It’s hard not to notice how ferocious the Mets offense has been this Spring, putting up runs at a pace we haven’t seen from this team in many years in spring training or the regular season.
I think it’s too simplistic to just brush this off under the guise that spring training stats don’t mean anything. Production at this pace and this late in camp is nothing to be sneezed at. And to what do we attribute this new found proficiency at the plate? I have to believe that new hitting coach Kevin Long is at the heart of this offensive resurgence.
While Long’s addition to this team’s coaching staff had a lot to do with reuniting him with Curtis Granderson, it seems his impact has gone far beyond that as many Mets hitters have taken to his infectious enthusiasm about getting this team to reach their offensive expectations.
When spring training began, Long looked at each of his charges and saw the best they could be. He said David Wright could be an All Star again, he said Daniel Murphy is a future batting champion, he likened Juan Lagares‘ approach to Robinson Cano, and said he saw the makings of something special in Wilmer Flores. Quite frankly, I don’t recall any other Mets hitting coach coming in and tossing around accolades like that.
And then there all the new approaches, not the numbers, the approaches. Among the veterans Wright is driving the ball to all fields, and Granderson is now powering those balls he used to whiff at to the opposite field with authority. Then there’s the younger Mets like Flores and Lagares who hardly look like the same hitters we saw last September. Whatever work Long has done with those two has been a revelation.
Terry Collins spoke about Long’s work with Lagares on Friday.
“He’s really bought into some of the stuff Kevin and Pat are doing, and I think it’s really helped him. The visualization stuff they are doing has really helped. I haven’t ever seen him swing the bat this good. It doesn’t seem like he’s fooled by anything.”
Long also knows when to step back as he has with Michael Cuddyer whose only advice to him was to remind him he’s a great hitter and to just work on consistency and believing in himself.
He treats each player according to their own skill sets and capabilities, refusing to blanket the team with a one-size-fits-all approach to their craft. He explained that to David Lennon of Newsday.
“There’s a lot of good vibes going on,” Long said. “It’s really just about getting to know guys and what makes them tick. We’ve still got a lot of work to do, but I feel like we’re in a pretty good spot right now.”
Lets look at some of the early returns from key starting players:
Michael Cuddyer (40 AB) .350 AVG, .366 OBP, .850 SLG, 1.216 OPS
Curtis Granderson (36 AB) .444 AVG, .523 OBP, .667 SLG, 1.189 OPS
Juan Lagares (47 AB) .383 AVG, .431 OBP, .745 SLG, 1.176 OPS
Wilmer Flores (45 AB) .333 AVG, .354 OBP, .556 SLG, .910 OPS
David Wright (36 AB) .278 AVG, .297 OBP, .556 SLG, .853 OPS
What about our bench?
John Mayberry Jr. (39 AB) .436 AVG, .500 OBP, .718 SLG, 1.218 OPS
Kirk Nieuwenhuis (47 AB) .362 AVG, .464 OBP, .468 SLG, .932 OPS
Eric Campbell (45 AB) .267 AVG, .400 OBP, .578 SLG, .978 OPS
Whatever religion Long is preaching, it’s very infectious. Prospects and minor leaguers like Daniel Muno, Matt Reynolds, Matt den Dekker and Johnny Monell are all enjoying impressive showings, so much so, that they’ve made a strong impression on team brass.
Again, yes it’s just spring training, but the Mets are one of the best offensive teams in MLB right now. The Mets rank first in MLB with .363 OBP, .492 SLG, .855 OPS, and 99 extra-base hits. They rank second in hits (243), runs (143), doubles (61), and walks (89), and are third with 31 home runs.
I don’t know about you guys, but I’m excited by these numbers, and I’m thrilled with what Long has done so far. When I said Kevin Long was the biggest acquisition the Mets made this offseason, I was only half hoping that was true. I never expected this. Bring on the regular season.
