Simply over 1 / 4 of the way in which via the 2025 season, the Mets have few identifiable weaknesses.
The Amazin’s have constantly been on the high of the standings within the division and within the NL, coming into Wednesday’s sequence finale in opposition to the Pittsburgh Pirates tied with the Detroit Tigers for probably the most wins in baseball. The pitching workers has posted a sub-3.00 ERA, and are presently the one crew who could make that declare. The offense has the fifth-best OPS and has hit the Tenth-most residence runs.
Nevertheless it’s the job of the president of baseball operations to be discerning, and David Stearns has recognized an space the place he want to see the Mets enhance.
“I think we can play better defense,” Stearns mentioned Wednesday at Citi Subject. “That’s an area where we can get better, and I think the players we have are capable of playing better defense.”
Whereas individually, the Mets have gamers who’ve made wonderful defensive performs within the area, general, the metrics obtainable to the general public don’t charge the crew very excessive. Statcast has the Mets with -8 OAA, tied with the Colorado Rockies, and higher than solely the San Francisco Giants and the A’s. FanGraphs ranks the Mets at No. 17 defensively, however Fielding Bible credit the crew with 13 defensive runs saved.
Although the metrics do are inclined to differ, Stearns goes off of the membership’s personal inner rankings and suggestions from the coaches.
“I think we have a variety of different players who are good defenders — very good defenders in certain cases — who have made some mistakes this year,” Stearns mentioned. “That’s going to happen, and it gets magnified in the smaller samples like we’ve had over the first six weeks of the season. But I would expect us to be a better defensive team over the next four and a half months of the season than we have been over the first month and a half.”
Tyrone Taylor (+3 OAA, +3 Run Worth) is getting some well-deserved consideration for his dynamic protection in heart area, and Stearns thinks Brandon Nimmo (0 OAA) has performed higher than a few of the public metrics would counsel. It’s no secret that Mark Vientos isn’t probably the most sure-handed third baseman (-4 OAA) and that protection isn’t Juan Soto‘s forte (-4 OAA), but Stearns doesn’t see any motive why particular person gamers wouldn’t be capable to enhance because the season goes on.
This time final 12 months, the Mets had been one of many worst groups within the league at controlling the working recreation. They improved over the second half of the season, particularly after the addition of Luis Torrens, and have continued to enhance in that space. The Mets are ranked the fourth-best crew behind the plate with the bottom stolen base share (.576).
It’s a credit score to all three catchers the Mets have used this season, Torrens, Francisco Alvarez and Hayden Senger, and the pitchers, lots of whom have been quicker to the plate or are working towards that aim. Supervisor Carlos Mendoza put a heavy emphasis on limiting the working recreation and the plans the Mets put in place have labored.
“It was certainly a weakness early for us last year, and it was something that we got exposed with early in last year,” Stearns mentioned. “We began to address it with some personnel changes last year, and it did become a priority, especially with our coaching staff. I think Mendy did a great job of prioritizing that with our group, not only in the off season, but in spring training, and the guys have reacted, and we’re in a pretty good spot there right now.”
Whereas the offense as a complete has carried out effectively, the Mets aren’t precisely crushing every little thing they see with runners in scoring place. The Mets have gone 7-5 in Might, with three one-run losses. Nevertheless, there isn’t one willpower to make from this. There are a number of variables groups take a look at in terms of hitting with runners in scoring place.
“If we’re taking competitive at bats, if we’re controlling the strike zone at those moments, regardless of what the outcome is, I tend to view that as, we’re in a good spot and we will eventually have the results we are looking for,” Stearns mentioned. “I feel for probably the most half, I take a look at our leverage at bats, whether or not it’s runs in scoring place with two outs, whether or not it’s a runner on third with lower than two outs — I take a look at how we’ve dealt with these leverage counts and people leverage conditions.
“I think for the most part, we’ve done a pretty good job. We haven’t always been rewarded for it, we haven’t always gotten the base hit, but for the most part, I’ve been pretty pleased with our approach in the box in leverage moments in the game.”
It’s powerful to nitpick when a crew is profitable, particularly this early within the season, however the Mets aren’t about to take their foot off the gasoline.
“We’re a pretty balanced team,” Stearns mentioned. “We can always get better. We’re far from a perfect team, and there are absolute ways we can improve.”
