3 biggest Mets winners and 3 biggest losers at the Memorial Day checkpoint

Memorial Day is one of those checkpoint moments in the MLB season where we assess exactly what a team is or isn’t. The New York Mets, at 27-27, are as average as it can get.

They’ve been knocked down as many times as they’ve delivered the haymaker. They have a team that should be better than this. The results just haven’t been there yet.

Coming off of a losing series against the Colorado Rockies this weekend, it’s easy to find a few more losers at the Memorial Day checkpoint. The team does have as many wins as losses, though. We have a couple of winners to tip our caps to first before we wag the finger.

NY Mets winner: Brandon Nimmo for being himself but better

Brandon Nimmo got a lot of money this offseason. Who would’ve ever guessed a few years ago he’d get the largest contract for a homegrown Mets player in franchise history? Even adjusted for inflation, his contract is likely right up there with anyone else.

Nimmo has been exactly what the Mets have needed at the top of the order. We can debate a lot of ways to put this lineup together. The number one spot doesn’t include any argument. It’s Nimmo and no one else.

Nimmo is easily the biggest individual winner on this ball club. He’s headed toward a possible .300+ batting average season which never seemed possible in the past. He was a patient hitter but not an excellent one when it came to compiling hits.

An unsung hero of the roster, he still does feel like the dirty little secret of this franchise. Will this be the first year where he earns himself a trip to the All-Star Game? It definitely feels that way.

NY Mets winner: Runners on base when Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor are up

Pete Alonso keeps driving in runs. Sure, his batting average couldn’t get a date to the prom this month. His ability to continue to create chaos on offense makes him arguably the most important player on the entire Mets roster.

He has been getting a little help. Teammate Francisco Lindor, enduring some of the same problems as Alonso, is also one of the league’s most prolific when it comes to driving in runs.

The two have combined to drive in 85 runs. The Mets have scored 243. That’s just under 35% of their total runs.

They’ve performed well with runners in scoring position with Lindor slashing .286/.373/.482 and Alonso at .283/.377/.547. Brandon Nimmo and Jeff McNeil have been more productive in the slash line department, however, with neither of them going yard they’re well behind their teammates in terms of driving in runs.

Meanwhile, with bases empty, Alonso is a .209/.287/.518 hitter with Lindor following behind at .184/.250/.342. Perhaps the clutch gene is strong within these two. For whatever reason, they’re putting up All-Star numbers in RBI opportunities. When the bases are barren, both have put together epically bad slumps. Fortunately, their purpose is to knock in and score runs. They’re doing it as well as anyone in baseball.

A very honorable mention should go out to Francisco Alvarez as well who'd probably be right there with them if he actually got to play and hit in a spot where RBI opportunities were actually available.

NY Mets winner: David Robertson for replacing Edwin Diaz

David Robertson has been huge for the Mets out of the bullpen. As our trust in some of the other relievers fades, he has continually been one of the more reliable closers in the game. There have been some recent hiccups. However, Robertson has been a steady presence in the back of the bullpen.

Making this even more impressive is the fact that he has replaced the best closer in baseball, Edwin Diaz. It’s as if Robertson was asked to be a touring keyboardist for Led Zeppelin but was then suddenly asked to become the drummer to replace John Bonham.

Robertson is 8 for 9 in save opportunities and the owner of a 1.61 ERA through 20 appearances. It’s about as good as we could have asked him to do.

As an added bonus, Robertson is throwing strikes. Batters have walked at a rate of just 2.8 per 9 this season. For a guy with a career average of 3.7 per 9, it’s a promising total to begin the year. He’s an absolute winner for the Mets. In fact, his one-year deal with the Mets this season can easily parlay into yet another season in the big leagues next year as long as he stays on the field.

Robertson has shown his first signs of shakiness with an earned run in each of his last two outings prior to Memorial Day. One was his first blown game of the year versus the Cleveland Guardians. Fortunately, he ended up the winner anyway.

NY Mets loser: Everyone involved at the DH spot decision-making meetings

You’re a loser if you had anything to do with the DH spot decision-making up until this point; unless you were the person who stood up and suggested this weekend for the Mets to try something new. Seeing Daniel Vogelbach out of the starting lineup on Saturday despite there being a righty on the mound was a beautiful thing to witness. Yes, the Mets lost the game. It wasn’t because of this change.

The DH spot doesn’t have to be one occupied by a classic slugger who can’t even bend down far enough to field a groundball. It can actually be one where everyone gets to take their turn.

Keeping Daniel Vogelbach was the first mistake the Mets made because of how many limitations he brings with him. It meant Francisco Alvarez couldn’t exist on the roster as a third catcher/DH. Any free agent with something to offer could easily pass on signing with the Mets because they knew their playing time wouldn’t be abundant.

The Mets may finally have decided to start doing something with this weapon every National League team has at their disposal. Something as simple as letting Brandon Nimmo DH on Sunday should be a regular occurrence. Nimmo shouldn’t need more than a day a month maximum in the role. Someone like Starling Marte, on the other hand, could probably benefit from a few more days where he doesn’t have to worry about defense.

NY Mets loser: The starting pitching staff

The starting pitchers for the Mets have been below “meh.” Considering our preseason expectations where they were an easy top five rotation, if not number one, it’s a huge shame they haven’t been nearly as good as expected.

Both Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander have seen their share of struggles. Scherzer is 4-2 with a 3.54 ERA after 8 starts and looks like he is headed in the right direction. After 5 starts, Verlander is 2-2 with a 4.80 ERA and coming off of a poor outing against the Colorado Rockies.

The starting staff has an 18-20 record and 5.13 ERA through the team’s first 54 games. The ERA ranks 25th in Major League Baseball. It’s not the only major statistic ranking low. Their walks per nine is the second-worst.

Tylor Megill has seen his ERA balloon up to 4.67 but it’s not nearly as rough as David Peterson’s 8.08 in his 8 crazy starts. Carlos Carrasco, through 5 starts, is at 1-2 with a 6.75 ERA.

What might be one of the more unfortunate numbers is how Kodai Senga is the only guy in the rotation right now with more than a strikeout per inning on average. He does also have the horrendous 5.8 walks per 9.

The Mets can get by with a below-average starting rotation as long as the offense gets hot and the bullpen becomes bulletproof. Do we trust either of those things to happen for a long enough period?

Around all of Major League Baseball, there might not be a more disappointing group of players than the Mets starting staff. Things need to turn around. On Memorial Day, they’re losers. Can they be winners on the Fourth of July?