The Mets’ mostly disappointing results at the DH spot since 2020

A team with money should always have a good DH.

The National League used the DH in all 60 games in 2020 before going back to using it in AL parks only the following year. But since 2021, we’ve had a universal DH and the Mets haven’t been so great in the DH department, despite having the richest owner in the game.

It started off good for the Mets with the DH in 2020, as they had the fifth-best OPS from the spot. Robinson Cano and J.D. Davis both had OPS marks over .900 that year when they were just hitters and Dominic Smith was incredibly productive, with a 1.364 mark, albeit in only 22 PA. The Mets did not have a full-time DH in 2020, as Pete Alonso led the way with 69 PA, followed by Davis (55) and Cano (51.)

Once again in 2021, the Mets had great success in the DH slot. In 43 PA, the team had a .974 OPS, tops in the majors. Eight different players took ABs as a DH for the Mets in ’21, with Alonso (13) and Smith (10) having the most on the squad.

Which brings us to 2022.

In the first year of a full season with the universal DH, Mets hitters in that spot combined for a .685 OPS, which was 25 points below league average for the position and a rank of 19th overall in the majors. The year started without a full-time DH as the Mets cycled a bunch of players thru the position. Before the trade deadline, J.D. Davis saw the most time at the position and he had a .745 OPS. But the brass wasn’t content with that, even though it was a 111 OPS+ in the split.

They made deadline deals, jettisoning Davis while importing Darin Ruf and Daniel Vogelbach to form a platoon. It made great sense on paper, as both performed well with the platoon advantage. But Ruf was lousy when he joined the Mets. Vogelbach did his part, with an .853 OPS, which was a 142 OPS+ when compared to other designated hitters. The top three players in PA at the spot all did well – Alonso (.830 OPS), Davis and Vogelbach. The problem was that 14 of the other 15 players used in the spot were terrible, including Cano who put up a (-10) OPS+ compared to other DHs. The lone exception was Francisco Lindor, who in 9 PA had a 1.144 OPS.

In 2023, the Mets posted a .715 OPS, which was 41 points below the league average for the position and tied for 20th in the majors. Vogelbach was brought back to be the strong side of the platoon and he was absolutely dismal for two months. He was given a week off, he returned to 2022 form. But with the Mets falling out of contention, he saw his playing time shrivel in the second half. Still, he had a .742 OPS in the spot, 27 points above the team average.

Mark Vientos was second on the club in PA from the DH spot and he put up a .643 OPS in 132 PA. The only other player among the 15 Mets to see time at DH to amass 50 PA was Tommy Pham and he had a .472 OPS in 52 trips to the plate.

Last season, it looked like Vientos was going to take over as the club’s primary DH. But the plan was changed last minute, when the Mets signed J.D. Martinez to assume the role. Martinez was very good as the Dodgers’ DH in 2023 and the hope was that the Mets were going to be one of the better teams from the spot in 2024. While they did improve, the club’s DHs combined for a .731 OPS, 11 points beneath league average and tied for 14th overall in the majors.

Martinez got the lion’s share of time at the DH spot and he posted a .729 OPS in 493 PA. Next was DJ Stewart, who had a .717 OPS in 75 PA. Unlike 2022, when the top guys in PA were good and the rest were horrible, in 2024, it was the bottom guys in PA who performed well while the top guys underperformed. Seven players who had fewer than 20 PA as a DH put up at least an .833 OPS, with the other six all posting marks of .929 or better.

It’s not clear what the Mets are going to do at the position in 2025.

A lot of fans want to use the spot to rotate multiple starters in, essentially giving them half a day off. That results in a reserve playing the field in the starting DH’s spot, meaning someone who likely is a poor hitter is now getting four at-bats nearly every day. Count me as an opponent to this utilization practice.

My preference is to have a full-time player dedicated to the spot. The Mets tried that with Martinez and the results were less than great last season. But Martinez also did not have the benefit of a normal Spring Training and no doubt you can list off a bunch of free agents who missed most or all of Spring Training and turned in sub-par years for other teams.

Perhaps Vientos takes over as the full-time DH in 2025, like he was more or less expected to do this past season. Or perhaps David Stearns signs some veteran to fill the role. My hope is that the team’s production from the DH spot climbs into the top 10 in the league.

And while we’re hoping, let’s also wish for the Mets’ DH production to rise without getting a sub-Plaweckian performance from starter replacements should the club use the DH spot to give a half-day off to starters at other positions.