The Mets’ pitching staff has been fantastic to start the season, to say the least. They were considered a “weak link” throughout the offseason, but even with the early injuries to Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas, the group has proved their doubters wrong.

Both the starters and the bullpen have been clicking, as the Mets lead the majors in ERA (2.10), FIP (2.90) and fWAR (2.4).

What’s led to these elite numbers? Let’s dive into it.

Reed Garrett (75)
By: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Keeping the Ball on the Ground

Mets pitchers have done a terrific job thus far at keeping batted balls on the ground, evidenced by their collective 50.9% ground ball rate to open the season that ranks second in the league behind the Colorado Rockies (53.9%).

Some of the players who have been elite in that category are Reed Garrett (72.7%), Danny Young (71.4%), José Buttó (60%) and Griffin Canning (60%). Kodai Senga (58.3%), David Peterson (52.0%) and Clay Holmes (50.0%) have all been strong in that facet of the game as well.

Strikeouts

The Mets’ staff has excelled at punching batters out, as they have put up a 26.6 strikeout rate in the first couple weeks of the season.

One of the reasons behind their rate, which is the fourth-best in the league, has been the ability to generate whiffs at a solid rate. Another factor is the staff’s Stuff+ of 105, which is currently the seventh-best mark in MLB.

A.J. Minter leads all Mets pitchers with 16.62 strikeouts per nine, while Holmes is pacing the team’s starters with 12.27.

Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Keeping the Ball in the Park

The staff has been excellent at not allowing homers, as they’ve allowed the fewest of any unit in the league up to this point with just six in 107 innings.

Peterson is the only Mets pitchers who’s allowed multiple home runs, while the bullpen has given up two as a whole in 47 2/3 innings.

Holmes and Tylor Megill both have yet to cede a long ball while throwing 14 2/3 and 14 1/3 frames, respectively.

As mentioned at the start, the Mets’ perceived “weakest link” has instead been their strongest and done a ton of heavy lifting through the first two weeks of the season. It will be interesting to see if the club’s staff can sustain this hot start for the entire year.