The Mets were hitting an unreal rate for the better part of two months. Basically everyone on the team was hitting at an elite level. It was clear that that production was unsustainable. However, people did not expect the total collapse that has followed.
In the span of 11 days, the whole lineup has gone from raging hot to ice cold. On July 26th, the Mets were in sole possession of the first wild card. Now they are 1.5 games back of the third wild card.
There was energy within the team throughout the great run. That energy has seemed to disappear. The Mets are clearly feeling the fatigue of playing every day in the dog days of summer.
During their run, the Mets were very good with runners in scoring position. New York relished the clutch moments and, up and down the lineup, players were contributing in the clutch. Hitting with RISP has been the Mets’ strength all year. Despite their struggles, they still rank second in OPS with RISP
That aspect of their game is gone right now. Since July 14th, The Mets are hitting .195, with an OPS of .655, with RISP. Both numbers are way below their season average. They are not even close to the numbers the Mets had when they were rolling.
The Mets have issues throughout their lineup. The first place you look to right the ship is your veteran stars. Right now, those supposedly trustworthy bats are not performing.
Pete Alonso has been especially bad in the last three and a half weeks. Since July 14th, Alonso has an OPS of .473 and a strikeout rate of 38.1% Brandon Nimmo is right there with him with an OPS of .487 in that time frame.
Francisco Alvarez has really struggled recently. His numbers make him borderline unplayable right now. He has a .205 OPS and -36 WRC+ with RISP since July 14th.
The Mets also are unable to make productive outs right now. It is very evident that, across the lineup, batters are trying to do too much. Mets hitters have gone away from a simple approach that allows them to move a runner over or hit a sac fly.
The worse the struggles get, the more tense the hitters get, as they try to break out of slumps with one swing. It is a vicious cycle for the Mets hitters right now.
Fans and the players should not panic. The Mets were the best hitting team in baseball for two months. They are more than capable of getting back to that form. The Mets just have to take it day by day and get back to focusing on what worked during the stretch.
Baseball is a game built on adjustments. We have seen how an adjustment to Jeff McNeil’s swing has much such a difference. Simple tweaks to some struggling hitters could make all the difference.
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