Musings on the Mets’ hitters after two playoff series

With having to face better pitching in the playoffs, the theory is that a team needs to be able to hit home runs in order to advance, as it’s tougher to string a bunch of hits together. This wasn’t the case for the Mets in the series against Milwaukee, as they advanced despite being out-homered, 5-1. But it did work out that way in the NLDS, as the Mets won the HR battle, 7-3.

And those seven home runs were hit in the final three games, accounting for 12 of the 18 runs the Mets scored in those tilts. But let’s look at the entirety of the Mets’ offense in these playoff games. Here are the OPS totals for Mets’ hitters in the postseason, along with a note or two on each player:

1.239 OPS, Jesse Winker: Despite having just the 10th-most PA on the team, Winker has the top OPS mark. It would be nice if he was given more of a shot in the NLCS, as his competition in RF and DH didn’t exactly tear the cover off the ball. But Jeff McNeil might eat into his playing time. But with both center fielders struggling mightily, perhaps Winker could play LF with Brandon Nimmo moving to center.

1.181 OPS, Mark Vientos: Continues to provide a big bat in the order. It seems like the only way to get him out is via the strikeout. In 30 PA, he’s fanned 10 times. Take away the strikeouts and he’s 12-18, with two doubles and two homers.

1.161 OPS, Pete Alonso: All year long, the talk has been about waiting for Alonso to go on a hot streak. And it looks like he’s picked the perfect time to do just that. Part of the reason for his success has been a much-more-disciplined approach at the plate. He has a 23.3 BB% – more than double what he posted during the regular season.

.864 OPS, Francisco Lindor; After a slow start in the Wild Card round, Lindor kicked things up a notch in the NLDS, as he posted a .906 OPS versus the Phillies, including the grand slam that won the decisive game. It’s possible his back has improved, allowing him to more resemble the dynamic offensive player he was the final four months of the year.

.772 OPS, Brandon Nimmo: Like Lindor, Nimmo was more productive in the second round, as the two stars seem to be mimicking their early-season production, where they both got off to slow starts. In the NLDS, Nimmo had a .944 OPS. Perhaps the most-encouraging sign is that he had 4 BB and 3 Ks in 18 PA against the Phillies.

.661 OPS, J.D. Martinez: After a brutal close to the regular season – .345 OPS in 67 PA – Martinez is showing signs of life in the playoffs. A .286 AVG and a .375 OBP are both solid marks. The issue is that all of his hits have been singles. Perhaps a return to L.A. will bring some XBH Martinez’ way.

.533 OPS, Starling Marte: He’s had just four hits in the playoffs yet has driven in five runs, thanks in part to two sac flies. It’s nice that his outs have produced some runs. It’s just that doesn’t seem like a recipe for success moving forward. My hope is that the playing time between Marte and Winker will be more even moving forward, rather than the 27-13 PA edge that Marte enjoyed in the first two series.

.440 OPS, Jose Iglesias: The Mets’ feel-good story of the year has hit a brick wall in the playoffs. A 7.0 K/BB ratio is certainly not helping things. McNeil’s return should limit Iglesias’ playing time. Perhaps that’s just what he needs to start delivering again.

.341 OPS, Tyrone Taylor: It’s a repeat of the type of production Taylor gave the Mets in May. How bad has he been at the plate? I didn’t even complain a little bit when they benched him for the next guy on this list for a game.

.333 OPS, Harrison Bader: That six-week hot streak that ended on July 12 is nothing more than a hazy memory at this point. From 7/13 thru the end of the NLDS, Bader has a .161/.221/.269 line in 163 PA. While it would be great if he broke out in the NLCS, it would also be great if the Publisher’s Clearing House people would knock on my door with a big check. Neither seem very likely to happen.

.308 OPS, Francisco Alvarez: If Alonso could get untracked in the playoffs, maybe there’s hope for Alvarez, too. But 9 Ks and 0 BB in 26 PA is not a good thing. Perhaps Luis Torrens can get a start or two in the NLCS.

.000 OPS, Luisangel Acuna: He hasn’t gotten much of a shot, going 0-2 with 2 Ks. But what really seems bad for him moving forward this year is that when a pinch-running opportunity came up, Mendoza went with Bader over Acuna. While some have speculated a pitcher will be removed from the roster when McNeil gets added, it seems more likely to me that Acuna will be the one to go.

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Game 1 of the NLCS is at 8:15 p.m. Join us in the Game Chatter — https://substack.com/chat/1934025/post/571da8e0-0188-40ac-8a46-77bd668c46cd