Over at first, Pete Alonso has battled injuries, but he has still crushed 26 home runs and leads the team in RBIs (62). He only has seven doubles, but has scored 50 runs and even stolen three bags. Those are significant positives.
Unfortunately, the "Polar Bear" is only hitting .211 and grounded into 10 double plays, and his streakiness has killed the Mets at times. Fair or not, he's often the only power threat in the lineup, and that pressure has seemed to take its toll at times in 2023. Though he's improved over the years as a defender, he does have four errors at the break.
Among the most disappointing Mets has been the reigning NL batting champ, Jeff McNeill. Sporting a .253 average, it's certainly not because the second baseman has added power. He has 13 doubles, a triple, and three home runs, scoring just 37 runs and driving in 26.
After striking out 61 times in all of 2022, "Squirrel" already has 42 strikeouts in 89 games. He has five steals without being caught, but his inability to keep innings alive (he's also grounded into four double plays) has stymied the New York offense way too often. McNeill has also been uncharacterically poor in the field (three errors), especially when placed in the outfield.
Third base has been a difficult spot once again this year for the Mets. Eduardo Escobar was a non-factor (.236, nine extra-base hits in 40 games) before being traded away to make room for rookie Brett Baty. The youngster has had some nice moments, hitting .244 with 13 extra-base hits, 27 runs, and 21 RBIs in 209 first-half at bats. However, he has struck out 62 times with just 20 walks, with poor slugging (.354) and OPS (.669) lines while grounding into six double plays.
I believe New York thought Baty would be more of a contact hitter with occasional power, but the early returns aren't supporting that. He's also committed five errors in the field, but he has been stronger defensively than anticipated. It's hard to be down on Baty's future, but he's been asked to play a key position for an alleged contender, and more is needed, right or wrong.
Despite a furious finish to the first half, shortstop Francisco Lindor only raised his average to .239. To be fair, he leads the team in doubles (20) and runs (56) and has added 19 homers and 60 RBIs, to go with 13 steals (caught just once).
Among the better defensive shortstops in the league, Lindor committed six errors in the first half. He has grounded into six double plays -- seemingly at very key moments -- but all signs point to him finding his equilibrium at the plate in the second half.
Behind the plate, Francisco Alvarez has been a revelation, overcoming some cold spots to launch 17 home runs and carry the team on occasion. He's only hitting .239, but you can see his maturation as a hitter. He has 35 RBIs and 30 runs, though he's struck out 58 times and grounded into eight double plays in 66 games.
Despite a team-leading eight errors, Alvarez has been much better than advertised behind the plate as well, though his skill in nailing baserunners is a work in progress. His own baserunning could use some work, too, but he deserves to hit higher in the lineup -- although putting him second in the order makes very little sense to me.
New York has had a short bench this year, with guys like Mark Vientos, Danny Mendick, Tim Locastro, and others going up and down from Triple-A Syracuse. The mainstays (for the most part) have been utility infielder Luis Guillorme and catcher Omar Narvaez.
Guillorme was sent down to the minors at one point and has a .250 average in 92 at bats. Known for his glove and as a 2022 fan favorite, he has committed three errors this season. Narvaez has battled injury and Alvarez's emergence, leading him to hit just .184 in 38 first-half at bats, to go with two errors.
Just a note here to say that I think that, in some ways, the team misses the steady presence of catcher Tomas Nido. The veteran backstop was hitting just .125 in 56 at bats before being sidelined by an eye injury and designated for assignment, but the lack of his leadership and handling of pitchers is felt in some quarters.
Some of the players mentioned above -- McNeill in particular -- are likely to return to the mean in the second half, but one wonders whether too big of a hole has already been dug for the Mets. The trade deadline and how quickly prospects like Vientos and Ronny Mauricio are called up should tell a lot about how New York feels about its chances down the stretch.
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