Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Luis Guillorme is quietly having the most productive start to a season of his career at the plate. His bat has really come around in his fifth season with the Mets, and it has started to catch more attention throughout the month of May.
Guillorme is hitting 10-for-18 over his past seven games, raising his OPS from .742 to .857 during that span. He has started five games over the past week, getting more of a chance to play in the series’ against the St. Louis Cardinals and the Colorado Rockies.
His ability to always put the ball in play has been critical to his success with the bat. Guillorme currently has a strikeout rate of 14.7 percent this season. If the infielder had enough at bats to qualify, he would rank second on the team in that statistic, only behind infielder/outfielder Jeff McNeil (10.6 percent strikeout rate).
Guillorme has always been known as a guy who really makes the pitchers work. He rarely swings at pitches out of the strike zone, leading to more walks for himself. His walk rate of 10.7 percent would rank fourth among all Mets if he had enough at bats to qualify.
The infielder played more of a bench role to begin the season, with Guillorme maybe getting a start once and twice a week. He would also see time on the field as a defensive replacement late in games. Now, the 27-year-old is showing what he is capable of with more opportunities. “I’ve been in this situation my whole career coming off the bench. I’ve got a chance and I’ve done the best I can with it,” Guillorme said.
Before this season, Guillorme never had more than 156 plate appearances in any season. Through 27 games, he already has 75, so it certainly looks like he will eclipse that number at some point in 2022. With the way he is swinging the bat right now, it is hard to keep him out of the lineup. Combined that with his defensive versatility in the infield, Guillorme should continue to play a bigger role for this time going forward.
For years, he has been known as a defense first guy within the organization. Now, Guillorme is proving that his bat can be just as valuable to this team.
