New York Mets: Three players the fans should not worry about

The New York Mets have had a tough road so far to start the 2021 season. They have had seven of their fifteen games postponed due to either weather or COVID-19. This makes it very difficult for hitters and pitchers to get into a rhythm and be productive.

However, certain players can get off to a slow start but have a body of work that allows them to show Mets fans that everything will be ok and not to worry.

Just because a Mets player starts slow does not mean they will be bad all season. Talent will always rise above.

The Mets so far this season have a few players which have started slow, which is troubling and frustrating fans, but have a good body of work that should give Mets fans some solace that there is light at the end of the tunnel for these players.

Michael Conforto

A big storyline this offseason was if the Mets will sign Michael Conforto to a contract extension before he reaches free agency after the 2021 season. That obviously did not happen and Conforto’s slow start has made Mets fans even more frustrated at Conforto.

Conforto entering April 18th is hitting .161/.316/.194/.509 on the season with just one extra-base hit and three RBIs. That is obviously not good and not ideal for a guy that will get somewhere near $200M by the Mets or another team this coming offseason.

Even with his less-than-ideal offensive numbers to start 2021, Conforto has a track record of superior offensive abilities. You do not even have to go very far back in his career just look at his last two years.

Over the 2019 and 2020 seasons, Conforto has hit .274/.376/.499/.875 with 84 extra-base hits and 123 RBIs. That is an elite All-Star level. To put it in perspective a little among Conforto is one of eight players with at least 880 plate appearances, 40 home runs, 40 doubles, and 120 RBIs since 2019. His company includes Freddie Freeman, Bryce Harper, and Cody Bellinger to name a few.

Yes, Conforto is struggling to start the 2021 season but he is an extremely talented hitter who will eventually break out of this slump and when he does the rest of the league should watch out.

Jeff McNeil

Jeff McNeil seems to always start the season on a high note hitting .323 with a .413 on-base average in March and April in his career. So far, this season has not been similar by any stretch. McNeil is hitting on the interstate to start the season with a .167 batting average.

The silver lining with McNeil’s slow start is that he is hitting the ball very hard. This season McNeil is making 37% hard contact increasing from his 26.5% hard-hit rate from 2020 per Statcast.

Additionally, McNeil is swinging at more pitches in the strike zone at 86.5% and making more contact with pitches in the strike zone at 88.1% than he did in 2020. McNeil is also Barreling more balls in 2021 than 2020 with 7.5% vs 2.5%.

All of this data shows that McNeil is getting very unlucky right now and once the balls he is putting in play start to find grass he will start looking like his old self.

McNeil is a career .300 hitter and he also holds himself to a very high standard as seen by him yelling at himself when he makes an out. So if nothing else he is determined to fix the flaws in his swing causing him to start 2021 slow.

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Similar to Conforto and Lindor, McNeil’s closing stat line for 2021 will most likely fall in line with what he has produced the previous three seasons he has been in the Major Leagues.