Next Stop: Willets Point

Metsies head home with some wind in their sails...

Image credit: Chris Simon

Heading back home with a pocket full of wins is always nice, no matter if it’s April or August.

Waking up this particular brand of flush — 5-2 overall, first in the division, and with all the pomp and circumstance of the Mets’ home opener waiting for them in Queens on Friday morning — is enthralling.

The organization’s expensive exploits this winter attached a boatload of expectations to this ball club. There’s still quite a way to go, but there hasn’t been an overabundance of red flags to speak of so far. That’s a relief.

Speaking of relief… New York’s bullpen has been the only real true source of consternation (4.15 ERA as a group is 24th in MLB). That’s moderately concerning, but small sample sizes are what they are. Adjustments will be made. Roles will be settled into. Grooves will be found.

That goes for Buck Showalter’s usage of his arm farm, too. Being a new manager with a shortened spring camp at his disposal likely didn’t help that process. These things take time. No worries on our end. Outside of the bullpen’s struggles, the Mets are coasting back to Queens.

The offense, as advertised, is clicking. Heading into their off-day on Thursday, the Mets are hitting .265/.365/.396 (133 wRC+; third in MLB), with the second-most fWAR in baseball (2.0; CLE, 2.4), and a respectable .277/.407/.400 slash with runners in scoring position (150 wRC+, sixth).

New York’s 21.5% strikeout rate and 11.1% walk rate are good for eighth and fifth in the majors, respectively, and their five stolen bases are tied for the league lead with Kansas City.

The starting pitching has just been magnificent. The rotation’s 1.29 ERA is best in the majors by around a third of a run (HOU, 1.63), as is their 0.69 WHIP (nice). Their 1.2 fWAR is tied with San Francisco (arriving in Flushing next week) for the MLB lead, and 1.29 walks and 10.54 strikeouts per nine are good for second and fifth, respectively.

Jacob deWho? Just kidding. But in deGrom’s absence and with Max Scherzer not exactly at his sharpest early on, this team’s starting rotation has to be the early Most Valuable Positional Group so far.

Tylor Megill and Chris Bassitt are both yet to allow an earned run this season and own FIPs less than 1.00 (0.85 for Megill, 0.81 for Bassitt). Despite his noticeable trudge toward consistency, Scherzer has been more than solid (4 ER, 13 K, 4 BB, 1.09 WHIP, 11 IP). Carlos Carrasco looked very good in his first start.

It’s still very early, but these are all encouraging developments. High expectations seem to be keeping this group focused instead of causing it to wither. We know what that sort of torture looks like. And, so far, this isn’t that.

After the Mets’ 9-6 series-clinching win over the Phillies on Wednesday afternoon, Pete Alonso (two RBI doubles and a three-run homer in the victory) spoke on this team’s relentlessness and their mindset heading home.

“I thought we did an excellent job of pouring it on all day. We had excellent at-bats, one through nine, and that’s what it takes to win these tough divisional games,” he said. “We played so extremely well this road trip and I’m just really excited to play in front of Mets fans. It’s gonna be a fun year and I can’t wait to get back to Citi.”

Big same, Pete. Big same.

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