The Mets have performed much better on both sides of the ball since selling at the Trade Deadline, with their offense ranking fourth in WRC+ and their pitching ranking fourteenth in ERA in all of baseball. With the Mets playing loose out of the playoff picture, a few stood out in particular over the past week.

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Offensive Player of the Week: Luis Robert Jr., OF

When a player closes in on slugging close to 1.000 over a week, it is hard to argue anyone else has earned the title over them. Between August 17 and 23, Luis Robert Jr. slashed .313/.429/.938/1.366 with three home runs, four runs scored and five runs batted in. He did this while taking some of the first reps in left field of his career.

Luis Robert Jr. accomplished this by hitting the ball extremely hard. Over the week, his 98.9 miles per hour average exit velocity was the best in baseball; his 114.6 miles per hour single off White Sox pitcher Erick Fedde was one of the hardest-hit balls of the week, and his 109 miles per hour 90% exit velocity was in the top three percent. Both his 69.2% hard-hit rate and 38.5% barrel rate led MLB last week.

When Luis Robert Jr.’s ceiling is discussed, this is what has analysts salivating.

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Pitcher of the Week: Nolan McLean, SP

Nolan McLean made two starts over the last week, allowing only one run to score across his 12 innings of work. With his 0.75 ERA and 1.25 WHIP, his season ERA is creeping closer to 3.00 as he establishes himself as a true candidate for Rookie of the Year. He struck out nine, and his only blemish was walking eight.

McLean continues to limit hard contact and over these two starts ran a 32.3% hard-hit rate, which was in the top fourteen percent. He did not run gaudy strikeout numbers, but kept the ball on the ground at a 48.4% rate. This is likely because he relied heavily on his sinker, throwing it 36.9% of the time. When he did want swing-and-miss, he relied on his curveball, which ran a 40% whiff rate. It was his second most used pitch and is arguably his best. He kept hitters off balance, throwing seven different pitches, with the hardest reaching 97.9 miles per hour.

Carson Benge by Berto Carlo

Honorable Mention: Carson Benge, OF

Carson Benge would have been the clear offensive option if Robert Jr. did not have the week he did. Benge has been forcing his name into deeper Rookie of the Year consideration, and his week slashing .375/.375/.667/1.042 has helped catapult him up the ROTY rankings. This included two home runs, five runs scored, four runs batted in, and a stolen base. Since making a swing change in May, Benge has been one of the best hitters in the sport.

From August 17 to 23, Benge showed off his incredible contact ability with a 91.2% zone-contact rate, placing in the 90th percentile. His 12% whiff rate was in the 97th percentile. He did not have one of the hardest-hit balls, maxing out at 106 miles per hour, and both his barrel and hard-hit rate were around average, but his 105.5 miles per hour 90% exit velocity was in the 74th percentile. While he has not had crazy high-end velocities, Benge has shown he can reach the upper end of his exit velocities, and his 90% EV showed he continued this last week.