3 Concerns To Keep An Eye On
1. Defense Holding On By A Thread
The Mets are 5-7 on the road this year and the middle infield defense has played a large part in those results. Wilmer Flores and Daniel Murphy have shown signs of life at the plate, but aside from a few long balls, their offensive contributions have done little to erase their defensive woes. The truth is that both players will have to exceed their projected offensive ceilings in order to combat the negative impact they’re on pace to generate with their gloves.
Flores has hit three home runs and all have been clutch, but in the 17 games he’s played where he didn’t hit a home run? He’s a .214 hitter with only 1 extra base hit and 1 RBI to go with a handful of fielding errors and blown throws on a number of routine plays.
And Daniel Murphy? The argument lately has been that he leads the team in RBI’s (14), but consider this. Murphy generated 9 of those RBI’s in just 3 games this year in which the team went 2-1. In the other 19 games he’s played on the season? He’s a .164 hitter with 6 runs scored and only 5 RBI’s, despite an excellent 13-6 record by the team. Looking at that sample, it’s difficult to justify Murphy’s production as a necessity.
2. Plawecki Has Quite A Workload
Travis d’Arnaud or Kevin Plawecki, right? Trade one, keep one, right? I think the Mets are on the precipice of something special with this catching tandem. Behind the plate, Plawecki has been very impressive. The transition from d’Arnaud to the rookie Purdue product has been nearly seamless, however, he’s struggling at the plate.
In the minors, Plawecki profiled as a high contact hitter with a level, compact, line drive swing. So far, he’s employed that same swing, but he’s struggled to make contact at a high rate, strike out 5 times in 7 games and posted a .231 average. It’s unfair to ask a rookie catcher to step in immediately and replace the production of a red hot Travis d’Arnaud, but the Mets were really banking on that in order to remain competitive. Plawecki will eventually pick it up, but the learning curve may be too steep for what the team needs at the moment.
3. What To Make Of Montero
Not that long ago, Rafael Montero was considered a top propsect for the NY Mets. In terms of the future, his name was penciled in with the likes of Matt Harvey and Zack Wheeler as the next generation of young power pitchers. Since his debut last year, Jacob deGrom emerged as the real elite pitching prospect and Montero has been on a roller coaster ride between the bullpen and starting rotation. Now, he once again finds himself in the minors after a lackluster start against the Marlins on Tuesday.
When the team enters it’s second phase of the sixth man rotation, will Montero be called up again, or will we finally see one of the two names we’ve all been waiting for (i.e. Noah Syndergaard or Steven Matz)?
3 Positives Takeaways
1. Duda Is Making Adjustments – Still Raking
Lucas Duda is the main cog in this Mets lineup. He hits for average, hits for power, gets on base, plates runs, scores runs, etc. Recently, opposing pitchers have relied heavily on their change-ups to neutralize the left-handed power threat, but the effect has been similar to robbing Peter to pay Paul. In the Miami series, Duda went 2-9 at the plate (.222), but drew 4 walks, scored two runs and plated an RBI.
The major issue with Duda last year was that, either he produced astronomical numbers, or there was complete fall out and he added nothing. There will be periods of adjustment for any feared hitter, especially in a lineup as empty as the Mets. However, Duda also posted a .462 OBP in the Marlins series to go with those 4 walks and the return of David Wright and Travis d’Arnaud should hopefully make better use of that plate discipline.
Essentially, Duda has bought into the team’s offensive philosophy and either drove in runs off of pitches he can hit, or drawn walks when the opposition chooses to avoid him. He can’t drive in everything, the players behind him have to pick it up as well.
2. Lagares Is Swinging The Bat Real Well
Juan Lagares is hot at the plate and his batting average and on base percentage are shooting upwards because of it. The 26 year old gold glover has continued to eat up extra base hits and flash massive range in the outfield, but with the team struggling to produce runs, his presence at the plate will be crucial.
If Lagares can get on base and into scoring position ahead of Duda, the Mets may find the offensive catalyst they’ll need until Wright and d’Arnaud make a healthy return.
3. The Grandy Man Can
Over his last nine games, Curtis Granderson is batting .333/.405/.545 with a home run, 7 runs scored and 5 RBI’s. His ability to draw walks and high pitch counts out of the lead off spot have proven valuable during what would otherwise be deemed a horrid slump for the veteran outfielder, but his recent outburst has been a welcomed sight. He’ll need to sustain this outburst in order for the Mets to win.
Look for Granderson to lead the charge with Duda and Lagares as the Mets look to put a beat down on the Nationals back in Flushing.
Lets! Go! Mets!
