The New York Mets have become serious contenders for the National League playoffs as July begins.
Despite ending June with two losses to the Astros, the Mets had a month that changed their season’s direction. After a 5-4 loss to the Diamondbacks on June 2, they were 11 games under .500 and on track for 96 losses, with only a 7.9% chance of making the postseason. This raised questions about breaking up their current team, possibly trading Pete Alonso, and whether David Stearns would undertake a deeper sell-off.
However, things quickly turned around. Following a poor May with a record of 9-19, the Mets transformed an 0-2 start in June into a stellar 16-8 finish for the month—the best in the NL. Now their playoff odds are up to 56.5%.
Fans might be thrilled about this unexpected turnaround.
Veteran Hitters Step Up
In June, the Mets led the NL in runs scored with 153, only trailing behind the Orioles who needed five more games to score their total of 163 runs. The team’s slash line was .283/.358/.507—comparable to having hitters like Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Carlos Correa throughout their lineup.
“In June, the Mets set single-month franchise records in slugging percentage (.507) and OPS (.865),” tweeted @NYMStats.
Francisco Lindor was particularly noteworthy. His monthly splits show significant improvement:
– March/April: .197/.280/.359
– May: .263/.315/.447
– June: .290/.351/.520
Lindor also stole seven bases without being caught and hit only one double play while racking up eleven doubles in June alone.
Young Players Shine
It wasn’t just veterans like Lindor who made an impact; young players also stepped up. Catcher Francisco Alvarez returned from injury on June 11 and batted .375/.456/.667 since then—a remarkable performance considering other Mets catchers combined for just .211/.253/.345 this season.
Mark Vientos also made his mark at third base after Brett Baty was demoted. Vientos hit .277/.344/.566 with seven home runs in June alone.
Comparatively:
– Vientos as third baseman: .303/.363/.607 with ten home runs.
– Other Mets third basemen: .225/.229/.302 with three home runs.
Pitching Holds Its Own
While not exceptional overall (ranked 17th in ERA and 15th in FIP), Mets pitchers did well enough by minimizing power from opponents:
– Allowed only 25 home runs (tied for fifth-fewest).
– Permitted just 315 total bases (only Phillies and Braves allowed fewer).
– Their ISO allowed was just .145 (fifth-lowest).
Comparatively:
– Hit sixteen more homers than they allowed.
– Racked up108 more total bases than conceded.
– Their ISO was seventy-nine points higher than what they permitted defensively.
This power differential played a crucial role in keeping them alive in postseason contention.
What do you think about these changes? Let us know!
