Tom Brennan: Mets All Time HBP Leaders

Sometimes, as Kevin Pillar once found out, HBPs can be downright dangerous

Saw the chart below on Baseball Reference.  

It just, I dunno, it just kinda hit me.  How so?

Current roster Mets are ranked 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 8th in Mets career HBPs.  What is interesting is none of those 4 is in the top 10 in Mets plate appearances.  David Wright was up 6,872 times as a Met, #1 in PAs, yet was plunked just 45 times, or once every 153 times up.  

Alonso, on the other hand, has been plunked 85 times in 3,607 PAs (1 every 42 times up).  Nimmo 80 HBPs in 3713 PAs, or once every 46 PAs.

This is a disruptive injury risk to the team. My offhand guess is that once in every 25 HBPs, a guy ends up on the IL. 

Pitchers need to see their hitters being targeted and retaliate, to protect.  

If a cop is giving out tickets visibly, many drivers slow down. 

If our pitchers nail opposing hitters in retaliation, the Mets' hitters' HBP rate should drop, too.

Of course, there are a few players who want to be HBP to drive up their OBP, such as Ron Hunt after he left the Mets, and Mark Canha.  A risky strategy, but one that can work for a player come contract time, if he manages to avoid long injuries from HBP.  If Mark Canha got hit at only a league average rate, his OBP would drop and likely his salary would, too. 

Anyway, here's the chart:

Hit By Pitch
1.	Pete Alonso	85
2.	Brandon Nimmo	80
3.	Jeff McNeil	77
4.	Michael Conforto	50
5.	Lucas Duda	48
6.	David Wright	45
7.	Ron Hunt	41
8.	Cleon Jones	39
	Francisco Lindor	39
10.	Mark Canha	37
	Cliff Floyd	37