New hitters just what team needed
NEW YORK — Mets fans should savor this, at least for now.
Their favorite team is really, really, really good.
It’s not just the National League-high 20 wins and the plus-36 run differential. The advanced stats love these Mets, too. Their hitters have put up more Wins Above Replacement than any other team in the NL. They also have the best WRC+ in the senior circuit and have scored the third-most runs despite being ninth in home runs, demonstrating a diverse approach on offense that is equal parts refreshing and effective.
The Mets offense from a season ago was built like a house of cards. That’s not the case anymore, and the trio of free agent hitters that came aboard this winter (and desperately need a fun nickname) are the major stabilizing forces that have allowed the Mets to keep building on big innings rather than picking up the pieces and starting over.
While none of the three — Starling Marte, Eduardo Escobar and Mark Canha — are slugging above .400 yet, all of them have been undeniably helpful in their own way. Marte has noticeably reduced his K-rate in his first month as a Met. The strikingly athletic outfielder has punched out in 19.9% of his big-league plate appearances and began his career with three straight seasons above 24%. This year, he’s down to 14.8% and is also running the lowest swinging strike percentage of his life. Many things have changed about baseball over the years, and even in the ten years Marte has been in the league, but one thing that will never change is the benefits of rarely swinging and missing.
Marte has also been unreal (in the literal sense, as there is no way this holds up over a whole season) with runners in scoring position. Consider that he’s slashing .348/.464/.522 with runners in scoring position, collecting 16 RBI in 28 plate appearances, then marvel at how insane those numbers are when the pressure is ramped up. With two outs and runners in scoring position, he’s at .556/.667/.889.
Escobar has endeared himself to his new club by completely reversing course in a major statistical area. The switch hitter has hit 35 homers in a season, made an All-star team, and once even led the major leagues in triples. One thing he had never done, though, until this season, is take his walks.
In his age-33 season, Escobar has found some late-career patience. He’s swinging at fewer pitches than ever before. But more importantly, he’s laying off more pitches in the zone as well, hunting his pitches rather than letting the pitcher dictate his at-bats.