3 Mets players ruining our preseason optimism we had for them
The New York Mets have gotten off to a good start this season, (just overlook that ugly Milwaukee Brewers series), and many of the players that we have expected to perform are performing to this point. However, there are a few players on the team that we were counting on for major contributions that haven't worked out the way we have thought to this point through the first three weeks.
While there is still plenty of time for these players to turn it around, the Mets are a win-now ballclub and patience will be wearing thin by fans and the front office alike by May as each of these players has potential replacements waiting in the wings. I wanted to evaluate each of these players' performances to this point in the season, and how they have not performed to their capable expectations.
1) NY Mets disappointing player: Eduardo Escobar
While I know many people were down on Eduardo Escobar coming into Opening Day due to Brett Baty's performance during Spring Training, I did not expect Escobar's performance at this point in the season to be as bad as it has been. While Escobar had a red-hot end to the regular season in 2022, that momentum has not carried over, and he is currently sporting a .114 batting average to go along with 1 home run and 6 RBIs in 44 at-bats.
The chants for Brett Baty are only continuing to grow louder at Escobar's expense, and while I don't believe Escobar is in any fashion in danger to lose his roster spot, his days as the Mets starting third baseman may be numbered. Baty is currently putting up otherwordly numbers in AAA and while Esocbar's bat continues to be ice cold, the Mets may have to make a move sooner rather than later to spark the bottom of their lineup.
Escobar is currently ranked at the bottom of the league in terms of average exit velocity, barrel percentage, and hard-hit percentage. It's been an ugly first few weeks, but if Escobar can find a way to turn it around he will become a large part of the Mets' success later on this season as a utility player.
2) NY Mets disappointing player: Carlos Carrasco
Coming into the season Carlos Carrasco was slotted into the rotation as the Mets' fifth starter and at this point, his rotation spot may only be secured due to the injuries on the starting pitching staff. With both Justin Verlander and Jose Quintana on the injured list, Carrasco has managed to hold on to his rotation spot despite being outpitched by both fill-ins in David Peterson and Tylor Megill.
Over three starts and 13.2 innings pitched, Carrasco holds an 8.56 ERA and an ugly 1.61 WHIP. Carrasco has also failed to pitch more than five innings in any of his three starts, and we have seen a dip in his velocity as the game wears on in all of his starts as well.
I believed Carrasco would be a serviceable fifth starter for the Mets in terms of a pitcher who could eat innings, make 30 starts, and provide the Mets with some of the best starting rotation depth in baseball. Right now Carrasco does not look like the pitcher that he was for the vast majority of last season who pitched to a 3.97 ERA over 29 starts.
If Carrasco is unable to turn it around by the time Justin Verlander comes off the injured list, which may happen at some point next month, he may be shifted to the bullpen in a long-relief role as Megill and Peterson continue to make cases not to be removed from the starting rotation.
3) NY Mets disappointing player: Daniel Vogelbach
If we are being honest with ourselves, many of us Mets fans thought they would add another legitimate bat to this lineup during the winter after the offensive struggles over the last month of last season. While Carlos Correa was almost a Met, ultimately we saw how that played out and it left the Mets empty-handed without an upgrade to their offense.
The Mets exercised Daniel Vogelbach's $1.5 million club option over the winter and entrusted him with becoming their starting DH after the Correa deal fell through. The results to this point have left a lot to be desired at this point as Vogelbach is currently hitting .182 with a .627 OPS over his first 9 games played.
While it is an extremely small sample size, Vogelbach had struggled down the stretch last season with the Mets after catching fire when he was acquired prior to the Trade Deadline. There are also fans clamoring for Mark Vientos to take over the DH spot after his great spring and his red-hot run in AAA currently.
The Mets don't have a large financial commitment to Vogelbach and I believe they are going to give him every chance to succeed out of the DH spot. But with Vientos knocking on the door and the Mets' bottom of the lineup continuing to struggle, the Mets may make a move sooner rather than later in regards to his roster spot.