Looking at the Mets' offense since May 21 and for the entire season
It’s been fun to watch the Mets’ offense here lately. In the beginning of the year, they struggled to score runs. Yet it’s been a different story since May 21. In their last 19 games, the Mets have averaged 5.4 runs per game. And that’s with the hits not falling in. During this span, the team has a .279 BABIP, which ranks 25th in the majors. So, how are they doing it? With power. The Mets lead the way with 35 HR and this comes with them playing fewer games than 13 other teams in this span.
Those 35 HR have paved the way for a .469 SLG, also tops in the majors in this stretch. Their 128 wRC+ also is top of the heap and they rank second in fWAR, with a 5.0 mark, trailing only the Blue Jays, who lead all teams with a 6.0 fWAR. Yet that’s a little misleading. Fielding is baked into hitter’s fWAR and the Blue Jays have an 8.0 defensive rating, while the Mets check in with a (-2.4) mark in this span.
Now let’s look at the hitting for the club over the entire 2025 season to date. The Mets have 12 players who’ve amassed at least 100 PA this year. Let’s break them down into tiers, looking at their OPS+ and PA:
Tier 1
Pete Alonso – 182 OPS+, 301 PA
Jeff McNeil – 150 OPS+, 132 PA
Juan Soto --- 146 OPS+, 302 PA
Francisco Lindor – 139 OPS+, 302 PA
Tier 2
Brandon Nimmo – 111 OPS+, 262 PA
Starling Marte --- 108 OPS+, 135 PA
Francisco Alvarez – 96 OPS+, 114 PA
Luis Torrens --- 95 OPS+, 126 PA
Mark Vientos – 95 OPS+, 208 PA
Brett Baty --- 95 OPS+, 161 PA
Tyrone Taylor – 85 OPS+, 198 PA
Tier 3
Luisangel Acuna – 67 OPS+, 149 PA
Alonso’s been having a great year. McNeil has picked up where he left off in the second half of 2024 before getting hurt late in the season. Soto has been heating up lately with a 1.375 OPS in his last 12 games. In his first 305 PA of 2024, Lindor had a .706 OPS, 130 points beneath what he’s done in an equivalent time here in 2025.
Nimmo had been hitting in some hard luck early in the season but that’s turned around since moving back towards the top of the order. In his last 15 games, he has a .310/.385/.569 line, with 7 XBH in 65 PA. Marte’s 108 OPS is right in line with last year’s 105 mark. He’s doing it by getting on base, as 11 BB have led to a .343 OBP. It’s interesting how Alvarez and Torrens are equally productive offensively. This comes with Alvarez being underwhelming so far at the plate. It’s equally interesting how Vientos and Baty are deadlocked in OPS+. Vientos had shaken off a very poor start and had a .780 OPS over his last 150 PA before winding up on the IL. It will be curious to see if he continues to hit when he returns to the active roster. Taylor has drawn more accolades for his glove – 6 assists from CF and a 4 FRV – than his bat. At least he’s above the Galvis Line.
It seems like a distant memory from when the hits were falling in for Acuna – a .480 BABIP over an 11-game span – and people thought he was a star in the making. He simply can’t hit and any AB given to him in a competitive game is a waste. He does bring speed and defense to the table and perhaps it’s not a waste of a roster spot to keep him around for those two things. Back in 2022, Travis Jankowski brought those same two things to the club. But he was released after 63 PA and a .453 OPS. In his last 60 PA, Acuna has a .310 OPS.
*****
When Vientos returns, the Mets will be faced with a dilemma. Acuna is the least-productive infielder on the roster currently, better than just Hayden Senger, who will be gone as soon as Alvarez returns from the paternity list. But it’s not a clear choice who to remove from the roster. Jared Young has given some good ABs and he offers a lefty bat. Yet how much playing time will there be for him with Vientos back on the squad? Ronny Mauricio is another option. Interestingly, Mauricio has a 93 OPS+, right there with Baty and Vientos. Should he return to the minors so he can play every day? One thing that’s not mentioned often but should be considered is that Mauricio offers the same defensive versatility and speed as Acuna. It’s likely that Acuna is faster. But how many of the eight runs Acuna has scored as a sub that Mauricio wouldn’t? It would be a surprise to me if that number was greater than one.
It’s my belief that a time share among 3B and DH can be crafted to give Baty, Mauricio and Vientos enough playing time to make it worthwhile to keep Mauricio in the majors. However, this is a point on which reasonable people can disagree. Additionally, it seems like a decent idea to keep Young on the roster until the point where Jesse Winker gets activated.
Perhaps the most surprising thing in all of this is that Marte’s spot on the roster appears safe. It’s strange times we’re living in, as if having the best record in baseball isn’t proof enough.
Seems kind of crazy that devout Met fans can still pick apart their team even as they reside in first place with the best record in baseball. Alvarez has certainly disappointed at the plate as we all have the memory of his 25 home run season and are waiting for that to show up again. Two HR and 10 RBI over 29 games is not great. The same for Vientos who we all thought/hoped would replicate his playoff dominance and duplicate the 27 home runs he hit last year. So far he's managed just six dingers and 21 RBI in 53 games.
I do believe when Vientos returns Acuna will get a ticket to Syracuse to work on his hitting, because Mauricio brings more to the table even if he has not shown much in the seven games he's played. That huge 450 foot home run tells what he is capable of doing. At least Marte has upped his game so that releasing him and eating his $20 million plus salary appears off the table at the moment. Not sure what to do with Jesse WInker when he returns since Baty could take his lefty DH spot and if Mauricio started at DH against a lefty, he could also turn around and bat from the other side versus needing to hit for him. thankfully both Marte and Winker are on expiring contracts.
The Mets have a team batting average of .249 (13th in baseball) and an OPS of .757 (5th in baseball) and 89 home runs (7th in baseball). Not too shabby. And clearly they are getting timely hits propelling them to where they are in the standings.
Let's keep this party rolling.
Right now the Mets are firing on all cylinders and have the pedal to the metal. Torrens has cooled down and Alvarez has caught up to him therefore Alvarez because of his youth should get more playing time. McNeil is spelling Taylor when the ground ball pitchers, Holmes and Peterson, are on the mound. That free-up second base so that Baty can get more at bats. Young (111 OPS+) and Marte are the semi-DH.
Vientos should replace Acuna not Mauricio for the reasons stated in the article. Vientos, Baty and Mauricio should get enough playing time because of the McNeil/Taylor in CF. McNeil then would be the second baseman the other times, just like they're doing now. Also Young will get some diminished playing time at DH when Vientos returns. Mendoza is a master of distributing playing time. Every player on the roster contributes to the team because of that.