Mets need to see better production from struggling youngsters who were once the future
ANAHEIM, Calif.— They were once core four prospects and considered the Mets’ future, but these days Francisco Alvarez, Brett Baty, Mark Vientos and Ronny Mauricio are an overall reflection of the team’s disappointing play.
Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Mike Puma about the inside buzz on the Mets.The foursome began Saturday with a combined -0.8 bWAR, a troubling factor in the Mets’ 11-21 start.Baty and Vientos have taken on larger roles than originally anticipated due to injuries: Juan Soto missed nearly three weeks in April and Jorge Polanco has missed the past 2 ½ weeks.
Mauricio became the starting shortstop last week when Francisco Lindor hit the injured list with a left calf strain.The Mets need improvement, and it might start with these four, all of whom have shown flashes over the last few seasons.A closer look:After a fast start to the season, the 24-year-old catcher has cooled, both offensively and defensively.Though his strikeout percentage has dropped, so has Alvarez’s hard-hit ball rate.
The idea that he can help anchor a lineup as a consistent 25-homer-a-season presence might be fading.Will the Mets ever get the offensive presence from Alvarez that compensates for his difficulty behind the plate? Most notably, Alvarez ranks only in MLB’s fifth percentile for blocking balls in the dirt.Alvarez has been league average in throwing out base stealers.Luis Torrens is the superior defensive player — explaining the two-year contract extension he received from the club Saturday — and it might be time, for the third straight season, to consider whether Torrens should play more often than a traditional backup.There was so much hope Baty had finally arrived following a strong two-month stretch to conclude last season, but mostly he’s just appeared lost at the plate and frustrated by umpires.Baty, 26, has bat speed — he ranks in MLB’s 75th percentile in that category — but his...