The 2018 Red Sox, a far cry from this year’s version, boasted a lineup that was young, star-studded, and incredibly deep; not just one through nine as necessitated by the rules of the Junior Circuit, but it was a lineup that was deep one through twelve. Yes, even in the American League they had productive bench and platoon players which was one of the main reasons they currently possess the Commissioner’s trophy. Players like Steve Pearce, Eduardo Nunez and Brock Holt played part-time yet big-time roles in the series win. Similarly, the 2017 Astros had a lineup full of thriving young bats complimented with a wide array of role players like Carlos Beltran. Both Dodger teams that finished just shy of a ring also showcased impressive lineups filled with young stars and a deep bench. One could continue even further and look at the Cubs’ and Indians’ lineups from 2016 and seem a similar trend. Not only do you need young studs to make it to the season’s final series, you need deep talent as well.
There is nothing particularly astounding about these observations. It is proven that these were excellent teams that broke records and appeared in the World Series. What is not proven is what this Mets team has to offer at the plate.
“How can you say this team’s lineup can be compared to the best of the best from the last two years?” Well although they only rank a little above average in most offensive categories for 2019, during the team’s 35-20 post All-Star break run there have been few better lineups. They are second in AVG, fifth in OPS, and third in wRC+ in that time in the NL to name a few metrics. These numbers stand even considering the tough string of injuries that allowed a starting lineup to for one game contain Joe Panik, Luis Guillorme, Juan Lagares, and Aaron Altherr.
Now, with the likes of Brandon Nimmo and Jed Lowrie in the mix combined with the quick returns of Robinson Cano and Jeff McNeil, all of a sudden the Mets have a lineup that looks amazingly good.
All positions are filled with players who have proven themselves in the bigs, with a few extra hitters to spare. The core is young yet astounding, with home run records and batting titles in sight. The September stats show them just second to the Dodgers in most offensive categories. This is no longer a team of “let’s just score enough for our starters and give them no margin for error,” this is a lineup that can win games all by itself. I think we have only begun to see its might.
The closest comparison must be the 2015 Mets, when a poor first half was met by a second half where they led the NL in runs.
A difficult series against those Dodgers awaits, with some stellar starting pitching coming to town. The team also needs to talk care of business today. Afterwards a series in Colorado next week could certainly be a show, and hopefully give this team the confidence it needs to make an end of the season push. Make no mistake, October baseball or not this team has not failed in 2019 from the plate, and looks impressive heading forward.