How Bo Bichette’s early NY Mets slump compares to other famous slow starts

New York Mets third baseman Bo Bichette recorded a base knock on Friday night against the Athletics, and this is only notable because Bichette hasn't tallied many hits yet in a Mets uniform. Through 14 games played, the two-time American League hits leader is 14-for-61 with a slash line of .230/ .262/ .262/ .524, zero home runs, and 16 strikeouts. It's been a slow start in Queens for Bo, and it's not as if he's making up for it on defense.

That being said, Bichette is definitely not the first Mets star to struggle out of the gate offensively during his first season with the club. In fact, it's become somewhat of a tradition, hasn't it? In taking a look at some other examples, we discover that Bo's tough first few weeks haven't been as bad as what Francisco Lindor went through in 2021. There are other examples to look at, too.

Comparing Bo Bichette's cold start to three other Mets superstars in their debut seasons

Francisco Lindor, 2021

Entering his 14th overall game as a Met back in '21, Lindor was slumping hard. He was batting .159 with just seven hits and two RBI, but then Lindor "broke out" in that 14th game, going 3-for-4 at Wrigley Field and hitting his first home run as a Met.

That game was sadly only an outlier in continued struggles for Lindor to begin 2021. Through 25 games, he was down to .152 with the one homer. By game No. 50, he'd climbed up to .214, but the damage was done, as he finished the season with a .230 average, a career low.

Slow starts aren't foreign to Lindor. He's going through another one this season (.164 batting average through 14 games). Maybe he's just more of a warm weather guy, like Jazz Chisholm Jr.

Juan Soto, 2025

Soto wasn't great to begin his Mets career at the start of last season, but he wasn't Lindor-level bad. The power hadn't arrived yet (one homer through 14 games), but Soto was still a decent 13-for-49 (.265) at the same stage in the schedule where Bichette is currently. Soto had also tallied 12 walks by that point, whereas Bichette has only walked three times this season.

How did Soto end up as an MVP candidate last season after such a start, you ask? The answer is simple: June. Soto had a ridiculous 1.196 OPS with 11 home runs in the month, effectively erasing his earlier struggles and putting all Mets fans at ease.

Carlos Beltrán, 2005

Beltrán didn't struggle to begin his Mets debut season, making him an outlier on this list. The superstar outfielder hit .286 with two homers, and eight RBI in his first 14 games of the season. He actually cooled off later in the year, ending with a .266 average (below his .276 career BA), but don't forget that he suffered vertigo in August of that campaign after violently colliding with Mike Cameron.