The Mets Haven’t Hit A Home Run In 52 Innings

Chicks dig the long ball, and right now, nobody is digging the Mets.

The not-so-Amazins’ lost to the Nationals on Monday afternoon 10-3, splitting the four-game set in Washington D.C. and finishing the series without recording a home run. The Mets are mired in a 52-inning homer-less stretch, with their last long ball coming from Pete Alonso on May 10.

The Mets failed to hit a home run in eight of the thirteen games on the road against the Tigers, Rockies, Reds, and Nationals. New York had two games in that stretch where they clubbed three home runs but lost both of those games to the Tigers and Reds.

The absence of power has been concerning this season. The Mets currently rank 22nd in MLB for home runs (41) in 2023, and Alonso is the only Met in double figures for the category. Home runs aren’t the only issue at hand. The Mets are also 24th in MLB for slugging percentage (.380), and only Francisco Lindor (.422), Alonso (.503), Brandon Nimmo (.445), and Francisco Álvarez (.408) have slugging percentages over .400.

While the majority of the team has struggled offensively, Starling Marte has been at the forefront in 2023. Entering Tuesday, Marte is slashing .243/.304/.294/.589 and hasn’t recorded an extra-base hit since April 14. The former Pirate was instrumental in last season’s success, after he recorded a 131 OPS+ and earned his second All-Star appearance. His lack of production has left a hole in the top of the lineup.

New York’s inability to club home runs shouldn’t come as a major surprise. In 2022, the Mets were 15th in MLB for home runs (171), but still finished 5th in runs scored (772). The major difference this year — team batting average. The 2023 Mets have a collective .241 batting average, which is substantially lower than the 2022 team average (.259). The same disparity is seen with runners in scoring position. This season, the Mets are slashing .243/.337/.333/.670 when a runner at least reaches second base, while in 2022, the Mets slashed .269/.347/.441/.788.

As a result, the Mets have only scored 174 runs this season are averaging 4.14 runs per game (23rd in MLB). When matched with the team’s 4.69 team ERA (seventh-worst in MLB), the Mets have looked like one of the worst teams in MLB since finishing their west coast trip in late April.

There are massive problems with the roster on both sides of the ball. Offensively, the team could jolt the lineup by calling up top prospects in Mark Vientos or Ronny Mauricio. The two of them have dominated Triple-A, and have OPSs over 1.000 (1.092 and 1.011 respectively). Vientos is the more realistic option since he has a year’s sample size in Syracuse, and could slide into the right-handed DH. Meanwhile, Mauricio needs more time to develop. He was recently shifted to second base, which would be his position with the Mets. He also has to hone his eye, since the Dominican Republic product has only walked eight times in 156 at-bats.

There isn’t a lot going for the New York Mets right now. They have a bottom-ten lineup and starting rotation, and went 4-9 against sub .500 teams. It isn’t going to get easier either. The Mets start their six-game home stand with the Tampa Bay Rays (31-11)—the best team in baseball—and the number of teams they play sub-.500 drops significantly over the next two months.

If the Mets are going to turn their season around, they need more power production from the lineup. Outside of Alonso and Lindor, nobody on the team has more than three home runs or 20 RBI. The Mets weren’t afraid to make major changes last season—look at Robinson Cano or Dominic Smith—and they shouldn’t be afraid to cut ties with struggling players this season either.