two teams position by position to see which has the advantage in a majority of positions.  

So since the all-star infield struck a chord with me, I will compare the infields today.  

First Base: The Braves pulled a coup last year by acquiring Matt Olson from the Oakland A’s after Freddie Freeman left as a free agent in a controversial departure.  No one would have expected that the Braves would come out of that exchange in good shape, but Olson has out-performed expectations so far.  In 2022, Olson slashed .240/.325/.477 with 34 Home Runs and 103 RBI.  This year, he has exceeded that level, slashing .254/.358/.569 with 29 Home Runs and 72 RBI at the midway point.  His defense has been credible, and he seems less “hit or miss” in his approach at the plate.  One could argue that he deserved to make the all-star team although if Alonso had not taken a step back after his injury he probably would have been the starter.  Speaking of Alonso, his pre-injury statistics were outstanding as he led the league in both HRs and RBI at one point.  Since then he has come back to earth, but he still has an impressive 26 home runs and 62 RBI at the break.  His average has dropped significantly in the post-injury slump so his slash line is suffering at .211/.310/.497 which is much worse than last year’s .271/.352/.518.   Even though Olson has been impressive, I think Pete’s power numbers since he came into the league give him an edge over his rival.

Second Base:  Ozzie Albies made the all-star team this year on the back of his power numbers – 22 home runs and 63 RBI is a lot of punch for any second baseman not named Sandberg.  His .262/.316/.510 slash line is very good, and looks very similar to what he posted in 2021 which was his last healthy full season.  The Mets counter with last year’s batting champion Jeff McNeil.  Or at least someone that looks like him.  McNeil has fallen into a bizarre slump over the last few weeks where he is not making solid contact with the ball.  This is very unlike him, as his hand-eye coordination has always been a strong point.  He is still at .253/.331/.328 but his average was in the .290s back in June.  Both Albies and McNeil have slightly negative OAA results (-2 and -1 respectively), but McNeil is a much more capable defensive player as he can play both corner outfield positions as well as second base and possibly third if necessary.  Overall, I would pick McNeil but this year Albies is having a better year.

Short Stop: When the Mets acquired Francisco Lindor, they made a statement to the rest of the league that they were ready to compete for a championship.  Lindor is a strong defensive player who has really shown what he can do in the post-shift baseball world.  He hits with power from both sides of the plate and has been particularly good driving in runs, ranking eighth in the NL with 60 at the break.  His leadership and durability are non-statistical plusses that make him more valuable.  In Orlando Arcia, the Braves have found another gem to replace a free agent star (Danby Swanson).  Arcia earned his place on the all-star team by hitting .294/345/.424 and his defense has been stellar.  His +7 OAA ranks in the 96th percentile in MLB.  He is not a rookie, having been in the league since 2016, but this has been a career year for him this far.  Can he sustain it, or will he come back towards his career .248 batting average?  Only time will tell, but if I was building a contender I would chose Lindor over Arcia every time.

Third Base: The Braves have a star in Austin Riley at third.  Riley has put up consistent numbers for the last three years as a hitter.  His .271/.337/.497 career slash line is not quite in Nolan Arenado territory, but it is very impressive.  Like Arenado, he is good for 30-40 HRs per year.  Riley seems to be improving year over year in the field as well, and he learned a thing or two from Chipper Jones about being a Met killer.  On the Mets side, we have prospect Brett Baty who has been seeing consistent time at third with the departure of Eduardo Escobar.  Baty has a beautiful power swing from the left side of the plate and as he becomes more accustomed to MLB pitching he could blossom.  However, right now Riley is clearly a better player offensively and defensively so the Braves have an advantage.

As a summary, I feel better having looked closer into these comparisons than I did Tuesday night.  The Braves have had an impressive season and their infield has earned the accolades this year.  But in the long term battle for supremacy in the NL East, I don’t think the Braves have a decisive advantage in the infield.