Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

New York Mets’ general manager Billy Eppler must be feeling pretty good right now with his three main trade deadline acquisitions all making an immediate impact. Specifically, Daniel Vogelbach, Tyler Naquin, and Darin Ruf all played their part in a huge Saturday for the Mets. As New York swept both games of a doubleheader with the Atlanta Braves.

Much was made of what proved to be a quieter than expected trade deadline for the Mets. With some big names available, the general consensus was that the front office would be aggressive in order to really improve this ball club and truly set it up for a deep postseason run. However, Eppler was conservative in his moves, and he decided not to pay a hefty price for a lefty reliever or another big power bat.

While the decision not to bolster the bullpen with a much-needed lefty arm has looked questionable throughout this weekend, Eppler’s decision to make subtle improvements to the offense and focus on adding more run production is certainly paying off in a big way. The additions of Vogelbach, Naquin and Ruf were hardly blockbuster, and they were far from the kind of headline-grabbing, sexy moves that other contenders went out and made. They certainly weren’t the obvious move-the-needle type moves you’d expect from a contender.

However, all three have been raking since arriving in Queens, and they’ve certainly done what has been asked of them. Since the trade deadline closed on Tuesday, the Mets have scored a combined total of 35 runs in five games. The new trio of non-flashy, but effective, offensive weapons have all played their part in that offensive splurge.

Here is how each of the acquisitions have performed:

  • Vogelbach: .324/.477/.559 – two HR, two doubles, six RBI, nine BB (44 PA)
  • Naquin: .318/.318/.727 – two HR, one double, one triple, four RBI (23 PA)
  • Ruf: .333/.333/.444 – one double, three RBI (9 PA)

Those statistics are impressive on their own, but then consider when you combine the three. In a combined 75 plate appearances, the trio is slashing .323/.413/.600 with four home runs, nine extra-base hits, and 12 RBI. You can’t downplay the impact Vogelbach, Naquin, and Ruf have had on this offense, albeit in a small sample size, and the decision to use Vogelbach and Ruf as a platoon at the designated hitter spot has also proved to be pretty effective.

All three made sizeable contributions in Saturday’s doubleheader, too. Vogelbach continued to earn cult status amongst Mets’ fans in the first game of a doubleheader with a huge hit in the first inning. With two runners on, the slugger displayed his ability to put the ball in play by ripping an RBI single into right field to score Francisco Lindor. Forget about power, Vogelbach has been an excellent run producer. His .477 on-base percentage highlights just how effective he’s been at the plate without always having to rely on his pure power.

Vogelbach also walked in that game before being replaced by Ruf who came in as a pinch hitter, and the veteran would go on to hit a single in the bottom of the eighth inning. Ruf would be rewarded with his first start as a Met in the second game of the doubleheader, and his forceout in the bottom of the third allowed both Starling Marte and Lindor to score in what was a defining moment in the game.

Ruf would single in the sixth, and Naquin also had a huge moment late in the game. Replacing Mark Canha as a pinch hitter, the outfielder hit a line-drive single to center field to score Eduardo Escobar in the bottom of the eighth to tack on a big insurance run. He also stole second base before scoring on a sacrifice fly by Tomás Nido.

Vogelbach, Naquin, and Ruf all had big doubleheaders and they were all able to come up with significant hits in clutch moments for their team. While there will be some that will still feel that the Mets should have gone out and added another big power bat at the trade deadline, Eppler’s insistence on making subtle improvements to the offense has paid off in a big way so far. Specifically, that trio have combined to substantially improve the run production game for the Mets. They may not have been the sexiest of additions, but they sure are getting the job done and, come October, that’s all that really counts.