Mets Player Performance Meter: Position players, August 5-11

It’s hard to give bad grades to anyone in the Mets’ lineup after the week this team has had. The overall grades are somewhat deceptive this week because if I gave out grades for clutch, nearly everyone would have a fireball. Players like Todd Frazier and Luis Guillorme who underperformed overall this week still came up huge in big spots. The Mets were buoyed both by that and by the hitters in the middle of their lineup absolutely tearing the cover off the ball for a straight week.

The trio of Michael Conforto, J.D. Davis, and Jeff McNeil in particular have carried this team during its incredible run. The numbers for each of them this week are pretty insane. J.D. Davis leads the team with nine hits this week and slugged an even 1.000 for the week over 25 plate appearances. His 244 wRC+ also leads the team this week. His was the first of the trio of homers in Monday night’s seventh inning comeback. He was also the catalyst in Friday night’s comeback win, leading things off with a double off Sean Doolittle. And he was right in the middle of things once again on Saturday, driving in the go-ahead run with a sacrifice fly. Davis scored eight runs in total this week, which also leads the team.

The RBI leader this week is Michael Conforto, who, like Davis, smacked three home runs this week and has been on absolute fire for a few weeks now. Conforto drove in eight runs this week and was also right in the middle of the Mets’ comeback victories. He hit the game-tying home run in Monday’s seventh inning comeback. And of course, he lofted the ball over Adam Eaton’s head to win the game on Friday night, prompting Pete Alonso to rip his jersey from off his back. Overall, Conforto posted a 208 wRC+ over 25 plate appearances this week.

But even Conforto and Davis were not the team leaders in on-base percentage this week. That honor belongs, unsurprisingly, to Jeff McNeil, who put up a .483 OBP for the week. Uncharacteristically, this is due in part to his team-leading five walks this week. McNeil also collected eight hits—two of them home runs—scored six runs, and drove in five. He put up a 207 wRC+ this week.

Pete Alonso had been mired in a deep slump coming into this week, but has broken out in a big way. Of course his biggest moment came on Monday when he hit the final of the trio of homers that put the Mets in front and helped carry them to a comeback win. But that was just one of four home runs he hit this week. He now has 38 for the season. Alonso also drew two walks and drove in seven runs, good for a 194 wRC+ for the week.

Wilson Ramos also had himself quite the week at the plate for the second week in a row. Ramos was in the middle of Friday night’s four-run ninth inning when he followed Davis’ double with a single. His eight hits are tied with McNeil for second on the team. He walked once, drove in four runs, and scored four runs. He posted a 168 wRC+ for the week.

Todd Frazier had just three hits this week—a .136 batting average—but one of those hits was a very big one indeed. With the Mets down three in the ninth on Friday night with the Nationals’ closer on the hill, Todd Frazier tied the game with a three-run homer, his 15th home run of the season. The Mets then went on to walk it off. That hit alone almost makes up for his 40 wRC+ for the week.

Similarly, Luis Guillorme posted just a 64 wRC+ for the week, but he had one hit in his twelve plate appearances that loomed very large. He also hit a game-tying homer against the Nationals—his came on Saturday night in the eighth inning off Fernando Rodney. The Mets would go on to take the lead and mount yet another improbable comeback. Guillorme also combined with Adeiny Hechavarria to turn three double plays to assist Zack Wheeler through eight innings in Tuesday’s victory.

Hechavarria went hitless in twelve plate appearances in his final week as a Met. He was cut when the Mets signed Joe Panik in part to avoid having to pay his roster bonus.

Panik did not hit much in his first week as a Met, but in keeping with the theme this week, he hit when it counted. He logged a base hit in Friday night’s pivotal ninth inning and reached on a throwing error during Saturday night’s comeback. Over the whole weekend series, he collected two hits in nine plate appearances, walked once, scored two runs, and drove in one.

After being scorching hot since the break, Amed Rosario’s bat cooled somewhat this week. He posted a pedestrian .259/.259/.407 batting line this week, good for a 74 wRC+. He collected seven hits—two of which were for extra bases, including one home run—scored three runs, and drove in one. He also stole a base this week.

The bench contingent for the Mets in Juan Lagares, Tomas Nido, and Aaron Altherr continue to struggle mightily at the plate as a group. Altherr had one hit and scored a run in six plate appearances. On Monday, Juan Lagares somehow walked three times in one game, but those would be the only three times he would reach base all week. He also scored a run. Tomas Nido went hitless in five plate appearances this week.