3 Mets who need to have a better month in May

A very up-and-down April for the New York Mets concluded with back-to-back rainouts over the weekend. Some highlights of the month included Pete Alonso’s 10 homers and the dominant return of Joey Lucchesi.

On the flip side, let’s take a look at three Mets who struggled in April and need to be better in May.

1) Daniel Vogelbach needs to provide the Mets with more power in May

Vogelbach leaves April with just three extra-base hits - two doubles, one home run, and a slugging percentage of just .375. Simply put, that’s not enough to be the everyday DH. 

Vogey hit 18 homers and 19 doubles last year, the vast majority of those coming in the first half in Pittsburgh. His best power season was in Seattle in 2019 when he slugged 30 homers and 17 doubles. He’s capable of hitting for more power, we just need to see it happen. His xSLG on baseball savant is in just the 15th percentile, so there may not be much improvement coming. His hard hit rate is in the 68th percentile, and his barrel rate is in the 57th percentile.

Briefly, he deserves recognition for his command of the strike zone. He had a .417 on-base percentage in May, and he walked (12) nearly as many times as he struck out (14). His walk rate is in the 98th percentile and his chase rate is in the 90th percentile. Honestly, he can sacrifice a little bit of discipline if it means hitting for more power. There are a few Mets with good on-base skills, but only two established guys (the aforementioned Alonso and Francisco Lindor) have more power than Vogelbach.