3 Mets players suddenly playing a lot better in a reduced role

3) NY Mets outfielder Tommy Pham can play when he doesn’t start too much

Tommy Pham is probably still playing a little too much. It seemed like the Mets were finding excuses to start him in April. In May, Pham logged 18 games and had 44 at-bats. It’s actually significantly more playing time than Escobar when we consider the sample size of opportunities.

Pham, somewhat quietly, posted some decent May totals. He was a .250/.358/.432 hitter. He went yard once and drove in 7. This is about what we’d want from him. He even stole 3 bases which served as a reminder that maybe he can hang around and even be a pinch running option. This can be especially sweet to have if the Mets are carrying three catchers or continue to put their faith in a turnaround by Vogelbach.

The season totals for Pham are still putrid with a .222/.321/.389 slash line staring us in the face. The solution is to not force him into the lineup. Let Escobar get some of those DH at-bats against lefties. Allow Mark Vientos some more chances, too. There is no reason why Pham must start a game.

Still a bit on the “outs” with the fans at the moment, May was progress. What the Mets will need to do in June is for the starters to carry the ball club. Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor drove in a ton of runs this past month and yet they did it with slash lines of .219/.339/.543 and .227/.273/.412. Improvements from them can radically re-shape this ball club.