May was a bit of a rollercoaster for the New York Mets. After a relatively strong April, the team dealt with starting pitching issues despite the returns of Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer as well as inconsistencies on offense, leading to four straight series losses at the beginning of the month. However, by the end, the Mets had rebounded and finished with an overall record of 29-27 after stooping to as low as three games under .500 on May 16.

The Mets’ resurgence late in the month was a product of the rotation stabilizing and simply getting better results while the lineup found its groove, as they homered in 14 straight games to close out May. Francisco Álvarez, Pete Alonso and Brandon Nimmo were standout performers offensively while Kodai Senga, David Robertson and Scherzer all held up their end of the bargain on the mound.

Hitter of the Month

Francisco Álvarez shattered everyone’s expectations with the show he put on in May, earning him Hitter of the Month honors. After a slow start in April, he slashed .292/.363/.667 with seven home runs and 17 RBI across 21 games and 80 plate appearances. His 179 wRC+ was the highest among catchers with at least 30 plate appearances during the month while he tied Sean Murphy for the lead in fWAR at 1.3.

Álvarez had a knack for coming through in the clutch as well. His three-run home run against the Tampa Bay Rays on May 17 with two outs in the ninth sent the game to extras and provided a spark that was desperately needed. He blasted another three-run homer against the Colorado Rockies on May 27 that capped a six-run comeback and also tied the game in the late innings.

Álvarez cut down on his strikeouts while also walking more in May, which made a tangible difference in his development and improved numbers. He cut his strikeout rate down to 18.8% from where it was in April while his walk rate grew from 2.7% to 7.5% in that stretch.

Álvarez continues to excel both offensively and defensively, and it’s hard not to get excited about the prospects of his future as a Met.

Pitcher of the Month

Kodai Senga earns Pitcher of the Month honors after pitching to a 2.79 ERA with 38 strikeouts over 29 innings in five starts in May.

Senga turned in arguably the two best starts of any Met pitcher during the 2023 season this past month as well. On May 17 against the Rays, who own the league’s second highest-scoring offense, Senga threw six innings while giving up one run on three hits and striking out a career-high 12 batters. His FIP during the outing was 0.78 and he generated 18 swing and misses in the process.

On May 30 against the Philadelphia Phillies, Senga threw seven innings of shutout ball on one hit while striking out nine batters and generating 22 swing and misses. He didn’t allow a walk and he recorded a 0.71 FIP on the day.

Senga finished the month with a 1.0 fWAR and his 2.46 FIP tied for fourth among qualified starters while his 11.79 K/9 tied for fifth.