Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports
Two of the big keys for the Mets going forward in the 2021 season (and for at least three years beyond that) will be the contributions of shortstop Francisco Lindor and catcher James McCann.
The Mets two key offensive acquisitions of the offseason got off to miserable starts, Lindor had a .494 OPS the day that Chili Davis was fired (May 3) and McCann had his season-low at .494 on May 16.
Lindor now has a .762 OPS over his last 24 games and has been even better recently with a 1.023 OPS over his last six games. Lindor’s overall line of .211/.304/.317 is still underwhelming, but his elite defense has him at 0.9 bWAR for the season.
The switch-hitter went 1-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored in the Mets loss on Wednesday night, it was his six straight game with a hit.
It was another good night for McCann as well, he blasted his fifth home run of the season, a two-run shot off Yu Darvish in the sixth inning. It was the fourth time in nine games that McCann has homered and his seventh extra base hit in that span. During those nine games, McCann is hitting .344/.382/.813 with 11 RBIs.
The hot stretch from McCann has boosted his OPS up to .668 for the season.
With no return in sight for J.D. Davis, Brandon Nimmo, Jeff McNeil, and Michael Conforto, guys like Lindor and McCann will have to continue hitting well if the Mets are going to stick in first place.
