We all know how horribly things went for the New York Mets this week. I do not need to rehash it in excruciating detail. After starting things off on a positive note for the easy stretch of their schedule, they have crashed and burned in a big way over the past week, dropping two out of three to the Nationals and then getting swept by the Miami Marlins, the team with the worst record in baseball. That puts them at 1-4 for the week and this week’s meters mostly reflect that. The Mets were shut out the past two nights and their offense has a collective 66 wRC+ for the week, good for 27th out of 30 major league teams and the second-worst mark in the National League.
There were no fireballs given out this week because the Mets’ best performer at the plate had just thirteen plate appearances. That player is, surprisingly, Todd Frazier, who had been mired in a horrific slump. Frazier’s 195 wRC+ leads the team this week. Of course, he also ran a .571 BABIP, but he was the only position player to post an fWAR above 0.1 for the week. He had four hits in those thirteen plate appearances, walked twice, and scored a run.
Frazier has mostly been sharing playing time with J.D. Davis, who also performed well this week at the plate. Davis is also beginning to see reps in the outfield with the absence of Michael Conforto in the lineup. His 170 wRC+ is second only to Frazier for the team lead this week. He also leads the team in hits this week with five. He hit one home run and drove in three runs this week.
Conforto going down with a concussion certainly hurts the Mets, as he’s been arguably the team’s most consistent hitter, along with Jeff McNeil. This week was no different before the dreaded collision with Robison Cano. He had two hits in ten plate appearances, one of which was a home run. He also walked once, scored three runs, and drove in three runs.
Speaking of Cano, this has likely been his roughest week as a Met so far. In addition to being the whipping boy of the New York sports media, he’s also had a poor week at the plate. Of players with more than five at-bats for the week, Cano is bringing up the rear with a 4 wRC+. He had four hits in 25 plate appearances this week, scored two runs, and drove in one.
This has also been one of Jeff McNeil’s worst weeks at the plate this year, which makes it hard for the team to be successful. Of course, for McNeil a “bad” week is just a mediocre one rather than a truly awful one. He posted an 83 wRC+ for the week over 20 plate appearances. He had just three hits, which is very un-McNeil-like, but also uncharacteristically, he leads the team in walks for the week with four.
Almost all of the Mets’ regulars performed poorly this week, including Pete Alonso, who put up a 77 wRC+ for the week. However, he did have the one two home run performance, which is buoying that number significantly. Aside from those two home runs, he had just one other hit this week—a single. He walked once and scored three runs.
Brandon Nimmo also continues to struggle at the plate. He continues to work his walks, reaching via the walk three times this week. But he also only had three hits in nineteen plate appearances this week. All of that is good for a 69 wRC+. Nimmo also had two RBIs and a run scored.
The only Mets starting player to have a really good week at the plate is Wilson Ramos, which is a good sign for him. Of course, his grand slam on Tuesday represents the lion’s share of his 141 wRC+ for the week. It also means his five RBIs lead the team for the week. Hopefully it’s the start of a turnaround for Ramos, who has been having issues elevating the ball all year. Overall, he collected four hits in 17 plate appearances this week, walked twice, and scored two runs.
Keon Broxton struck out with the bases loaded to end the game on Thursday, which probably ultimately sealed his fate, after posting a .143/.208/.163 batting line for the 2019 season. He remarked on how it is tough to get into a groove with limited at-bats, which may be true, but is something Broxton had to have known would be the case going into the season. He went hitless over three plate appearances for the week before being designated for assignment the day after his bases-loaded strikeout.
Carlos Gomez was recalled from Triple-A in Broxton’s stead and has gone hitless over four plate appearances so far as a Met. Adeiny Hechavarria also went hitless over four plate appearances this week. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, Tomas Nido also failed to reach base this week in five plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Conforto’s injury has meant more playing time for Juan Lagares, who continues to look very much the same as he has looked all year. He does get his occasional hits; he had four—all singles—over 15 plate appearances this week. He also scored two runs and drove in two runs, putting up a 58 wRC+ for the week.
It wasn’t all bad for the Mets’ bench, though. Dominic Smith has made a triumphant return to the big leagues, posting a 115 wRC+ for the week. Despite grounding into an inning-ending double play yesterday pinch hitting for Juan Lagares in the Mets’ fifth straight loss yesterday, Smith did hit his first home run of the year in Tuesday’s win over the Nationals. He also walked once and scored three runs in his eight plate appearances for the week.