Fans that keep up with the New York Mets daily this season know how inconsistent the team has been this season. Whether it has been their hot and cold streaks at the plate, in the field, or on the mound, it has been frustrating as a fan to watch.
But there has been a noticeable pattern this season, evidenced especially in their sweep of the Nationals earlier this week in Washington, that they hit better away from Citi Field. But what I saw on Baseball Reference on Thursday was so staggering that it must be noted on this site.
The Mets have been the best offensive club on the road this season, while they’ve been nearly as poor at home.
The Mets have the highest OPS+ on the road (124), and the 2nd lowest OPS+ at home (81). Additionally, runs per game (5.5 on the road to 3.5 at home), batting average (.273 away and .214 in Queens). Nearly every hitter has performed better on the road; Starling Marte, Harrison Bader, and yes, even Jeff McNeil, are among hitters batting over .300 away from Citi Field. In case you're wondering, McNeil’s home batting average is just .164, Marte's is .243, while Bader's is .233.
Now, there have been some factors to their poor performance at home. The Mets have been dealt a bad weather hand to start. They had three games rained out in their first homestand (four overall), and some of their home games have featured cold and windy conditions. Citi Field has been the most pitcher-friendly ballpark in baseball this season. Also, the pressure to perform and win in front of the home fans has taken a toll on this team. The fans even dedicated an entire homestand to supporting a then-struggling Francisco Lindor.
But the Mets’ offensive success on the road speaks to a point of emphasis in Carlos Mendoza’s efforts to set a culture, and letting the team play loose and free. Playing away from the noise and media attention of New York allows the Mets to be such a team.
This season is an example of that, as they had to endure questions early about their awful first homestand, and about how the clubhouse was shaken to its core regarding the many blown leads and the Jorge Lopez meltdown.
The Mets are 13-21 at home thanks to their lack of clutch hitting at home. They are 14-14 on the road. But perhaps soon the home woes will go away as a relatively soft home schedule awaits the Mets between now and the All-Star break.