3 red flags from Mets spring training worth some concern

It’s as much “only a flesh wound” as it is “only spring training.” The fake games where the stats matter as much as the expiration date on bottled water, New York Mets spring training is wrapping up and there are some red flags that should have fans concerned.

We know better than to lose sleep over anything that happens in the preseason. Deceptively good or bad performances have fooled us in the past before.

Nevertheless, these red flags are hard to ignore with Opening Day quickly approaching.

1) None of the Mets regulars are doing much hitting

There are two types of players in spring training. There are the ones whose numbers can suggest they belong on the roster or not. Then there are those who’ve been around the league long enough where we know a dozen-game slump is nothing to read much into. In such a short stretch, any player can hit .400 or .100. Unfortunately for the Mets, there’s a lot more of the latter.

None of the Mets regulars are doing much hitting at all. Francisco Lindor is hitting .167. We find Starling Marte’s batting average way down at .129. Only Pete Alonso, with a .289 batting average, is in range of what we’d like to see. His average is well above what anyone would expect.

There aren’t any fingerprints on the panic button over what a few All-Star caliber players have done in a short stretch of games where they exit midway through. 

We know better than to freak out over any individual spring training statistic. What about when the collective isn’t producing? The .682 OPS through 24 games ranks 26th in baseball. If there’s any consolation, it’s tied with the Houston Astros, just below the Atlanta Braves, and better than both the Philadelphia Phillies and last-place Miami Marlins.

Red flag or just something that happened? We’ll find out in a week. In these final spring training games, a wicked-hot bat would be nice to see.