In what has turned out to be a fiercely competitive division through the first month of the 2018 season, the New York Mets have done more than hold their ground.
While a few disheartening losses following the team’s early nine-game win streak have raised some concerns, the Mets will conclude their April atop the NL East at 17-9, a game and a half ahead of the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies and a blistering six games up on the Washington Nationals.
Only two of their first 26 games have been played against a team that finished with a worse record last year, mind you, and in competition with teams that ended 2017 above .500, the Mets are still 9-6.
What’s more, they’ve churned out quality baseball despite limited production from presumed offensive weapons Michael Conforto (.317 SLG), Yoenis Cespedes (.297 OBP and an NL-leading 43 strikeouts), and Amed Rosario (.606 OPS). There’s reason to believe that even with the second-best record in the NL, the Mets have only scratched the surface.
Nonetheless, there have been some clear standouts through all the swings, swoons, and nailbiters. Here’s what I’ve got:
MMO Hitter of the Month: Asdrubal Cabrera
A year ago, Met fans were prepared to say goodbye (and then some) to Asdrubal Cabrera when he and his then- .244/.321/.392 periphery demanded a trade.
It’s amazing how you can change people’s minds with one month of quality baseball.
Cabrera is currently 10th in wRC+ (170), and ninth in WAR (1.5), per FanGraphs. In terms of the more raw stats, Cabrera already has five homers and 17 RBI (only Cespedes has posted more of either), rocks a team-leading .973 OPS, and is tied for fifth in the majors in hits with 34.
With men in scoring position this year, Cabrera boasts a 1.056 OPS, and between the leadoff (.375/.432/.594), second (.381/.409/.619), third (.296/.333/.407), and fifth (.400/.471/1.000) spots, he’s swung the most consistent bat in a lineup that, although off the heels of a rip-roaring series against the San Diego Padres, is still just seventh in the NL with a .714 OPS.
At second base, he’s no Edgardo Alfonzo, but Cabrera still has yet to commit an error. Defensive metrics aren’t as kind to him as they are on the other side of the ball, but any fan that remembers the frustrations of 2017 has no trouble forgetting his struggles at short. The adjustment has gone over rather smoothly for the first month, and it’s definitely shown. Not bad for a guy who seemed to have his bags packed and tickets booked just a year ago.
Honorable Mention: Todd Frazier
For starters, if we’re taking defense into consideration, nobody has changed the game in Queens the way Todd Frazier has. He’s already turned five double plays this year. He’s on pace to turn 31… that’d be nearly four times as many as Wilmer Flores turned last year.
Frazier’s 141 wRC+, 1.1 WAR, and considerably smaller 13.1 percent soft-contact rate (per FanGraphs) are just a few numbers the Mets’ front office insisted would come about when they invested in the Toms River native. Frazier, like Cabrera, has 17 RBI to his name, but has also collected a team-leading 20 walks, which has beautifully accented a lineup that was known for its free swingers not too long ago.
MMO Pitcher of the Month: Robert Gsellman
While Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard have made some remarkable strides in the early going, it’s hard to envision the current pitching staff without Robert Gsellman, who has blossomed into a very strong relief pitcher.
In a relatively undefined role, Gsellman has bounced between long-relief shifts and short yet critical bailout calls. Few words, however, can truly define what his turnaround, best characterized by a 1.80 ERA and 1.85 FIP, has meant on a larger scale… especially for somebody who also struggled to get a hold of his attitude in a miserable 2017 season.
Gsellman has faced a bullpen-high 63 batters this season. He has struck out 19 batters. Only 19 batters have even reached base against him, for what it’s worth, and his 30.2 percent strikeout percentage, admittedly at a smaller sample, is still miles beyond what we expected given his 14.9% rate the year before. 24 left-handed hitters have stepped in to face Gsellman this year. Nobody has come away with a hit. With men in scoring position, Gsellman has held his opponents to a .364 OPS.
Of course, a lot of successful relievers simply have yet to be exposed, but Gsellman’s newfound approach to hitters has definitely made him harder to crack. He has toned down the use of his fastball, complementing the mercurial sink action instead with a rediscovered slider and changeup. His 59.5% ground ball rate ranks him among the top 25 relievers in baseball right now. In other words, he’s thrown like a quality reliever, and he’s done so carrying out a variety of roles.
Honorable Mention: Jacob deGrom
There’s no really enjoying the first month of baseball without singing the praises of Jacob deGrom in some way. deGrom, although 3-0, was robbed of two victories by bullpen meltdowns against Washington and Atlanta (neither of which involved Gsellman, by the way).
deGrom has yet to allow more than four runs in a start. He’s already cracked seven innings three times this season, while a 2.06 ERA (fifth in the NL), 1.042 WHIP (14th), 11.0 K/9 (seventh), and 2.5 BB/9 (16th) have headlined a performance that, at the very least, can be considered ace-caliber. Of course, his success shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise, but his presence as a momentum-shifter should be noted nonetheless.
The upcoming month, which consists of 10 games across three series between the Braves and Phillies (two and one, respectively), presents an opportunity for the Mets to firmly assert themselves as contenders in a division historically dictated by first-half play since 2010.
While the sterling pitching staff and robust offense have helped the Mets in Aprils past, such a resurgence has been more than just a pleasant surprise. 17 wins out of 26 is not nearly the same as 95 wins in a full season, but the on-field harmony, when there, has said plenty about the kind of culture Mickey Callaway and the Mets have adopted.
If Robert Gsellman and Asdrubal Cabrera, both of whom ended 2017 with dubious fates, can seize the first month of the season, it’s only fair to expect a pretty summer when the team really settles.
