Player Meter: Position players, July 28-August 3

Photo by Michael Urakami/MLB Photos via Getty Images

This week, the inconsistent Mets offense reverted back to its rather annoying habit of not hitting—and especially not hitting with runners in scoring position. The exception was Saturday’s victory, in which the bats broke out for double digit runs. Saturday was also the only game the Mets won this week. Monday’s game certainly can’t be laid at the feet of the offense, but they combined for one run the rest of the Padres series. The Mets did add a bat at the trading deadline in Cedric Mullins, who

is unquestionably an upgrade over Tyrone Taylor offensively, but he has yet to make a major impact thus far.

It’s hard to have a good offensive week when Juan Soto puts up a poop emoji. But the reality is that Soto is slumping right now and this week it got even worse. He hit just .158 with a putrid 4 wRC+. He collected three hits this week—all singles. One of those singles was a key RBI hit in the eighth inning of Friday’s game that was part of a rally that tied the game and sent the game to extras. The Mets ultimately lost though and Soto failed to come through with the tying and winning runs on base in the tenth. Soto also grounded into a double play this week—something he continues to do at an alarming rate. However, he did steal two bases, which is one thing he has consistently done well all year and continues to do even when slumping. Soto missed some time this week due to a contusion he suffered when he fouled a ball off his own foot in Tuesday’s game. But luckily no significant damage was done and he returned to the lineup quickly.

Brett Baty joins Soto in the poop emoji club with a 16 wRC+ in 16 plate appearances this week. It seems that pretty much all of the young Mets show flashes, but then go right back to slumping again and that is the case with Baty this week, who has fallen off a cliff after a positive second half until this point. Baty had just one hit this week, but he did walk three times and score four runs.

Cedric Mullins is the new name on this week’s meter. The Mets acquired him from the Orioles for three relief prospects at the deadline and he will likely get the bulk of the playing time at center field moving forward, which will significantly cut into Tyrone Taylor’s playing time. Mullins logged just one hit in his first ten plate appearances as a Met, but he has already shown his impact on the base paths, stealing a base and scoring three runs. Taylor could have justifiably gotten yet another poop emoji this week, as he went hitless this week, including grounding into a double play. But due to the presence of Mullins, Taylor had only seven plate appearances this week. Similarly, Starling Marte went hitless this week, but it was in only nine plate appearances. Marte did drive in one run via a sac fly in Tuesday’s game, which did tie the game at the time, but the Mets’ bullpen imploded in the seventh and that led to a lopsided loss.

Perhaps one of the only small silver linings this week is that Francisco Lindor has broken out of his slump, posting a 148 wRC+ in 27 plate appearances this week, making him one of the few hitters to receive positive marks this week. Lindor had a big day on Saturday, like many of the bats did, going 3-for-4 with four RBIs. His five RBIs in total for the week lead the team, as do his seven hits.

Mark Vientos also amassed seven hits this week to tie Lindor for the team lead. Vientos put up a team-leading 168 wRC+ in 19 plate appearances this week. Vientos’ big game came on Monday when his grand slam in the fifth snapped a 1-1 tie and gave the Mets a four-run lead. Unfortunately the Mets went on to lose the game in extras, but it was a huge moment of catharsis for the struggling Vientos.

Ronny Mauricio had a big moment in Monday’s game too in an otherwise mediocre week for him with the bat. Mauricio’s clutch home run off Robert Suarez in the ninth tied the game and sent it to extras. But overall, it was one of just two hits for Mauricio in 18 plate appearances this week. He also walked twice—good for a 53 wRC+.

With the exception of Soto, the Mets’ big boppers feasted on Saturday. We already mentioned Lindor’s big day. Pete Alonso got things started for the Mets with a three-run homer—the 250th of his career, bringing him just two long balls shy of Darryl Strawberry’s record. Alonso’s week overall offensively was only so-so—a 93 wRC+ in 25 plate appearances. But he does match Lindor for the team lead in RBIs with five. That’s because despite having just three hits all week, two of those hits were home runs. Alonso has also contributed a lot in the field lately with his defense.

Brandon Nimmo also went 3-for-4 on Saturday with three RBIs and two runs scored. Alongside Lindor, Nimmo was a key part of the Mets’ rallies in the fourth and sixth innings that helped bail out Kodai Senga. Overall, Nimmo posted an 87 wRC+ in 27 plate appearances for the week, scoring four runs.

Jeff McNeil had a similarly okay week with a 94 wRC+ in 24 plate appearances. He amassed five hits—four singles and a double. McNeil scored three runs and drove in a run this week. Notably, he also led the team in walks with four. The increase in walk rate has been a consistent trend for McNeil this season. Overall, he holds a 12.1% walk rate this season, which is by far the highest mark of his career—about double the rate he’s put up in past seasons. And he has done this while maintaining a career-low strikeout rate as well.

Francisco Alvarez rounds out the trio of green arrows this week with a 139 wRC+ in 14 plate appearances. He racked up three hits—two singles and a double—and three walks this week. He scored a run and drove in two. Luis Torrens logged two hits—both singles—in nine plate appearances this week. He also walked once.

More from amazinavenue.com:

• Mets Morning News for March 13, 2019
• Grading the Mets’ minor league signings
• Devin Mesoraco is back after a decent 2018 with the Mets
• Jed Lowrie Resumes Baseball Activites
• Mets spring training postional battles (through March 11, 2019)
• Open Thread: Mets vs. Astros, spring training, 3/13/19
• Introducing Amazin’ Avenue FanPulse