2 early slumpers we should be concerned about, 1 who will figure it out

Apr 1, 2023; Miami, Florida, USA; New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor (12) celebrates with
Apr 1, 2023; Miami, Florida, USA; New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor (12) celebrates with / Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
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Seven games into the season and everyone on the New York Mets either looks too hot, too cold, or just right. We’re at the Goldilocks point of the year where ERAs are inflated, batting averages are sunk, and guys who will be off the roster within weeks look like superstars when you see the numbers.

At 3-4, the Mets have their share of early slumpers. Which ones should we be concerned about most and who should we expect to figure it out?

NY Mets fans should be concerned about the early slump from Eduardo Escobar

Eduardo Escobar is 2 for 20 giving him a .100/.143/.100 slash line. It’s a horrendous start to a season where many fans were willing to give him the benefit of turning things around. He finished last year so strongly. He couldn’t possibly be a bust in 2023.

Things aren’t looking good for the Mets starting third baseman. After a poor spring and WBC performance, he has started off slowly yet again in the regular season. It took him practically the entire 2022 campaign before he began to contribute regularly. Apparently, strong endings don’t carry over to the next film.

If you’ve ever seen The Blue Lagoon starring a young Brooke Shields or read the book of the same name, you may know a good example of this. At the end of the first film, someone asks “Are they dead?” referring to the two main characters floating in the middle of the ocean. The response by one of the shipmates is then “No, sir. They’re asleep.” This sets up a nice conclusion about survival. Unfortunately, the second film and book, The Garden of God, begins with the line, “No, they are dead.”

As it turns out, endings don’t always carry over. It doesn’t look like Escobar’s has.

NY Mets fans should be concerned about the early slump from Max Scherzer

Should we believe Max Scherzer will pitch to a 6.35 ERA this year? Not at all. He’s going to settle in. However, after two starts, there are more alarming factors which should have Mets fans concerned.

The home run barrage against Scherzer in the second game was astonishing. Was he tipping pitches or just not locked in? Has his stuff softened?

Beyond the obvious ERA, Scherzer has been ineffective at getting hitters out via strikeout and he’s walking them too much. A rate of 3.2 walks per 9 is high for him. The 6.4 strikeouts per 9 is more troublesome. Plenty of very good pitchers get through the first few weeks of the year getting hammered but with strikeouts piling up.

Scherzer had the complete opposite kind of conclusion for the Mets last year. His poor performance against the Atlanta Braves in the final days of the regular season and the loss in the playoffs left fans wondering if he lost a step in the offseason. Two starts isn’t enough to completely write him off. It may be enough for us to realize maybe he isn’t going to have another brilliant year.

Scherzer has been tagged for the long ball regularly in his career. Back in 2016, he led the league with 31 allowed. He still managed to win the Cy Young.

NY Mets fans can be confident Francisco Lindor will start producing more

It’s tough to pick a slumper who will turn things around because how badly are some of those guys slumping? Pete Alonso is batting .192 but leads the team in multiple offensive categories. It’s definitely a small slump.

Francisco Lindor, meanwhile, is slashing .227/.379/.364 in the early going. He does have 3 doubles and as many RBI. The slump is milder than what we’ve seen from teammates like Escobar and even Mark Canha whose .160/.276/.320 performance has been a drag on the offense. 

Although he has yet to hit a home run, it’s early and we can at least be happy to see Lindor already racking up two-base hits. His power numbers have been down since joining the Mets with noticeable drops in both home runs and doubles. This is a guy who had 40+ for three straight seasons in Cleveland. It’s a secret weapon he has yet to fully unleash in New York.

The numbers Lindor has put up while in blue and orange are unimpressive when compared to his best years in Cleveland. Now a .253/.333/.432 hitter for the Mets, it’s a huge drop from the .285/.346/.488 showing out in Ohio.

Nevertheless, we should expect more from Lindor. It’s somewhat based on perception, but he seems like a guy who does his best when the Mets offense is cooking—in large part because he is one of their most popular chefs at the plate. Lindor did hit .308/.378/.512 in their 101 wins last year. In the 60 losses he participated in, Lindor was a .201/.266/.335 hitter with only 20 RBI compared to 87 in victories. 

When Lindor starts hitting better, the Mets should win more.

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