“You non-core guys? PLEASE be more productive hitters.”
The Mets have a core of 5 hitters.
Alonso, Lindor, Marte, Nimmo…and Taylor.
Yes, anyone hitting .327 with 13 RBIs in 49 ABs, as Taylor is, is core.
Those 5 have 62 RBIs in the Mets’ first 24 games. Not bad.
DJ Stewart is not core, but has done well - he started slowly but he has been a fine support for those core 5.
The other 8 hitters?
Some say they’re doing good. Me? A friggin’, all-too-familiar Mets malady:
Power Brown Out Syndrome. A/K/A Power Putridity. Pukey Power.
You get the point. Let’s run it down here:
Alvarez surprisingly has had lower power results than I’d have expected, with just 4 doubles and a HR. (And, sadly, none of us expects any RBIs from him for the next 6-8 weeks.)
Then you have Bader, Baty, McNeil, Wendle, Short, Narvaez, and Nido.
Combined, those 8, including Alvarez, have had 351 at bats.
Combined, they have 16 doubles, 0 triples, 4 HRs, and 34 RBIs.
Add in 30 walks and HBPs, and 381 PAs makes their power #s look worse.
As usual, the back half of the Mets’ offense offensively - well - sucks.
Sure, combined they are hitting .250. Sounds pretty good. But…
An XBH ratio of one every 24 plate appearances?
And a HR every 95 plate appearances?
Good teams do better with their outside-the-core hitters.
You may also ask me:
Alvarez and McNeil and Bader are not (in my mind) core offensive players?
Why?
Alvarez homered on July 8, 2023, raising his average to. 248. He hit poorly thereafter, ending up at .209. His 2024 hitting was only fair prior to his recent injury. We all want him to be a core hitter. Starting July 9 last year, he has not been much of a core hitter since.
Bader is, yes, hitting .278, but with just 3 XBH and just 6 RBIs. Fair.
McNeil, in 737 PAs this year and last, has just 62 RBIs. Just not enough run production to be “core”.
Baty just 2 XBH in 81 PAs this year? Just not adequate power-wise, clearly.
The remaining 4 (Wendle, Short, Narvaez, and Nido) come in with low offensive expectations. And are meeting those low expectations dandily.
As in just 14 for 71, 4 RBIs.
Lots of “Just’s” in there. I just want better. So…
“JD MARTINEZ? Please make the Core 5 a Core 6.”
The Citi is a Pity:
As you know, if you read my articles over the years, I often rail against the fact that Citi field is a decidedly pitcher-friendly park.
So does that hold true for 2024? So far, yes.
In 2024, to date, the Mets have played 12 at home, 12 on the road.
They’ve hit .222 at home .269 on the road.
Draw your own Conclusions.
TONG TERRIFIC
We Mets fans had our brilliant Tom Terrific.
Now, we have Tong Terrific.
Jonah Tong, that is. Another brilliant St Lucie outingThursday. He fired off a 6 inning, 2 hit, no run, no walk, 9 K gem.
In 2024, he has 18.2 innings pitched, allowed a scant 12 baserunners, allowed no earned runs, and racked up a preposterous 36 Ks.
Geez. We got a hot one here.
TYLER STUART JOINS THE K CLUB
After Hamel and Scott continued their high K ways, along with Tong Terrific, Tyler Stuart got fired up and fanned 12 in 6 innings allowing a run and 4 hits for Binghamton.
LUCCHESI LABORS ON
Lucchesi threw 5 innings of 1 earned run ball. The roof, however, caved in on Wild Man Fujinama and Hartwig late in the game. Fuji has walked 11 and hit 2 batters in 5 innings. Steve Blass says that guy is WILD!
MINORS HITTING BROWN OUT
The 4 minor league teams combined for just 16 hits in “We Forgot How To Hit Thursday”. Every time you think the hitting is kicking in - it stops.
BILL METSIAC CATCHES MY OVERSIGHT
On a night of minors non-hitting, one did hit, and Bill Metsiac pointed out my oversight, as follows:
“I'm surprised you didn't mention my minor-leaguer-to-keep-an-eye-on of the early season, young Senor Ramirez. 3 more hits last night, including 3 doubles, plus a SB. He's now batting over .360!!! His numbers are screaming, "get me to Syracuse ". If he keeps hitting there, this Winter we may be asking, "Soto who?"”
Bill is right. Alex Ramirez has left his struggling 2023 season IN THE DUST!