A quick review of how the Mets’ position players fared over the final week of the regular season.
Yesterday’s incredible clinching effort erases all ills, but this final regular season hitting meter is actually quite ugly. Much like so many points throughout the season, Francisco Lindor carried the team on his back to the finish line. In actuality, many of these red arrows could justifiably be poop emojis, but in pretty much all the cases, they either had crucial moments that saved them from the indignity (like Brandon Nimmo and Tyrone Taylor) or they didn’t have enough at-bats (like Bader, Winker, and Torrens).
We’ll start with Francisco Lindor because what else can you say at this point? Shohei Ohtani is going to win the NL MVP, but Francisco Lindor is going to finish second. And there is no player who has been more important to his team this season than Francisco Lindor has been for the Mets. Period. They would not have made the playoffs without him and it was his home run in the ninth inning yesterday that took them to the finish line. And who else could it have been? We can’t forget that he was part of the Mets’ eighth inning rally as well, contributing an RBI single. Despite being clearly still in pain, Lindor was the Mets’ best hitter in the final week of the season by a mile, posting a 212 wRC+ over 19 plate appearances. He led the team in RBIs (5). He led the team in runs scored (4). He led the team in batting average (.353). And now we get to see him play in October.
The only major offensive category Lindor didn’t lead the team in was hits. That was José Iglesieas with eight hits, which were all singles. Only one of those drove in a run and of course it was his biggest hit of all—a game-tying single in the eighth inning of Game 1 of yesterday’s doubleheader. Iglesias went on to score on Brandon Nimmo’s home run, which represents his only run scored for the week. Lindor is of course the MVP, but where would the Mets be this year without Iglesias?
Speaking of Brandon Nimmo’s home run, his two-run homer in the eighth inning of yesterday’s clincher was obviously one of the biggest home runs of his career. And for that reason I didn’t give him a poop emoji despite a 15 wRC+ in 26 plate appearances in the final week of the season. That home run was his only extra base hit this week and represented all of his RBIs for the week. He had three other hits—all singles. Alarmingly, he struck out nine times and didn’t work out a single walk, which is indicative of his change in approach of late where he is selling out for more power, but it is coming at the expense of the on-base ability that had been his calling card until now, which is why he was uninstalled as the Mets’ leadoff hitter.
Similarly, Tyrone Taylor could have gotten a poop emoji because he posted a 0 wRC+ in 19 plate appearances in the final week, but he seemed to be the only Met with a clue against Spencer Schwellenbach. Without his leadoff double in the eighth, that miraculous six-run rally may never have happened and Schwellenbach completes eight innings and we’re possibly having an entirely different discussion right now. So just a down arrow it is. That double was just one of three hits for Taylor though this week and his only extra base hit and only run scored.
It’s not like Taylor’s outfield compatriots did much better. Jesse Winker is hitless in his last seven plate appearances and didn’t play in the last four games of the regular season. We have since learned that he’s been dealing with a back issue (what is it with these Mets and bad backs of late?), but he is still on the Wild Card roster. Harrison Bader is hitless in his last nine plate appearances and has one run batted in. It’s been a very rough go of it for him for several weeks now.
The only outfielder hitting at all right now is Starling Marte, who put up a mediocre but at least somewhat acceptable 71 wRC+ in the final week of the regular season. He singled in the ninth inning ahead of Lindor yesterday to set the stage for the magical go-ahead home run that ended up sending the Mets to the playoffs. That was one of three hits and two runs scored for Marte this week. He also walked twice.
Mark Vientos also played a key role in yesterday’s eighth inning rally in Game 1 with a sacrifice fly that brought in the go-ahead run. It was one of four RBIs this week for Vientos, which is second only to Lindor for the team lead. He is also the only Met besides Lindor to hit multiple home runs this week; he went deep in Tuesday’s and Friday’s games on either side of the two postponements on Wednesday and Thursday. Overall, Vientos posted an even 100 wRC+ in this final week of the regular season in 22 plate appearances.
Francisco Alvarez helped spark the eighth inning rally in Game 1 yesterday, plating the Mets’ first run by driving in Taylor with a double. Overall, Alvarez collected three hits, drove in three runs, scored three runs, and walked twice in 15 plate appearances—good for a 90 wRC+ for the week. Alvarez has been battling all sorts of issues, including back spasms that forced an early exit from Friday’s game and a hamstring cramp on Sunday, but has managed to keep himself in the lineup. The Mets are going to need him in the postseason because Luis Torrens has not been contributing much with the bat lately and went hitless in six plate appearances in the final week of the regular season.
It has been a slog for Pete Alonso in the second half and this final week is no exception. Alonso posted a dreadful 26 wRC+ in 24 plate appearances this week. He had just three hits—all singles. He walked twice, scored a run, and didn’t drive in any runs this week. The Mets desperately need peak Pete Alonso to emerge for the postseason if they want to make a deep run, but at the moment he is nowhere to be found.
J.D. Martinez did at least show some signs of life this week, putting up a 121 wRC+ in 13 plate appearances. He had a nice day at the plate in Sunday’s victory, going 2-for-5 with a double and a run scored. Martinez also walked twice this week. His slump has meant he has not seen as much playing time, especially with Lindor DHing occasionally to save his back, but Lindor will be playing shortstop in the playoffs unless he is physically unable to and many of the other DH alternatives for the Mets are slumping as well, so Martinez will likely have opportunities in the postseason to play the hero.
After a raging hot start Luisangel Acuña has inevitably cooled off after Lindor’s return to the lineup. In the final week of the season, Acuña had ten plate appearances and had just one hit—a single in Tuesday’s game. But he has made the postseason roster and will fill the role that Eddy Alvarez, who is ineligible for the postseason roster, has helped fill at the end of the regular season as a pinch runner and infield defensive replacement. Alvarez did not reach base in his four plate appearances in the final week of the regular season and did not get a single hit as a Met.