The Mets’ hitters are off to a very good start

Without making things too redundant with Allison McCague’s excellent position player meter that went up earlier this week, it’s worth noting again that the Mets’ hitters are off to a very good start this season. With an 11-4 record heading into their game in Arizona tonight, the offense has combined with the starting pitching to mitigate the uneven performance of the bullpen.

It is still April, of course, but as a team, the Mets rank fifth in baseball with an average of 4.87 runs scored per game. Their 125 wRC+ ranks third, their .346 OBP second, and their .397 SLG seventh. The team is also tied for second in baseball in stolen bases with 11, a practically unheard of thing for any Mets team of the past several years.

In total, Mets hitters have a .257/.346/.397 line, and while players like Eduardo Escobar figures to regress to the mean, there is some unlocked potential for increased power hitting in the team’s lineup. Mark Canha doesn’t have an extra-base hit yet, and Jeff McNeil is rocking just a .100 ISO, though it’s fair to point out that he had just a .107 ISO last year. And while J.D. Davis isn’t one of the most powerful bats in baseball, there’s some pop in the bat despite the fact that he has just one extra-base hit this year, which was a double.

Even with Davis, Luis Guillorme, Robinson Canó, James McCann, Dom Smith, and Tomás Nido all sitting well below a 100 wRC+ on the season, the lineup feels like it’s full of major league hitters from top to bottom most days.

There is a very long way to go, but there’s nothing wrong with stopping to enjoy the fact that the Mets are playing very well right now, thanks in large part to a functional lineup. Coming off last year’s disappointing production at the plate, it’s been a very welcome sight.