Mets Season in Review: James Loney

3 of 5

Oct 1, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; New York Mets first baseman James Loney (28) watches the ball after hitting a two-run home run during the sixth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Derik Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports /

As you probably can tell by the numbers, getting on base was the biggest struggle for Loney. He walked only 16 times all year which definitely contributed to his awful .307 on-base percentage overall.

That problem was compounded when Loney hit with runners in scoring position. His .200/.282/.347 slash line was a big downgrade from Duda’s 2015 RISP line of .212/.370/.442. The big difference again being unable to walk when needed.

Lack of power consistently is also another area for improvement. For a first baseman, nine home runs in a season just isn’t enough power to justify a starting position. This is one of the reasons in 2016, James Loney posted a WAR of -0.2. He was worse than the average first baseman.

His defense also needs to improve big time. While many loved his ability to pick throws in the dirt at first base, the real reason those picks were even necessary was due to Loney’s inability to stretch when it was needed.

Loney is 6’4″ so he’s a pretty tall dude. Unfortunately, on several occasions throughout the season a non-perfect throw was either missed by him, a runner was called safe or a play was made more difficult than it should have been because James didn’t stretch.

Loney will surely look to improve on these should he get an offer from a club for 2017.

Areas for improvement