The month of May was an up and down month for the Mets. Initially they started off great and won three straight series to begin the month. They followed that with a seven game losing streak before righting the ship, hopefully. They finished 13-14 for the month of May.
The Mets are currently 23-28, second place in the NL East. They also lost their closer, Jeurys Familia, to injury. They did get back some pieces like Lucas Duda and they got good news on their walking dead. Yoenis Cespedes, Steven Matz, and Seth Lugo could all return in early June strengthening the team. The team has played better as of late, let’s hope the reinforcements provide a huge boost.
Pitcher of the Month: Paul Sewald
Who would have thought this in early April? Who would’ve thought this in early May? Sewald was tied for second with Addison Reed in fWAR for the Month of May. Jacob deGrom finished ahead of both with a 0.8 fWAR to their 0.5 fWAR. The caveat was he threw 13 more innings than Sewald. Sewald was a 2012 9th round selection. He has found success just about everywhere in the minor leagues. With the injury to Familia, it is very possible Sewald is Addison Reed’s new partner in crime. He has started to climb the bullpen ladder as he served as Addison Reed’s setup man on Memorial Day against the Brewers. He has also shown the ability to be an effective multiple innings reliever. For the month of May, Sewald had a 1.42 ERA in 19 innings with 24 strikeouts. His control, ability to keep the ball in the park, and high strikeout numbers show his numbers are not just a fluke.
Honorable Mention: Zack Wheeler
This was Jacob deGrom‘s spot to lose but he had an awful start on the last night of May which made me pick Wheeler for this spot. Wheeler had a 2.73 ERA in May over 23 innings. He had a stretch as the best starter on the team which is great considering he missed two years. We could not have asked for more from Zack this season.
Hitter of the Month: Michael Conforto
Conforto had a slash of .316/.427/.633 in May along with a 177 wRC+ and .438 wOBA. His fWAR for May was at 1.3, 11th best in the MLB. This is following a great April where he took the starting outfield job and ran with it. There really isn’t much more to say about how great he has been. Conforto wins this award for the second straight month to begin the season.
Honorable Mention: Neil Walker
Walker came second to Conforto for fWAR in the month of May. His was at 1.1 while slashing .333/.382/.559 with a 152 wRC+ and .400 wOBA. His fWAR was third among all second basemen in the month of May. Only Devon Travis and Chris Taylor were better. Walker struggled in April but was great in May.
