SNY projects a much different NY Mets lineup with Bo Bichette than FanGraphs

The lineup the New York Mets project to have with Bo Bichette vs. without is vastly different. He’s the right-handed hitter with power and an abundance of hits in his bat to make sure plenty of Juan Soto’s trips on base end up resulting in a run.

FanGraphs projects Bichette to hit third for the Mets and there isn’t much of an argument for anything different right now. That right-handed stick the Mets lacked has been filled.

After the Bichette signing, SNY tweeted out a lineup of their own looking far different. Yes, it had Bichette at number three behind Soto. Francisco Lindor was at the top. It’s the after when they got a little more creative.

That’s a very different Mets lineup than you’ll find anywhere else

Jorge Polanco still feels strange as a number four hitter, but it’s the most sensible choice to make. I’ll bite. Let’s leave it there. That bottom five is where things get interesting.

Francisco Alvarez batting fifth? We can only hope so. The Mets still have time to add another outfielder to really change things up. Cody Bellinger, for instance, becomes the number four hitter on this team and everyone else moves down. FanGraphs had Marcus Semien in the number five spot.

The spot right behind Alvarez belongs to Brett Baty. A logical choice. First base? Where are they getting this? What intel tells us it’ll be him, not Mark Vientos? It’s a fun turn and a conclusion many of us can believe will indeed happen. FanGraphs had Baty as the DH and Vientos squeezed out, projecting a lineup versus a right-handed starter.

The bottom three are debatable. Semien’s spot in the lineup will be determined largely on performance. His own and how the younger kids like Alvarez, Baty, and Vientos do will play a factor. He could hit near the top of the order, in the middle, or closer to the bottom.

I’m still not convinced we will see Carson Benge break camp with the team. He’s either going to need a starting gig where he can play at least every day against right-handed pitchers or more time in Triple-A. It would be one of the bolder Mets promotions in recent memory. They haven’t had a rookie with no MLB experience begin the year on the roster since Andres Gimenez in 2020.

Which lineup is closer to reality? Something tells us there’ll be an addition, a subtraction, and one questionable choice that ends up saving or ruining Opening Day.