Mets Player Performance Meter: Position players, July 4-10

This week, the Mets went 4-3, winning two of three against the Reds at Great American Ballpark and then splitting a four-game home series with the Marlins. Heading into the week, the offense was scuffling, but after winning big on Wednesday and Thursday, it looked like the bats may have been breaking out. However, the Mets struggled to score over the weekend, particularly with runners in scoring position, and while they were able to eke out a win on Saturday in extra innings, they were shut out yesterday by Sandy Alcantara and the Marlins bullpen. While this meter is more of an average of a week that was rather feast or famine, it still paints at least a slightly better overall picture for the bats.

The Mets have no single hitter this week who is way hotter than the rest, but if I had to pick the outstanding offensive contributor this week it would probably be Brandon Nimmo, who has bounced back in a big way from his poop emoji last week. He leads the team in RBIs (8) and runs scored (6) and is tied for the team lead in home runs (3). He posted a 170 wRC+ in 34 plate appearances this week. Nimmo’s biggest day offensively was Wednesday; his three-run homer blew the doors off that game and helped the Mets cruise their way to a relatively easy victory. He went 3-for-5 overall that day and scored three runs. Nimmo also contributed a web gem in the field this week. With Starling Marte still nursing an injury and Jeff McNeil on the paternity list, the Mets are going to need the rest of their lineup to step up big this coming week and their leadoff hitter staying hot would be a big part of that.

Pete Alonso also had a huge day on Wednesday, although his overall numbers for the week are more pedestrian than Nimmo’s. Alonso went 4-for-5 on Wednesday, including a double. Alonso collected seven hits this week, but only one of them was an RBI hit. Mired in a bit of a slump, Alonso was stuck at 69 RBIs for quite awhile before finally notching his 70th on Saturday and it was a big one. His solo homer in the fourth inning on Keith Hernandez day snapped a scoreless tie and was one cog in the machine of that improbable victory. Overall this week, Alonso put up a so-so 94 wRC+ over 30 plate appearances. It’s nothing to write home about, but it’s an improvement over last week and hopefully the Mets’ All-Star first baseman heads into the break with a hot bat.

Nimmo’s team lead in home runs is shared this week with Francisco Lindor, who also launched three long balls. His two-run shot in the sixth inning on Saturday gave the Mets the lead and was key in that extra-inning win. Saturday was the second day in a row Lindor homered; he launched a dinger in Friday’s contest as well and also hit a go-ahead homer in Monday’s victory. He logged six hits overall for the week, drove in four runs, and scored four runs in 32 plate appearances, posting a 98 wRC+ for the week. Although Lindor’s throwing error in the tenth on Saturday was costly, he also made up for it with some sparkling defense at other points in the series.

Besides Nimmo, the hottest bat in the lineup right now is probably that of Mark Canha, who posted a 192 wRC+ in 27 plate appearances this week. Canha leads the team this week in walks with five and was also hit by two pitches, so he holds a team-leading .519 on-base percentage this week. His five runs scored are second only to Nimmo for the team lead. He collected seven hits this week, two of which went for extra bases.

Luis Guillorme has broken out of his slump as well, which is good since he’ll likely be playing every day while Jeff McNeil is on the paternity list. While continuing to play flawless defense, Guillorme collected five hits and two walks in 13 plate appearances this week—good for a 205 wRC+. He didn’t drive in any runs, but did score a run in Wednesday’s game. It was Guillorme’s excellent relay throw in the sixth inning of Saturday’s game that enabled the Mets to nab Jesús Sánchez at the plate carrying the go-ahead run to keep the game tied, which was crucial to the Mets’ eventual victory.

Speaking of Jeff McNeil, after having a crappy week last week at the plate like almost everyone else in the lineup, he showed some improvement this week. McNeil hit .250/.333/.292 over 27 plate appearances with a 90 wRC+. Of course, that’s still not where he would like to be, but it is still an improvement over last week. He collected six hits and two walks, scored three runs, and drove in a run this week. McNeil his hitting .311 for the season with an .807 OPS and earns a well-deserved All-Star nod for his efforts in the first half.

Along with Alonso and McNeil, Starling Marte rounds out the Mets’ trio of position player All-Star representatives. Prior to a groin issue that forced an early exit from Saturday’s game, Marte was having himself his second strong week in a row with the bat. He posted a 158 wRC+ in 26 plate appearances this week, leading the team in hits with nine. He was the only Met to put up any offense to speak of in Tuesday’s 1-0 walk-off loss, going 2-for-2 with two walks and a stolen base in that contest. Luckily Marte’s injury appears minor and hopefully he will not be sidelined for long because the Mets lineup needs him in it.

J.D. Davis broke out with a huge day in Thursday’s 10-0 blowout victory. He hit a grand slam—the first of his career—in the fifth inning to give the Mets a double-digit run total. He went 3-for-4 with five RBIs and three runs scored that day, which represents the entirety of his run production for the week, but it was enough for a 186 wRC+ in 13 total plate appearances.

Unfortunately, after looking like he was finally breaking out, Eduardo Escobar went right back to slumping this week. He is the only one on the team with truly horrendous offensive numbers this week—a -29 wRC+ in 30 plate appearances. Over that span he collected three hits—all singles—scored a run, and drove in a run. The Mets are able to absorb Escobar’s lack of production when others in the lineup are hitting, but when the offense is in a bit of a rough patch, his struggles become all the more glaring.

Dominic Smith has cooled off a bit since his initial hot start in his return to the big leagues. This week, he posted a 73 wRC+ in 17 plate appearances. He collected just three hits, but all three of them were for extra bases. He scored two runs and drove in three runs this week. Unless (until) the Mets trade for another bat at the trading deadline, Smith should continue to see plenty of playing time at DH and first base.

Unfortunately on the crucial play at the plate on which the would-be go-head run was tagged out on Saturday, James McCann injured his oblique and is heading back to the injured list. It’s surely frustrating for McCann, who just returned from a fractured hamate bone. Before going down, McCann collected two hits, four RBIs, and two runs scored in ten plate appearances. McCann had a key RBI single in Wednesday’s victory and hit a three-run homer in Thursday’s lopsided win. Opting to not promote 20-year-old top prospect Francisco Álvarez, the Mets have called up Patrick Mazeika to take McCann’s spot on the roster.

This means that once again Tomás Nido will be the Mets’ primary catcher for the foreseeable future. Nido is still not giving the Mets much offensively, but this week’s numbers are not quite as dismal as past weeks. Nido posted a 78 wRC+ in 18 plate appearances this week. He collected four hits, walked once, scored three runs, and drove in two runs. It was of course Nido’s roller down the left field line that snuck under Brian Anderson’s glove for a double to score the tying run on Saturday. Nido also contributed to Saturday’s win by picking Jon Berti off second base in the top of the tenth, which turned out to be a huge out for the Mets.

Ender Inciarte did not reach base in any of his three plate appearances this week, but he did score a run as a pinch runner. With Travis Jankowski due to return from the injured list any day now, Inciarte is the likely roster casualty.