Storylines one-third into the Mets' season

This story was excerpted from Anthony DiComo’s Mets Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

The season, for the Mets, is precisely one-third gone. It’s the time of year when general managers tend to shift phases. The first third of the season is for self-evaluation. The second third is for action, with the Aug. 1 Trade Deadline falling neatly near the end of it.

Of course, GMs aren’t the only ones who evaluate. We at MLB.com do the same. With that in mind, here are some notes and musings from March through Memorial Day:

• Consider this a defense of Francisco Lindor, who continues to be harshly judged in some corners -- apparently more for his contract than for his performance. Lindor is the type of player whose production levels tend to be better than fans think but not as good as they desire. I’d urge you to take a step back and realize he’s the best overall shortstop the Mets have had since José Reyes -- easily a Top 2 talent at the position in franchise history, capable of a good many things that even Reyes wasn’t. At least in part because of his $341 million deal, Lindor hasn’t been treated with anything close to the same level of adulation. I suspect that won’t change until or unless he gives the Mets a signature moment in the postseason.
• I’m no longer sure what the justification is for starting Daniel Vogelbach against most right-handed pitchers, and perhaps the Mets are finally reaching that point as well. For all Vogelbach’s on-base prowess, there’s clearly a ceiling there given his years-long power drought. We don’t know exactly what Mark Vientos is yet, but we certainly know what Vogelbach is not. It’s hard to envision Vogelbach having a place in this lineup for the biggest games, so why continue to include him there now? Buck Showalter has tended to bristle when asked about it, but the manager’s recent lineup actions speak louder than his words.
• Before the season started, I made a habit of saying that the Mets will go as far as Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer allow them to. I’m no longer sure that’s true. Make no mistake: Verlander and Scherzer are crucial, but they also appear to be more limited versions of themselves than we’ve seen in the past. For the Mets to run deep into the postseason, someone -- Kodai Senga? A younger pitcher? -- will need to become a trusted third option.

• Speaking of Senga, what is his evaluation one-third into the season? At times, most notably against the Rays earlier this month, he’s looked unhittable. More often, he has left the Mets wanting more -- mostly by walking too many batters and reaching the 100-pitch mark far too soon in games. There’s obviously a ton of talent here, but the scouting report on Senga is clear: teams that can lay off his misses are able to sit on his fastball and sweeper in the zone, and they’re hitting those pitches much harder than the others. The ghost fork can be a devastating out pitch, but only if Senga manages to get ahead in the count.
• The No. 1 subplot of this season will be Pete Alonso’s chase of 60 homers. I say that because I consider it eminently plausible. He launched a record-setting 53 home runs in 2019, his rookie season. Since then, his statistical growth as a hitter looks awfully similar to that of reigning AL MVP Aaron Judge before last season. The talent and opportunity are there and, while it’s always easier to suggest that things like this can’t happen, Alonso is one of only a few hitters in the post-PED era with the true ability to reach 60. Regardless of the outcome, his pursuit should be fun to watch.
• I’m not sure I’ve seen a rookie look more the part of a big league veteran than Brett Baty. (In terms of demeanor, the closest comp during my tenure would probably be Michael Conforto.) Baty seems unflappable both on and off the field, which is part of what makes his friendship with Francisco Álvarez so entertaining. The younger Alvarez wears his emotions on his sleeve, which is endearing in a totally different way.
• As for Alvarez, the scouts pegged him wrong, plain and simple. He’s a good defender, and not just because of the improvements he’s made over the past year. I suspect some evaluators took one look at Alvarez’s frame and assumed he would struggle behind the plate. This isn’t the same as a young Alonso, who came up as a rookie and held his own at first base despite obvious limitations. Alvarez appears in almost every way to be a solid defensive catcher from the ground up. Don’t believe any notion that he’s not.