3 NY Mets players that need to break out to turn the season around

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Baseball is not fun right now if you are a New York Mets fan. Nevertheless, here I am writing about this team to which I give so much unrequited love, and here you are reading about them. Say what you want about Mets fans, but we don't know when to quit.

With 81 games down and 81 to go, there's too much baseball left to throw in the towel. In the words of Rocky Balboa, I didn't hear no bell. Then again, Rocky was largely responsible for the death of Apollo Creed at the hands of Ivan Drago because he didn't throw in the towel. I don't know what the lesson is here, but there's a good chance this ends with Ronald Acuna, Jr. standing over us saying, "If he dies, he dies." I'm at peace with that.

How can the Mets turn it around and leave the first half of the season behind? Even a good mechanic would have trouble fixing a clown car, but we're going to try. The following three players share one thing in common: we know they can play good baseball, but they haven't consistently shown it this year. That needs to change if the Mets are to have any chance.

The biggest names on the Mets won't appear on this list. Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander have looked better and better as the year has gone on. David Robertson has been the one constant in the bullpen. Pete Alonso is on pace for 48 homers. Francisco Lindor feels like he's having a subpar season, but he's fifth in the National League in RBIs.

All of the aforementioned players are doing enough that the Mets should be better than 36-45. In finding ways to fix this team, let's start with one player who had a career year in 2022, only to take a step back this year.

Jeff McNeil needs to regain his batting champion form for the Mets

After enduring a rough 2021 season that caused many Mets fans to wonder if the team should move on from him, Jeff McNeil silenced his critics with a revelatory 2022 campaign. He led the entire league in batting average at .326, made the All-Star team, and won his first Silver Slugger Award, all while providing defensive versatility that allowed him to be plugged in all over the field.

This year, McNeil has struggled mightily, and his stats are back in line with 2021 again. His average is a mere .255, a stunning number for a guy that has eclipsed the .300 mark in each of his other four seasons.

McNeil has never been a power hitter. It's concerning, though, that in addition to reaching base less often, his slugging numbers are practically nonexistent. Last year, McNeil ripped nine homers and 39 doubles. Halfway through this year, he has three homers and only eight doubles. There have been times when it seems that he's ripped the ball, only for it to be a routine flyout.

Nobody has been more frustrated with this than McNeil, who has spent most of the season visibly upset with himself. I can't count the number of times he's grumbled his way back to the dugout after making an out, angrily slamming his helmet or bat. As someone that's been a big fan of his since he first donned the blue and orange in 2018, it's been rough to see.

McNeil's struggles have relegated him to the bottom of the order, usually around the seventh spot. A hitter of his caliber needs to be hitting higher in the lineup, but first he needs to prove that he can regain his form. The Mets desperately need last year's hitting machine to return. If that happens, the team, the fans, and most importantly, McNeil himself, will all be in a much better place.

Kodai Senga has shown flashes in his rookie season, but his walk rate is holding him back from true greatness

When Kodai Senga has his ghost fork working, Citi Field has been at its most fun. Nothing can replicate Edwin Diaz and his trumpets from a year ago, but Senga has been the next best thing.

Unfortunately, the Japanese rookie has also struggled with control after coming over from Nippon Professional Baseball, ranking second in the majors in walks allowed. Seven of his 15 starts have seen him walk at least four batters.

Despite that, Senga's ERA is a very respectable 3.53. That's because his stuff is flat-out nasty. He's sixth in the majors in strikeouts per nine, and his ghost fork has been even better than advertised.

The Mets' signing of Senga is undoubtedly a success. He's been the third starter behind Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer, and though he lacks the experience of that grizzled twosome, he has the most electric stuff on the entire staff.

If Senga can limit his free passes, he could be a #1 quality starter. That would keep his pitch count lower, allowing him to work longer into games, while at the same time preserving a bullpen that has been asked to do too much. The Mets are only 8-7 in Senga's starts, but if he can improve in the second half, the sky's the limit.

Francisco Alvarez is the Mets' X factor

Speaking of rookies, Francisco Alvarez is one of the most exciting rookies the Mets have had in quite some time. The big-swinging catcher has shown rare pop for his position, and his work in the field has been a pleasant surprise.

Alvarez has been good enough to earn the starting catching job for the Mets, but he seems to have hit the rookie wall in June. After looking like one of the best young hitters in the league in May, a month in which he mashed seven homers and briefly ran his average up to .271, he's crashed back to Earth with only four homers this month. His average has plummeted to .217, and he only recently ended a streak of 12 games without an RBI.

It's no coincidence that as Alvarez has struggled this month, so have the Mets. Buck Showalter has moved Alvarez all over in the lineup to find where the young catcher can do the most damage, sometimes batting him as high as second, and other times as low as ninth, but lately nothing has worked.

Even as he's struggled in recent games, Alvarez's at-bats still rank second behind Pete Alonso in my unofficial "Stop what you're doing and see if this Met can crush the ball" rankings. His smile and energy are second only to Francisco Lindor, and as a catcher he has the respect of Verlander and Scherzer, two future Hall of Famers. It's clear that he's a star in the making.

The Mets need his star power now, and a couple days off could be just the ticket for Alvarez to recharge his batteries and put a difficult month behind him. The Mets are staggered but not yet out, and getting back the Alvarez that can crush pitches deep into the Queens night is the best way to get up off the mat.

Let's be honest: the outlook isn't pretty for this Mets team. With 81 games to play, though, and a lot to prove, fans shouldn't be ready to write them off yet. If the Mets are going to make something of this season, McNeil, Senga, and Alvarez will have a lot to do with it.

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