Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
With the Major League Baseball season a little bit over a quarter of the season way through, we figured it would be a great time to kickstart our National League East updates.
Pretty much since the word go on the 2022 season, it’s been the Mets atop the division and the rest of the teams playing below .500 ball. The Mets lead in the NL East has been the biggest division lead in MLB and they enter May 27 with a seven and half-game lead.
New York Mets (29-17)
Last 10: 6-4
Who’s Hot: Francisco Lindor
The Mets start shortstop has a 1.110 OPS and 11 RBIs over his last eight games and had five extra base hits in the series loss to the Giants. Lindor is currently at 1.6 WAR by FanGraphs, which is tied for fourth among MLB shortstops.
Who’s Not: Mets Starters
Chris Bassitt and Thomas Szapucki became just the sixth group of starting pitchers to allow at least eight runs in consecutive games. The Mets have Max Scherzer, Jacob deGrom, and Tylor Megill on the injured list and that has left them a bit short on pitching depth. Megill is certainly the closest to returning, and he could throw a bullpen this weekend as he tries to return from biceps tendinitis.
Atlanta Braves (21-24, 7.5 GB)
Last 10: 5-5
Who’s Hot: William Contreras
The young catcher has been so hot (7 HR in 14 games), that the Braves recently started Contreras in left field. Before this season, the 24-year-old had only logged innings as a catcher in the minors and majors.
Who’s Not: Adam Duvall
Duvall led all NL hitters last season with 113 RBIs and he played a big role in the Braves championship run after being acquired in July from the Marlins. This season, Duvall has been one of the worst regulars in baseball this year with a 51 OPS+. The outfielder has only three extra base hits in May compared to 26 strikeouts.
Philadelphia Phillies (21-24, 7.5 GB)
Last 10: 4-6
Who’s Hot: Bryce Harper
The reigning MVP is hitting .387/.413/.800 with 10 doubles, seven home runs, and 17 RBIs in May. Harper’s .627 slugging percentage leads the National League and his .989 OPS trails only Paul Goldschmidt.
Who’s Not: Alec Bohm
After a strong start offensively (.988 OPS through 2 weeks), the third baseman has only one home run and 27 strikeouts in May. He has also hit into as many double plays (3) as he has walks (3) in that span.
Miami Marlins (18-24, 9.0 GB)
Last 10: 4-6
Who’s Hot: Jorge Soler
The 2021 World Series MVP was terrible in April with a .175/.284/.303 slash line. Soler has been a completely different hitting over the last 13 games with three doubles and six home runs in that time.
Who’s Not: Avisail Garcia
The Marlins gave Garcia a four-year contract after he posted a 117 OPS+ for the Brewers in 2021, but the early returns on that deal are ugly. His 2.6% walk rate is the lowest among 169 qualified hitters and his 29.6 K% is the 16th highest. There are only three hitters (Marcus Semien, Jonathan Schoop, Ramiel Tapia) with a worse wRC+ than Garcia’s 50.
Washington Nationals (16-30, 13.0 GB)
Last 10: 4-6
Who’s Hot: Nelson Cruz
Going into the Nationals game on May 6, the veteran Cruz was hitting .143/.233/.209 with the same amount of extra base hits (2) as double plays (2) hit into. Since then, the designated hitter has a .888 OPS with 12 RBIs in 18 games. He’s striking out only 18.6% of the time for the season. n
Who’s Not: Juan Soto
Soto is 4-for-37 in his last 11 games, proving that even the great hitters go into slumps too. He has walked nine times in that span, though he’s seen his OPS drop from .916 to .803 as well.
