Although the Mets offense ranks in the bottom half of the National League, the Mets have been scoring more efficiently throughout the past couple of games. Over the past four games, the Mets have scored 5 or more runs, and have gone 3-1 during those games. Terry Collins decided to move Michael Conforto to the third spot in the lineup, hoping that the offense would get things going, and the maneuver has worked. Here are some of the players who are carrying the Mets offense:
- Asdrubal Cabrera – The newly acquired shortstop has begun the season on a high note, by currently placing 11th in the National League with a .349 batting average. Even though he does not have any home runs and has three doubles, Cabrera has been a productive piece in the order. His ability to bunt for hits (as seen against Corey Kluber and the Cleveland Indians) is refreshing, as he has multiple tools to get on base. As of now, the offseason acquisition looks to be a good signing
- David Wright – The Captain hit two home runs last night while in Philadelphia, but he also has a .289 average with a .426 OBP. His strikeout rate is concerning, as he is averaging a strikeout in every three at-bats, but so far Wright has been impacting the Mets lineup in a positive way.
- Michael Conforto – While it may be tough to believe that Conforto is batting third this early on in the season, he has been one of the most exciting hitters to watch in the Mets lineup. His .286 average with a .405 OBP has been complimented by five doubles and a homer. The performance so far has been impressive, but we will be seeing what the young slugger can do over the course of an entire season. Hopefully he can stick at the three position and not become overexposed. So far, he has not disappointed.
- Yoenis Cespedes – Last but not least, the man who had quite a bit of drama surrounding him this past offseason has begun the year on a high note. He has three homers, nine RBIs with a .283 average and a .353 OBP. Plus, we got to see his speed last night as he lined a ball down the right field line and end up with a triple. Cespedes looks like he is hungry for a big season, and it is going to be exciting once he catches fire.
The Mets lineup has a lot of players who are struggling so far, but will look to turn it around over the course of the season. There are many streaky hitters this lineup features, but it is early in the season, and the Mets should continue to get better moving forward. There is no way this offense continues to perform in the bottom half of the National League. There is too much power and too much talent to not perform better than average. Once the offense gets going, the Mets are going to win, as the pitching has been solid most of the time this season.
Too small a sample to be concerned yet.
Was the point of the article that we didn’t expect these players to lead the offense?
Conforto and Cespedes entered the season as the top offensive players on the team.
Perhaps it should have been, “Cabrera and Wright are Surprising Offensive Standouts in the Early Going”
It’s interesting to watch Cespedes struggle with the high heat. Some at bats he looks good and manages to lay off. Others, he just can’t help himself. Hopefully we’ll see continued improvement on that as the season progresses.