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The New York Mets have started playing better baseball as of late, but the team is still nowhere near where it needs to be in order to contend for the playoffs later down the line.
After defeating the St. Louis Cardinals in the series finale Thursday, the Mets are 30-38 and are 3.5 games behind the Miami Marlins for fourth place in the National League East and six games out of a wild card spot.
The Mets were a disaster in the early going, posting a 12-game losing streak in April and falling to the basement of the Major League Baseball standings at one point. Since that streak ended with a 3-2 win over the Minnesota Twins on April 22, the Mets are 21-23.
21-23 obviously isn’t great, but it’s a lot better than how the Mets were playing up to that point. What started to click for New York? Its young outfielders are acting as the catalysts for the offense.
27-year-old Juan Soto, 23-year-old Carson Benge and 21-year-old A.J. Ewing have led New York’s offense recently and the team has generated a lot more runs over the past few weeks.
Soto has played like the star he has been since he entered the league but has scuffled a bit over the last couple of weeks. Still, he has 13 home runs and 30 RBI while slashing .272/.366/.516 (.883 OPS) in 50 games. Over his last 30 games, Soto is slashing .261/.349/.559 (.908 OPS) with 10 homers, 21 RBI and 15 walks to just 16 strikeouts.
Benge had already been swinging it well prior to Sunday’s win over the San Diego Padres, but a 5-for-5 effort put him on the map across the baseball world. He is slashing .260/.318/.396 (.713 OPS) with seven home runs and 26 RBI after a brutal start to the season.
“Unable to catch up to high velocity, he was slashing .136/.219/.197 with two extra-base hits in 21 games through April 22,” ESPN’s Jorge Castillo wrote Thursday. “Since then, he is batting .309 with 15 extra-base hits and an .838 OPS in 43 games.
“Coupled with Juan Soto and fellow rookie outfielder A.J. Ewing's strong all-around first impression, the Mets appear to have their outfield established for years to come.”
Ewing has stepped in nicely for the injured Luis Robert Jr. and has been on fire over his last seven games, posting a .360/.414/.440 slash line. Overall, the center fielder is batting .263 with a .690 OPS, one home run and seven RBI in 28 games.
The rise of this outfield has translated to the Mets moving up in ESPN’s latest power rankings, from No. 25 to No. 23.
Continue reading...
After defeating the St. Louis Cardinals in the series finale Thursday, the Mets are 30-38 and are 3.5 games behind the Miami Marlins for fourth place in the National League East and six games out of a wild card spot.
The Mets were a disaster in the early going, posting a 12-game losing streak in April and falling to the basement of the Major League Baseball standings at one point. Since that streak ended with a 3-2 win over the Minnesota Twins on April 22, the Mets are 21-23.
21-23 obviously isn’t great, but it’s a lot better than how the Mets were playing up to that point. What started to click for New York? Its young outfielders are acting as the catalysts for the offense.
27-year-old Juan Soto, 23-year-old Carson Benge and 21-year-old A.J. Ewing have led New York’s offense recently and the team has generated a lot more runs over the past few weeks.
Soto has played like the star he has been since he entered the league but has scuffled a bit over the last couple of weeks. Still, he has 13 home runs and 30 RBI while slashing .272/.366/.516 (.883 OPS) in 50 games. Over his last 30 games, Soto is slashing .261/.349/.559 (.908 OPS) with 10 homers, 21 RBI and 15 walks to just 16 strikeouts.
Benge had already been swinging it well prior to Sunday’s win over the San Diego Padres, but a 5-for-5 effort put him on the map across the baseball world. He is slashing .260/.318/.396 (.713 OPS) with seven home runs and 26 RBI after a brutal start to the season.
“Unable to catch up to high velocity, he was slashing .136/.219/.197 with two extra-base hits in 21 games through April 22,” ESPN’s Jorge Castillo wrote Thursday. “Since then, he is batting .309 with 15 extra-base hits and an .838 OPS in 43 games.
“Coupled with Juan Soto and fellow rookie outfielder A.J. Ewing's strong all-around first impression, the Mets appear to have their outfield established for years to come.”
Ewing has stepped in nicely for the injured Luis Robert Jr. and has been on fire over his last seven games, posting a .360/.414/.440 slash line. Overall, the center fielder is batting .263 with a .690 OPS, one home run and seven RBI in 28 games.
The rise of this outfield has translated to the Mets moving up in ESPN’s latest power rankings, from No. 25 to No. 23.
Continue reading...
