Folks, the Mets have been struggling. Entering Thursday night’s series finale with the Washington Nationals, they’ve lost four in a row for the first time since September 2021. New York will also look to avoid getting swept for the second time this year.
One of the biggest culprits for this current skid is an inability to get things going on offense. Brandon Nimmo and Pete Alonso have been mostly consistent bright spots, but other than that, it’s been up and down, to say the least.
An area where the club has struggled so far (especially compared to last year) is scoring early in games. With that in mind, here’s how I would restructure the Mets’ lineup in an effort to get things going.
This is by no means perfect, and I’ve seen countless lineups on social media look different than this that’d also make sense. So, that’s why I added thoughts to each of the three sections I split the lineup into.
First Three
- Brandon Nimmo
- Jeff McNeil
- Pete Alonso
As mentioned above, Nimmo has been one of the few valuable Mets hitters. He’s slashing .337/.449/.477 through 108 plate appearances, which is good for a 164 wRC+. His 1.6 fWAR heading into Thursday’s action is tied with Xander Bogaerts for the second-best mark among qualified position players. His spot in the lineup is safe.
I’ve been a fan of a Nimmo-Marte top-of-the-lineup, but that doesn’t mean McNeil couldn’t be a natural two-hitter. He’s still aggressive in the batter’s box, but Jeff has shown improved plate discipline thus far. It’s led to a 13.2% walk rate and 8.5% strikeout rate to go along with a .295/.415/.398 triple slash.
Alonso is the obvious answer for the Mets’ cleanup spot. But, he’s also the most feared hitter in the lineup. Moving him from fourth to third would theoretically get him more at-bats over the course of a season. Plus, he’d also get more RBI chances with Nimmo and McNeil hitting ahead of him. Sign me up for that.
Next Three
- Starling Marte
- Francisco Lindor
- The Designated Hitter (Eduardo Escobar, Daniel Vogelbach, Tommy Pham, etc.)
Since Pete is moving to the three-hole and he’s New York’s only legitimate power hitter, there’s no logical answer for who hits fourth. But if we look at the lineup in three sections like this, I’d be comfortable having Marte be the “leadoff” man. Of all the remaining options, I also don’t think hitting fourth would impact his plate approach at all.
There’s not a ton of protection immediately behind Lindor here, but his peripheral stats make him an interesting bridge between the top and bottom of the lineup. His .213 batting average isn’t terrific, but he still has a 112 WRC+ thanks to a .436 slugging percentage. He’s paired those numbers with a 25.8% line-drive rate, a 39.4% ground-ball rate, a 10.6% soft-hit rate, and a 37.9% hard-hit rate. With a .258 batting average on balls in play, I think he’s in store for some positive regression soon (it was .301 last year).
As for the Designated Hitter situation, it’s not surprising that we’re once again wondering how to get production out of it. In an ideal world, it’d be cool to see Mark Vientos get the call and start taking some of these at-bats. But based on how New York’s roster is constructed, that’s not happening right now.
Last Three
- Brett Baty
- Francisco Alvarez
- Mark Canha
When it comes to Baty and Alvarez, one thing is most crucial when talking about them offensively: let them play just about every day. If the Mets wanted to keep developing them in the minors, they could’ve left them in Triple-A. But they’re in the big leagues.
It’s hard for all players — especially young rookies — to get in a groove against big-league pitching. That’s even harder when playing in some version of a platoon. Give them a little bit of run. It’s not like Eduardo Escobar or Tomas Nido are playing so well that they need to be in the lineup.
Sure, the Mets will need them to produce in some way long-term, but maybe give Baty and Alvarez a week of consistent playing time and see what happens. It can’t hurt, right?
As for Canha, he can at the very least help keep things going as the lineup turns over thanks to his ability to get on base. Even with a .228 batting average, he’s still paired it with a .323 on-base percentage and 10.8% walk rate. That shows his plate discipline is still there. Plus, I don’t think he’d be bothered by hitting ninth.
You can reach Matt Musico at matt.musico@xlmedia.com. You can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.
