Mets: First impressions from the opening road trip of 2019

Offense and Defense

The Mets offense has been nothing short of spectacular so far this season. They are knocking in hits left and right and generating runs, something that we are not used to seeing them do. Let’s take a look at 2019’s most effective Mets hitters.

The vast majority of people admitted that the Mets’ biggest priority during this past offseason should have been to acquire a catcher. They did just that by signing Wilson Ramos, and this decision has proven to be invaluable.

He is boasting a whopping .474 batting average and has already notched five RBIs. His bat has quickly become crucial to this lineup, and we already know that he is a consistently productive hitter, so we should get used to what we are seeing from “The Buffalo”.

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Jeff McNeil and Michael Conforto have been excellent, even though Conforto has yet to drive in a run.

A player worth noting is shortstop Amed Rosario. Rosario was baseball’s second-best prospect not too long ago, and Mets’ fans have been itching to see the young shortstop break out. Will this finally be the season? Rosario has been one of the most clutch players on the Mets. He has already knocked in five runs and has made much better contact in the batter’s box.

Plate discipline has always been a problem for him and we will still see him swing at questionable pitches, but he has made many improvements and will continue to do so. Many believe he can become one of the best defensive shortstops in baseball and he is proving it this season.

And now for the true star of the show: Pete Alonso. Alonso proved that he belonged on the Opening Day roster during Spring Training, and his hot bat has not cooled down since. This kid truly is something special and the entire baseball universe should be excited to watch him continue to put on a show.

Alonso is slashing .409/.458/.727 so far this season and his defensive woes are a thing of the past. Don’t be surprised if he grows into the best first baseman in baseball: after all, he was the best first base prospect for a reason.

Even Dominic Smith, who has been a recurring disappointment during his time in Flushing, has been hitting so well: he is slashing .500/.545/.500 and has four RBIs. Alonso claimed the first base job and won’t be looking back, but it’s definitely nice to have a guy putting up numbers like Smith has as his backup.

With regard to the Mets’ offense, the only player of concern has been Brandon Nimmo. Nimmo has just two hits in his first 20 ABs with 13 strikeouts. No one sees this as the end of the world because the rest of the lineup is producing, but we can’t help but wonder what’s going on with him and hope that he’ll get out of this slump soon, especially since he is the Mets’ leadoff man.

Defensively, the Mets have generally done a fine job. The only exception was Monday’s game against the Marlins when they committed multiple errors behind Matz leading to runs being scored, but I’m sure that will be an anomaly.