3 reasons the Mets already feel like April’s Fools

3) The Mets are getting run over and not running at all

The Mets have yet to attempt to steal a base. The opportunities have been limited. Nevertheless, to not have even a single attempt while also giving up 8 stolen bases without catching anyone shows a massive disregard for that aspect of the game.

None of the Tigers managed to swipe a bag on the Mets. It was helpful that Sean Manaea was excellent and also a lefty. They have only two stolen bases as a team this year. The pair of ex-Mets, Javier Baez and Mark Canha, are the ones who managed to come away with a bag.

Batters can break out of slumps. Defenders can find their glove. What’s difficult to do is for an entire team to suddenly recreate some balance between the number of stolen bases they have versus how many they give up. This has been a common issue for many Mets teams in the past. Last year, the Mets stole 118 bases and were caught 15 times. They gave up 156 and caught 24.

This goes beyond just recent teams. The days of Noah Syndergaard on the mound and Travis d’Arnaud behind the plate had base runners rabid. How many of the runs they gave up against the Milwaukee Brewers came in part because of a stolen base? How many others came because the pitcher was too focused on not letting it happen again?

We’ll get a quick break from this during the Tigers series. However, the next opponent, the Cincinnati Reds, have already swiped 11. A part of their game plan should include wreaking havoc on the Mets between the bags and continuing the trend of making them look like the Fools of April.