4 NY Mets players who have made this season appalling

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With each passing day, hopes of a New York Mets turnaround this season are dwindling. The team has been underperforming all year in terms of offense, pitching, the decision of the coaching staff in the game, and mental mistakes on defense.

These results have been more than unexpected and brings out which players were expected to perform better. In this sense, within a roster that has generally been underperforming, these four players look like the biggest disappointment so far this year and exemplify how terrible this season has been for the organization.

Mets outfielder Starling Marte has been one of the biggest disappointments this season

Starling Marte has been a productive hitter his entire career thanks to a high-contact hitting profile. During his twelve MLB seasons, Marte has posted a batting average above .275 in ten seasons. The only two where he has had an average below this level have been his debut in 2012 and 2023.

In the projections that were made about the possible production of Starling Marte, a small regression in hitting and a drop in general production due to his propensity for injuries were expected. However, in a season where he has been able to stay healthy the longest, he has been the least produced in his tenure by MLB.

One aspect that stands out in Marte's hitting profile is his discipline at the plate. The Mets outfielder has increased his swing overall, especially at pitches outside the strike zone, which has led to an increase in strikeouts, a decrease in his walks, and a decrease in his batting average due to the little strength and location of the contact to this type of pitches.

Additionally, even though his hard-hit contact looks on the rise, the hit breakdown indicates an increase in weaker hits and a decrease in his barrels per at-bat. Likewise, his propensity to ground balls have increased, elevating the probability of outs.

Starling Marte was a key piece of the offense in 2022. This season his terrible approach at the plate has been condemning the Mets, especially in the most pressing moments.

The Mets' second basemen and current reigning National League Batting Champion has not been able to execute this 2023

Jeff McNeil was a great offensive producer for the Mets in 2022 and one of the main player responsible for the team finishing ranked number two in the MLB team in batting average. However, this 2023, his batting has not been an good, and his average is more than 80 points away from the incredible AVG of .326 that gave him the National League Batting Champion award in 2022.

Analyzing McNeil's batting profile is complicated. His propensity to strike out remains low and elite in MLB, currently ranked in the top 2% of the league, and his contact to pitches inside the strike zone has increased while the ones out of the zone has decreased.

The data analyzed from this point of view does not seem to explain the poor performance shown by McNeil this season. Incredibly, a hitter with the profile of the second baseman of the Mets who was able to hit against the defensive shift shows such a regression against a more limited defensive alignment, which he could take more advantage of, as in the case of Luis Arraez this season.

Regardless of whether Jeff McNeil's problem is mental or hitting mechanics, his unexpected drop in production has significantly affected a team that was counting on him to produce more. The Mets organization did not expect this result after offering an extension to McNeil's contract this past offseason.

Mets ace and future Hall of Fame, has not lived up to expectations

Steve Cohen will have to step up the pitching lab establishment he mentioned in his last press conference, as Justin Verlander hasn't been able to replicate the terrific 2022 season he put in with the Houston Astros. Verlander finished last season with a 1.75 ERA in what was one of the most impressive comebacks in recent MLB history.

However, this 2023 Verlander's pitcher profile has changed a lot. His pitches don't look as dominant as last year, as he suffered a decrease in his K%, an increase in his BB%, and a significant increase in his hard-hit contact allowance.

All of the above is worrisome. Verlander's fastball and curveball are the pitches with the most regression. The fastball shows a decrease in speed, and the curveball a drop in the spin rate compare to 2022.

One aspect that may be affecting Verlander's performance is his extension. Its extension has varied, and the release point of its pitches is not the same as last year, affecting the location of its pitches, especially the fastball and the curve, which tends to be more in the middle of the strike zone than other years.

Justin Verlander doesn't look like the dominant pitcher the Mets were looking to have when they signed him to replace Jacob deGrom in the rotation. The loss of time at the beginning of the year due to injury and his performance so far has been one of the points that have hurt the team the most in its quest to compete for a position in the postseason.

Mets reliever Adam Ottavino hasn't been able to be effective in high-leverage situations

Adam Ottavino hasn't been able to replicate the strong season he had with the Mets in 2022. Through 66 appearances, the right-hander posted a 2.06 ERA with an excellent 0.97 WHIP, retiring 79 batters in 65.2 innings pitched.

This 2023 Ottavino has presented a significant regression that has affected its results. The Mets reliever has an increase in his walks, his strikeouts have decreased, and most worryingly, his hard hit contact allowed has increased by more than 13 percentage points compared to 2022.

Ottavino shows a loss of velocity on all of his pitches except his cutter. However, this last pitch is the one that is doing the most damage. Currently, the SLG allowed by the cutter is above .600, a pitch with which he has allowed the most home runs this year.

Adam Ottavino should change the distribution of use of his arsenal of shots if he wants to generate better results. Meanwhile, with a team that lost its best bullpen arm, the need for Ottavino to pitch like in 2022 was even more important this season, and it wasn't. The 2023 season has been terrible for the team with a bullpen that hasn't lived up to it, and Ottavino has been a big part of this debacle.

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