2 early Mets strengths nobody predicted before the season started, 1 more we’d like to see

The Mets have potential to become a base stealing threat

Stealing bases hasn’t become a real weapon of the Mets yet mostly because some of their most capable of swiping a bag aren’t getting those opportunities. Until Francisco Lindor and Starling Marte begin to hit and reach base, we’ll have to wait on this to become a fully loaded strength.

Beyond those two key base thief threats, the Mets should at least attempt to have Brandon Nimmo run more than usual and will do so with Harrison Bader. The bench has some good runners on it, too. Tyrone Taylor should regularly get the greenlight. For however long they’re able to last on the team, Zack Short and Joey Wendle should be regular pinch runners and commonly used to steal in the right situation.

Equally as important for the Mets is to cut down on the number of bases stolen against them. While a daring proposition to declare this as a desired strength of the team, it would equal that of Baty becoming a solid defender and the success of the jeered pitching staff. Francisco Alvarez has received positive reviews for his handling of pitchers and it’s easy to see how locked into the game he is. His management of the pitch clock routinely shows the potential for more growth.

Where Alvarez and even veteran Omar Narvaez haven’t done well is cutting down runners. It’s early and the pair of backstops can turn things around. Alvarez will also have to limit the number of passed balls against him. He led the league in this statistic in 2023.

Will the Mets lead the league in stolen bases? It’s doubtful. Usually that’s a title belonging to a team with a guy who’ll steal around 50 to pad the overall club’s total. Finishing in the upper half of baseball is all we’re asking for. Taking into consideration some of the prospects they could call up later this year, there’s a good chance we see the SB total continually go up.