3 troubling defensive stats the NY Mets overlooked before their Bo Bichette deal

The New York Mets quickly rebounded after being spurned by Kyle Tucker to land Bo Bichette. There's a lot to like about the new star, and fans should be excited, ranging from his impact on the lineup to the fact that they stole him from the Philadelphia Phillies, and so much more.

But there is one thing about this signing that doesn't jive with the club's philosophy. As soon as the Mets' disappointing 2025 campaign came to a close, David Stearns proclaimed that run prevention would be the club's top priority.

Bichette has played shortstop for the vast majority of his career. Entering his age-28 season, he shouldn't be at the point where his athleticism is declining, but he's never been a good defender at short and has performed even worse in recent years. Bichette posted -12 defensive runs saved and -13 outs above average last season. The poor performance led to the two-time All-Star telling clubs earlier this season that he'd be willing to change positions, specifically eyeing a move to second base.

Instead, the Mets plan to play him at third base, and while the hot corner is a bit easier than short, it is still a very tough position that comes with a specific set of challenges. These three stats don't bode well for his success at his new defensive home.

Three Bo Bichette defensive stats that should concern the Mets

1. Arm strength

There's a misconception that arm strength is more important at third than at short. While the throw from third is typically the longest, that's not always the case when a shortstop has to range into the hole. Aside from that, the ball typically gets on a third baseman quicker than it does a shortstop, giving a few more split seconds to make the throw.

Unfortunately, Bichette is still well below average here. His average throw comes in at 82.3 miles per hour. The average at third base is 85.6 miles per hour. Ironically, Bichette's arm would tie him for 40th among third basemen with Alex Bregman, who is considered to be a very good defender. Still, the arm is a concern.

To add further emphasis, Bichette's max arm strength is what should have you really worried. Not every play requires a defender to gun the ball to first as hard as they can, but on those slow rollers and other tough plays, being able to hit another gear is important. Bichette's max arm strength in 2025 came in at 86.3 miles per hour, just a hair over the MLB average arm strength at third. Last season, 15 players topped 90 miles per hour max while playing third. Bichette's mark would rank 39th, tied with Eugenio Suarez, who some predict will need to move to first base.

2. Range, especially next to Francisco Lindor

It's easy to see by his outs above average performance that Bichette isn't the rangiest defender, but his fit next to Francisco Lindor is even worse. Lindor struggled last year on balls hit in the hole, posting a -5 OAA when moving laterally towards third base. Bichette posted -5 OAA when moving laterally towards first base. The hole between the two looks to be wider than it is between most shortstop-third baseman combos.

Bichette doesn't redeem himself in any direction, but the other big concern is his range moving laterally to his right. With -3 outs above average towards third base, he'll leave the line vulnerable as well, and a lot of ground balls down that way can wind up as doubles.

The big question that we don't have a true answer for is how he'll react in quick-twitch situations. If his reaction time is good, we can breathe a bit of a sigh of relief, but if not, these issues might be exacerbated due to the unique demands of third.

3. Success rate added

Statcast measures a trio of metrics called success rate, estimated success rate, and success rate added. Essentially, it takes all of the opportunities a fielder has, how many of them they successfully converted, an estimate of what an average defender would have converted, and the difference between a particular player and the average defender in terms of success.

Bichette converted 69% of his attempts, while a league-average defender would've been successful on 72% of attempts in this situation, giving him a -3% success rate added (or better said, subtracted). This could be due to misplays, but also range and arm are factors. Whether or not he was charged with an error is also irrelevant; the point is that an average defender would've converted more of these opportunities either because they got to the ball easier, didn't misplay it, or were able to gun down the runner.

That -3% success rate added would've ranked 36th out of 39 third basemen. For reference, Brett Baty was exactly average at 0%, while Mark Vientos came in at -4%. This doesn't narrow down whether the problem is Bichette's hands, range, arm, or a combination of factors, and it also doesn't necessarily translate directly to third base, but it is worthy of concern.

The bottom line is that Bichette was brought here for his bat, and as long as he can avoid being a complete liability at third, he'll likely still add a lot of surplus value. But if he really struggles with the glove at his new position, things could get ugly.