Players of the Week: Alonso and Butto Enjoy Strong Starts

The Mets played a much-improved brand of baseball this past week, and after an 0-5 start to the season, they now sit with a 7-8 record on the season. The offense took a huge step forward after struggling mightily to begin the year, headlined by a 16-run outburst in Atlanta on Thursday, which marked a team-high in runs scored. Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo, DJ Stewart, Brett Baty and Francisco Lindor all had huge contributions leading to wins.

Offensive Player of the Week: Pete Alonso

Alonso climbed up the Major League Baseball home run leaderboard by blasting four home runs in a four-game span, two of which came in Saturday’s 11-7 loss to the Kansas City Royals. He went into the week with a .567 OPS before raising it to .951 on the season. Alonso went 7 for 21 (.333 AVG) at the plate between Monday and Sunday while tallying seven runs and seven RBI.

It was only a matter of time before the Polar Bear got back on track offensively. His prowess as a power hitter has shown throughout his career, and Alonso is banking on his abilities in a contract year. Alonso is the heart and soul of this Mets lineup, with the capability to propel the offense to greater heights.

Alonso scored the go-ahead run on a Harrison Bader infield single in Sunday’s 2-1 win over the Royals after working a walk in the bottom of the eighth inning. It was the first run scored in the contest. He has shown an improved eye at the plate this week by walking six times. Entering Monday’s game, Alonso walked just once over the Mets’ first nine games. The better he sees the zone, the more dangerous he becomes at the dish.

Pitcher of the Week: José Butto

Butto is making his case on why he should be a part of the current starting rotation. On Sunday, he went toe-to-toe with the Royals’ young ace Cole Ragans in the rubber match. His fastball command was fantastic throughout his six innings of work, although he did not pick up a win due to the Mets offense scoring in the later innings. Butto was nearly perfect in his start, allowing only two hits and one walk while striking out nine. You could make the case it was his best start in his major league career thus far. Perhaps Dwight Gooden‘s number retirement before the game helped propel him to a higher level of play.

To make his outing more impressive, it was his first appearance since he received the nod in Game 2 of the April 4 doubleheader against the Detroit Tigers. In two starts this season, he has collected 15 strikeouts in 12 innings with just one earned run charged to his name. With his six shutout innings on Sunday, he lowered his season ERA to 0.75. With Kodai Senga and Tylor Megill both sidelined due to injury for the foreseeable future, Butto has earned himself a spot on the big league roster.

Honorable Mention: Brandon Nimmo

If it hadn’t been for Alonso’s power surge, Nimmo would have earned the honor of being this week’s top player. Heck, his performance on Monday night in Atlanta was a week’s worth of production alone when he drove two home runs over the center field wall to lift the Mets to an 8-7 win over the Braves. Nimmo went 4 for 4 with a walk Monday night, reaching base safely in all five of his plate appearances. He enjoyed a nice week at the plate, compiling five extra-base hits and two multi-hit games. Nimmo worked a walk with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 8th inning in Sunday’s game to give the Mets a two-run lead, which proved to be vital after Edwin Díaz allowed a solo home run to Royals’ first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino.

The Mets finished the week with a 4-2 record, taking two of three in both series played. Showing they can compete with the reigning National League East division champions was a major step in the right direction for Carlos Mendoza‘s squad. The Mets now have three consecutive series wins, seemingly leaving the tough start in the rearview mirror.

Up Next

The Mets will take on the Pittsburgh Pirates (11-5) in a three-game series at Citi Field starting Monday night. Pittsburgh is coming off of a four-game series split with the Philadelphia Phillies. Adrian Houser (0-1, 5.40 ERA, 4 SO) will go up against Martín Pérez (1-0, 1.89 ERA, 15 SO) on Jackie Robinson Day.