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Don’t look now, but after some early season hiccups, the New York Mets have quietly become one of the best defensive teams in the major leagues.

As of Thursday afternoon, the Mets ranked second in MLB with 22 defensive runs saved (Thanks to fieldingbible.com). One of the biggest reason’s for the Mets turnaround from a bottom of the league defensive team to near the top, is their aggressive shifting in 2021.

The Mets now shift the second most in baseball at 55.5% (shifted only 21.4% in 2020), only the Dodgers have more often at 55.6% in 2021. With that, the Mets are tied for best in the majors with 11 defensive runs saved while shifting.

So, how did they get to this point?

It didn’t seem too long ago when the Mets were booting routine plays at Wrigley Field against the Chicago Cubs, which led to several big innings and a series sweep.

But in reality, they have come a long way since hitting rock bottom in the field.

Despite suffering an array of injuries on their roster, the Mets have stayed afloat via pitching and defense. And it seems as though a new player is stepping up every night to make a gem at their position, which has saved several runs in the field.

Metsmerized is here to give you a closer look at how they’ve been able to turn things around on defense.

Outfield

Let’s start in the outfield.

On Wednesday night, it was rookie Khalil Lee, who made a great catch near the wall in right field to bail out relief pitcher Miguel Castro and save a run in the seventh inning.

But these plays have become a bit of the norm as of late.

Before Michael Conforto hit the I.L. with a hamstring strain last Sunday, he was playing a gold glove caliber right field. These days, it is not unusual to see Conforto robbing hitters with leaping grabs at the wall, or laying out to take an extra base hit away in the gap.

The Mets will miss his glove out in right, but when he gets back, he should resume his case as one of baseball’s best defensive outfielders. Oddly enough, according to Fangraphs, Conforto has negative-one defensive runs saved and a -0.3 UZR, but if you’ve watched him out there this year, your eyes will tell you a different story and these numbers should improve as the season progresses.

In center field, Brandon Nimmo and Kevin Pillar have gotten the bulk of the playing time with defensive whiz Albert Almora Jr. getting some action out there, as well. Unfortunately, all three players now reside on the IL, but before they went down with their respective injuries, all three individuals were more than steady.

Nimmo has yet to record a DRS in center, but has one in left field this year. According to the numbers, he is much less of a liability in center this season and appears to be more comfortable. While some said Pillar couldn’t play center anymore, he has posted a 0.9 UZR. And as for Almora, he has a 0.4 UZR and has made several amazing catches at the wall this season.

One surprise player, who has shown major improvement in left field is Dominic Smith. In 251.1 innings, Smith leads all Mets outfielders with three defensive runs saved and a 1.1 UZR. This is a promising sign given the fact that he was thrust out there this season due to the fact that MLB took away the DH in the National League  after having a universal one in 2020.

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Infield

Speaking of Smith, who got his first start of the season at first base on Wednesday, he  made a tremendous pick on a throw in the dirt to get out of a three-run fifth inning. This kept the game within two runs and allowed the Mets to come back to take the lead later on.

Regular first baseman Pete Alonso has also made positive strides defensively this season after a rough 2020 campaign. Although Alonso does not yet have a defensive run saved, he has made numerous nifty diving plays at his position to save several balls from reaching the outfield grass.

With second baseman Jeff McNeil (two DRS this season) dealing with a hamstring issue, Jose Peraza has stepped up in his place and has already produced a defensive run saved. Not only that, but Peraza has made some impressive leaping grabs and picks in the field.

Although recently signed shortstop Francisco Lindor hasn’t gotten off to the best of starts at the plate, he has been quite smooth in the field. Lindor has shown off his range and the ability to turn a number of double plays to help his pitchers escape jams and limit their pitch counts. He has also recorded a 0.2 UZR.

At the hot corner, J.D. Davis and Jonathan Villar have mainly manned the third base position. With Davis and Luis Guillorme making their way back from the IL, Villar has stepped up as the everyday starter at third. Both Davis and Villar have been shaky in the field with a combined five errors and negative-three DRS between the two of them. With Davis close to a return, he will likely slide back in at third, and Villar could get some time in center field, per Luis Rojas.

Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

Catcher

Behind the plate, the Mets have upgraded significantly at catcher after watching Wilson Ramos struggle defensively for the past two seasons.

They did this by signing James McCann to a four-year, $40 million deal. While McCann has had an ugly start offensively slashing .206/.269/.242, he has done a great job handling the Mets’ pitching staff and fielding his position behind the backstop. In 229 innings, McCann has one DRS and a -1.5 frame rate.

His backup Tomas Nido has out slugged him at the plate and has been excellent behind it as well, with one DRS and a 0.7 frame rate.

Pitcher

The Mets’ pitching staff has also flashed the leather in the field this season. According to fielding bible, Mets pitchers have two DRS, which is fourth most in MLB.

Gold Glover Marcus Stroman has posted one DRS, and right-hander Taijuan Walker leads the team with two of his own.

Ace Jacob deGrom fields his position well and could very well be a Gold Glove candidate this year too.