A quick review of how the Mets’ position players fared over the past week.
You’d think the Mets would have a better record this week considering what this meter looks like…until you remember that they scored 19 runs on Monday. So remember that weighs heavily here. However, it really was a good week for the offense overall and it could have been even better if they hadn’t faced some horrid BABIP luck in Sunday’s doubleheader (which I shall like to not speak of again after these meters). Both Brandon Nimmo (who had a historic performance this week) and Tyrone Taylor did the rare “poop emoji to fireball turnaround” maneuver, Pete Alonso stayed hotter than ever, and the hitters who had the worst weeks were the ones who get the fewest at-bats already.
We’ll start with Brandon Nimmo, who decided that after his rough month, he would just produce all the offense for the month in a single week—most of it in a single game. In Monday’s thrashing of the Nationals, Nimmo was responsible for driving in almost half the runs in that game for a franchise record nine RBIs. Obviously, Nimmo leads the team this week with 11 RBIs in total, which is more than twice as many as anybody else. His three home runs are also the most on the team and his seven runs scored are second.
But it’s Tyrone Taylor—our other poop emoji to fireball 180—who leads the team in hits (10) and wRC+ (284) this week. Taylor went 3-for-4 in Wednesday’s loss and one of those hits was his first home run of the season. He also scored two runs after coming in the game on Friday. Overall, Taylor scored five runs and drove in three runs this week, which is not bad for the bottom of the batting order. Taylor flashed the leather as well, performing well on both sides of the ball in Tuesday’s game.
Pete Alonso, who hit the go-ahead home run in Friday’s game, rounds out our trio of fireball recipients with another scorching hot week. Alonso put up a 239 wRC+ in 34 plate appearances this week and matches Taylor for the team lead in hits with ten. He also leads the team in runs scored with eight. Alonso went deep twice this week—once on Tuesday and the aforementioned dinger on Friday. Alonso continues to lead the National League in OPS.
We’ll now skip from the fireballs to the only bad grades on the meter, which go to the backup catcher Luis Torrens and the backup outfielder José Azócar, who have the fewest and second-fewest plate appearances on the team this week. Torrens went hitless in nine plate appearances this week, but he did draw three walks. Azócar collected two hits—both singles—in ten plate appearances this week. Azócar also drove in a run and scored two runs.
Francisco Lindor cooled off this week with a 98 wRC+ in 34 plate appearances, but he matches Alonso’s RBI total with five, which is a distant second to Nimmo for the team lead. He racked up six hits, two of which went for extra bases, including a home run in Tuesday’s win, and walked three times.
Juan Soto put up a 165 wRC+ in 32 plate appearances this week and it should have been even higher, considering he was robbed of a home run on Sunday and keeps hitting into the hardest outs I’ve ever seen. His eight hits this week match Nimmo for the second most on the team. Half of those went for extra bases, including two home runs in Thursday’s game which represented the only runs in that game—his first long balls at Citi Field.
It’s a shame Jesse Winker is about to miss a lot of time (he will get the red cross next week) because he was just heating up with the bat and had his second good week in a row. Winker collected five hits and four walks in 17 plate appearances—good for a 192 wRC+ for the week. He scored five runs and drove in three runs this week.
That means Starling Marte is likely to see more playing time. Marte had a good week, putting up a 146 wRC+ in 12 plate appearances. He had three hits this week—two singles and a home run. The home run represented his only run scored for the week, but he drove in four. He also walked once and stole a base.
Mark Vientos isn’t quite back to his 2024 self, but he’s doing much better lately. This week, he is rocking a 145 wRC+ in 32 plate appearances. His seven runs scored match Nimmo for the second most on the team. He also walked five times, which is second only to Alonso for the team lead. Of his seven hits this week, two were extra-base hits; both were home runs. It really is nice to see Mark Vientos hitting home runs again.
Speaking of home runs, Jeff McNeil hit his first home run of the season in Monday’s rout of the Nationals. He drove in three runs that day, representing three of his four RBIs for the week. McNeil put up a 128 wRC+ in 23 plate appearances this week. He also amassed five hits and three runs scored. Though Tyrone Taylor is raging hot right now and not going to sit all that often, McNeil has been getting some reps in center field to provide the Mets with some flexibility and he has done pretty well so far.
Francisco Alvarez is in the green for the second week in a row since returning from the injured list with a 129 wRC+ in 24 plate appearances this week. He had six hits—five singles and a double—and five RBIs this week. Not to mention that he’s been as solid as ever defensively.
Speaking of solid defensively, Luisangel Acuña, who won National League Rookie of the Month for April, continues to impress on both sides of the ball. He played his first game at third base this week and looked solid there. He racked up nine hits this week, which is the second-most on the team. He also walked twice, drove in two runs, scored three runs, and stole two bases. Overall, he holds a 135 wRC+ for the week and seems to make a positive contribution almost every game.