3 Up, 3 Down: 2025 Mets First Half Edition

With the All-Star break upon us, now is the perfect time to take stock as far as the New York Mets are concerned.

The first half of the 2025 MLB season is officially in the books. And, at the break, the Mets are well-positioned. They sit half a game out of first in the NL East with a 55-42 record.

It was undoubtedly a wild first half for New York. A scorching start was followed by an all-time slump in June. That included 14 losses over a 17-game stretch. With injuries piling up on the pitching side, the Mets’ train was threatening to fall off the tracks completely.

However, taking two out of three from the Yankees over the July Fourth weekend sparked a resurgence of sorts. The Mets went 7-5 in the first half of July, while offering plenty of hope for the second half of the season.

For now, though, let’s look back on the good, the bad and all the in-between from the first half of 2025…

3 UP

HISTORY MAKER

We are on the cusp of witnessing something truly historic. Pete Alonso (247) is just six home runs away from surpassing Darryl Strawberry (252) for the most homers in franchise history. When Alonso achieves that significant milestone, it will mark a very special day for all connected with the Mets. Alonso inching closer to becoming the Mets’ new home run king will be the biggest storyline heading into the second half. Breaking the record will also be the highlight of what has been a productive year for the slugger so far.

Despite a difficult free agency, Alonso has been at his slugging best, heading into the break with 21 home runs, 26 doubles and 77 RBIs. Granted, there have been some slumps – the first baseman went 16 games without a home run in May. But, overall, Alonso has been great for the Mets so far in 2025. He’s now set for a truly special second half of the year.

EXACTLY AS ADVERTISED

The pressure was always going to be on Juan Soto after he signed a record-breaking $765 million contract during the season. Therefore, it wasn’t a surprise that the noise was so loud when the superstar hitter got off to a slow start in Queens. Even so, Soto wasn’t as bad as many people were making out. But, when you get paid the big money, even bigger things are expected and Soto just wasn’t playing to the back of his baseball card.

Then, just like that, it all changed. The generational hitter carved out an all-time June, hitting .322/.474/.722/.1.196 with 25 runs scored, 11 home runs, 20 RBIs, and 25 walks. He has stayed hot since, and has looked like the true superstar we all know he is. Furthermore, the fact that Soto isn’t an All-Star should mean he’s well rested for the second half. He will need to be at the very peak of his powers if the Mets want to accomplish something special in October.

PITCHING CARRIED AT TIMES

The perceived strength of this team entering the season was its offense. Given all the question marks hovering over the rotation, it was believed that the lineup would carry the Mets. However, for most of the first half, the opposite proved true. The Mets owned the best team ERA in all of baseball for a substantial amount of time. That’s despite being without a slew of key starters. The highlights? Kodai Senga pitched at a Cy Young level. Clay Holmes handled his transition from reliever to starter with ease, pitching to a 3.31 ERA. And David Peterson has been the story of the year so far, owning a 6-4 record with a 3.06 ERA. Furthermore, Peterson has been the steady and reliable arm this team has needed amongst the chaos of all the injuries.

On the bullpen side, Edwin Díaz has been dominant. The closer has converted 19 of his 20 saves, pitching to a stellar 1.66 ERA with a 0.87 WHIP and 55 strikeouts across 38 innings. He has also allowed just one earned run in 27 appearances since April 21. Max Kranick emerged as quite the story early on following a strong spring, but has since flamed out. And the likes of Reed Garrett, Ryne Stanek, and Huascar Brazobán have all had as many downs as ups. With that said, the pen has done well to stay afloat given the sheer amount of workload it has had to take on during the first half.

3 DOWN

ADVERSITY OVERLOAD

The Mets were simply decimated by injuries throughout the first half of the season. Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas went down during spring training. A.J. Minter and Danny Young were lost early. Griffin Canning was lost for the year after a strong start. Tylor Megill is currently on the 60-Day IL. Dedniel Núñez is now set for his second Tommy John surgery. Max Kranick and José Buttó are on the IL. On the offensive side, Jesse Winker has struggled to stay healthy and is now back on the IL. And a raft of injuries have also impacted the performances of a slew of other players on the roster. Consequently, the bullpen has been taxed due to the number of starters who have been injured. Plus, Winker’s absence has hurt the bottom of the lineup. The Mets will be hoping for a healthier second half.

TAKING A STEP BACK

Mark Vientos and Francisco Alvarez were both significant X-Factors entering 2025. They were supposed to help carry this offense behind the Big Three at the top of the lineup. Instead, both players have regressed significantly. Vientos has not looked like the player who mashed at a high level in 2024. Instead, he’s looked lost at the plate, hitting just .223/.280/.361 with a .640 OPS and just six home runs. Additionally, his defense, which was already below average, has also taken a considerable step back. Vientos did show signs of life in Kansas City right before the break, coming up with a clutch hit in the opener. The Mets need more from the middle and bottom of the lineup in the second half, and Vientos will be key to that.

As for Alvarez, the catcher saw his play fall off a cliff. Getting hurt in spring training didn’t help. But the combination of missing time and a new swing approach combined to sink the catcher. He wasn’t hitting for any power, producing just three homers while hitting .236/.319/.333. There was a concerning trend with the framing numbers behind the plate, too. As a result, Alvarez was sent down to Triple-A in order to hit the reset button. Since then, the slugger has hit eight home runs and 18 RBIs for Triple-A Syracuse, while he owns a 1.196 OPS in July. A return to the big leagues could be on the horizon. But, overall, New York needs a lot more from both Vientos and Alvarez in the second half, especially offensively.

FALLING SHORT

For all of the offseason hype, the offense hasn’t been all that great so far in 2025. Heading into the All-Star break, the Mets were averaging 4.39 runs per game, which ranks 14th in all of baseball. The lineup has just been maddeningly inconsistent, with the team’s best hitters all going through lengthy slumps. Meanwhile, the bottom of the lineup has almost been a net negative.

However, the biggest concern on the offensive side has been the struggles with runners in scoring position. The Mets have stunk with RISP all year long. They just have. At the break, New York is hitting .230 with RISP. Even Juan Soto is hitting just .183 with runners in scoring position. The lack of clutch hitting has cost games. Be it an approach or mentality issue, something has to change. Because, in close games in the postseason, an inability to cash in with runners on could hurt this team in the biggest way.

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