The first month of the season was cut short for the Mets as back-to-back rain postponements shortened the month of April. The Mets needed the extra days of rest, however, as injuries were a big issue for the team in April. Justin Verlander, Carlos Carrasco, Jose Quintana, Brooks Raley, Stephen Nogosek, and Tommy Hunter all spent time on the injured list, and Max Scherzer was suspended the last third of the month.
But despite the injuries, the Mets showed they can support each other with the “next man up” mentality as they did not let injuries deter them and finished the month with a winning record that was backed by strong offensive performances by Brandon Nimmo and Pete Alonso, along with great pitching by David Robertson out of the bullpen. Joey Lucchesi steprf up big in the two starts he made this month as well.
Hitter of the Month
Brandon Nimmo is the Metsmerized hitter of the month for April. Nimmo slashed .341/.443/.466/.909. In 24 total games, he had 30 hits (five extra-base hits), two home runs, and drove in 10 RBIs. Nimmo also scored 15 runs and stole three bases in the month.
Nimmo in 2022 stole just three total bases in five attempts. So far in just one month of the 2023 season, he has already tied that. Nimmo has also improved his average exit velocity from 89.4 mph in 2022 to an average of 92.1 mph in 2023. His hard-hit rate is in the 91st percentile at 52.0 percent.
Not only has Nimmo been playing great offense, but it’s worth noting that he has been a star in the outfield as well making some great plays that have stopped extra-base hits and runs from being scored.
Pete Alonso with his league-leading home runs earns honorable mention.)
Pitcher of the Month
After Edwin Díaz went down in the World Baseball Classic and was ruled out for the season, the Mets needed a relief pitcher to step up and be the guy they could call on to close out games. David Robertson, no stranger to needing to pitch well in pressure situations, has done just that. He held a low 0.87 ERA in the month of April through 10.1 innings pitched. He struck out 12, walked three, and gave up just five hits and one earned run through 10 games.
He has also been perfect in save chances (4-for-4) through his first month as a Met.
(Joey Lucchesi earned honorable mention with two quality starts during an injury-riddled stretch for the Mets.)
