Players of the Month: Baty, Senga Provide Consistency

The Mets had a somewhat volatile month in May. They struggled in the first half when their bats went ice cold, losing both series to the Yankees and Red Sox. Then, the Dodgers came to town, and the lead-up to this series was not an overwhelmingly optimistic one, but the Mets rose to the occasion, winning two out of three against their West Coast foes. Luckily, their bats started to wake up again towards the end of May as they continued their winning ways against the struggling White Sox and Rockies. Overall, the Mets finished May with a 15-12 record. While a handful of Mets played hero in May, a few stood out.

Offensive Player of the Month: Brett Baty 

It is great to see Brett Baty producing. Despite all the adversity Baty has faced throughout his career, he is starting to show that he belongs in the big leagues. While the Mets’ bats were quiet for most of May, Baty’s bat was the most consistent. He slashed .290/.333/.581 with an OPS of .914 since the Mets recalled him on May 5. He managed to hit five home runs, produced 16 RBIs, and only struck out 14 times in 66 plate appearances. Compare that to his April numbers; he increased his batting average by .068, his on-base by .062, and his slug by .203! He also increased his OPS by .265. That is a remarkable turnaround. Brett Baty’s consistent bat kept the Mets in many games throughout the month, emphasized by his performance on May 31 against the Rockies where he hit a bases-clearing triple for the lead.

Pitcher of the Month: Kodai Senga 

Kodai Senga was elite in May. Senga went 3-2 with a 1.89 ERA in six starts throughout the month. He compiled 34 strikeouts, which resulted in a 9.18 K/9. Senga also went deeper in his outings, pitching six or more innings in three of his six starts. He is continuing to do a great job at keeping the ball in the park, allowing just two home runs in the 140 total batters he faced. Senga did a remarkable job working out of jams. He stranded 87.1% of the runners on base, including a perfect 100% twice. This happened in his games against the Diamondbacks and the Dodgers. Senga’s groundball percentage rate played a big role in his May success. 43% of the balls hit in play resulted in ground balls.

His 45.4% groundball percentage is in the 66th percentile according to Baseball Savant. Senga capped off his fantastic month by securing a W against the Rockies on May 31, in which he pitched 6 and 1/3 innings, striking out seven and only allowing two earned runs on two hits.

Honorable Mention: Francisco Lindor 

Like many teammates, Lindor had a very up-and-down month. He started slow, batting only .200 with one home run through his first seven games. He then got hot in both the Pirates and Cubs series. Through these games, Lindor batted .360 with two home runs, compiling nine hits in 25 at-bats. Then he went ice cold against the Yankees and Red Sox, where he slashed .174/.259/.391, ultimately resulting in a -.7 wRAA. His struggles continued against the Dodgers in which he only amassed one hit, a single, in 15 plate appearances. He persevered through his tough times and started to see better hitting days against both the White Sox and the Rockies. Lindor slashed .381/.417/.714 in these series, with a 1.131 OPS. Lindor also managed to hit two home runs, one from each side of the plate, in the 4-2 Mets win against the Rockies. Ultimately, Lindor finished the month of May, slashing .255/.339/.464 with an OPS of .802. He hit six home runs, five doubles, and drove in 17 RBIs.

Up Next 

The Mets face some tough National League teams in June, kicking off summer with a trip to face the Dodgers for four games. Later in the month, the Mets take on National League East rivals, the Braves and Phillies. They travel to both of these teams on a road trip stretch starting June 17 to June 22. Then the Braves come to New York for a four-game series beginning June 23. These are all pivotal games as the National League East race tightens each day. As of June 1, the Mets have a very slim one-game margin ahead of the Phillies for the NL East. The Braves are not too far behind at 9.5 games out. These June games will impact who will win the NL East.

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