The New York Mets’ offense is struggling to say the least, could former Mets’ second baseman Daniel Murphy be the bat they are missing this year?
By Chris Bean
The New York Mets are a day removed from being swept in a double header with the Pittsburgh Pirates, while putting up just two combined runs in both games.
Putting up two runs in 18 innings of baseball is pathetic, but it should come as no surprise with the current state of this year’s squad.
When you dive into the statistics, it doesn’t look good for the Metropolitans. The Mets are ranked 28th in RBI’s and runs scored, while batting just .230 as a team – good for 29th in baseball.
Why is this Mets team struggling to score? On paper the Mets’ offense looks better than it did last year, but right now it is looking like down right trash or poop, as Anthony DiComo of MLB.com describes in his tweet below.
The final: Pirates 3, #Mets 1
The goat: The offense
The streak: L3
The record: 31-26
The 162-game pace: 88-74
The emoji: ?— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) June 8, 2016
Not one player in the current lineup is batting above .300, and you can take James Loney’s .296 average with a grain of salt when you consider he’s only played in seven games since being acquired.
The batting average of Yoenis Cespedes has now dipped to .266, and Neil Walker is leading the team with a mediocre .278 average.
The offense just hasn’t been there for the Mets lately. pic.twitter.com/FfTtWBtlFl
— Baseball Tonight (@BBTN) June 8, 2016
So what do the Mets do? Who are they missing?
The controversial name of Daniel Murphy comes into mind as someone who could have been very potent in this lineup. Yes, it’s easy to say that now, but a player like him could’ve been the pivotal bat in a lineup searching for good at bats at the current moment.
Murphy is batting .379 with an on base percentage of .416. The not so Amazin’ Mets have nobody with an on base percentage above .350 – which is owned by David Wright, who’s out for the next two months.
Even if the Mets had signed Murphy to a contract in the off season, nobody would expect him to be putting up the numbers he is right now. He would, though, be doing a heck of a lot better than this embarrassing effort Terry Collins and Kevin Long are throwing out there night to night.
Cespedes told Mike Puma of the New York Post, “I’m not Superman.”
This team does not need Superman, Yoenis. It needs a professional baseball player to get on base and score runs. But Cespedes is right; he can’t do it by himself.
Wake up and smell the offense, Mets. Find a way so this pitching staff will want to stay and continue to try and help bring this team some desperately needed championships.
