In what has so far been a mostly disappointing and disheartening season, there have been a few bright spots. Michael Conforto seems to have found his stroke and has cemented himself as a run-producing leadoff hitter. While he has been producing at a high level, his outfield counter part Jay Bruce has been doing the same.
So far in 2017, Bruce has hit .293 with nine home runs and 22 RBIs. Those numbers grew sharply last night when he went 2-for-5 with two home runs; A two-run shot in the first and an opposite-field grand slam in the 9th.
Unfortunately, Bruce and Conforto (.344, 7 HR, 16 RBI) are the only healthy players that are producing offensively. The best batting average in the starting lineup after Bruce was Asdrubal Cabrera‘s .247. After that is T.J. Rivera with .226, then Neil Walker with .211, Travis d’Arnaud with .203, Juan Lagares with .179, and Jose Reyes with .172 not to mention Curtis Granderson‘s .122 mark on the season so far.
“We have to step up,” Bruce said. “I wouldn’t say that we need to try harder or try and do more. We just need to work and prepare and get ready to play.”
I wish I could wrap up this article with something positive, but apart from Conforto and Bruce, nobody on this Mets team is hitting right now.
As a team, the Mets are slashing .220/.295/.405 on the young season. They are 28th in batting average, 26th in hits, 26th in doubles, 24th in stolen bases, and wouldn’t you know, 3rd in home runs. As was the case last season, they are hitting home runs but that’s it. Like Bruce said, they have to step up.
