Andres Chavez

The 2026 campaign was kind of a mess for the New York Mets, but Juan Soto remained highly effective at the plate even while playing through many maladies that robbed him of several games and could have affected his performance. For reference, here’s a list of some of Soto’s 2026 injuries: an illness, back tightness, two different left calf strains that required trips to the injured list, an ankle injury after fouling off a ball in the area, and forearm tightness. Yes, that’s just in one season. The fact that he played 111 games was nothing short of amazing. Soto’s 3.1 fWAR represented his lowest output since the pandemic-shortened campaign of 2020. However, he was far from a bad player, even in a mediocre collective season for New York. The All-Star outfielder hit .275/.393/.515 with 27 home runs, a 147 wRC+ that’s right on par with his career mark of 150, a 16.2 percent walk rate, and a 13.5 percent strikeout rate in 482 plate appearances. No matter how you slice it, he remains the same historically great hitter he was before joining the Mets. Juan Soto Is A True Statcast Darling Per Statcast, Soto placed in the 96th percentile in Batting Run Value, but was in the 25th percentile in Baserunning Run Value, and even worse in Fielding Run Value, in the 15th percentile. He actually improved his defense in comparison to 2025, but his contribution on the basepaths fell off a cliff, probably a direct consequence of all the lower-body ailments and a desire to preserve his health when he was playing. Soto is so consistently good offensively, even in an injury-riddled year, that his Statcast profiles from 2025 and 2026 look awfully similar, baserunning drop-off notwithstanding. By now, the book is out on him as a hitter: bat-to-ball skills, power, elite discipline, and the consistency to contend for All-Star games and Silver Sluggers every year. Unless he dramatically improves his defense, an MVP seems to be a difficult proposition in a league that seems to value WAR more and more every season, competing with unicorns like Shohei Ohtani and two-way monsters like Pete Crow-Armstrong. However, there's an awfully good case to be made that, as far as pure hitting ability goes, he remains in a tier of his own. Mets Have An Elite Offensive Performer In His Prime Since the start of the 2020 campaign, only Aaron Judge (187) and Yordan Alvarez (165) have a higher wRC+ than Soto’s 160 mark. He has been even better than Ohtani, who is fourth on that list with a 158 wRC+. Back to the 2026 Mets, Soto’s 111 games were still enough for him to rank second in fWAR behind Carson Benge, as well as first in home runs, wRC+, and walk rate. For good measure, he also finished fourth in stolen bases (nine), second in batting average (.275), first in OBP (.393), first in slugging percentage (.515), second in RBIs (68), and first in OPS (.908) among his teammates. No other Mets player finished with an OPS higher than .794, which shows you the kind of lineup protection the future Hall of Famer was working with. At 28 years old, Soto remains in his physical prime, and his offensive game hasn’t slowed down one bit. In 2027, if and when baseball gets going again, we should all witness even better numbers if health is on his side. Image courtesy of Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images View full article

Image courtesy of Brad Mills-Imagn Images Not many shortstops have managed to hit 300 home runs in the majors. Francisco Lindor, who reached the total on September 27, became the most recent member of a very exclusive club that includes Ernie Banks, Cal Ripken Jr., Miguel Tejada, and Alex Rodriguez. It was a cool achievement in a very difficult season for the All-Star shortstop. Lindor was limited to 105 games and 469 plate appearances, in which he hit a slightly disappointing (for his lofty standards, at least) .225/.309/.423 with 21 home runs, 63 runs scored, 49 RBI, three stolen bases, a 105 wRC+, and 2.2 fWAR. His 105 wRC+ was his lowest mark since that rocky debut season with the Mets in 2021, in which he posted a 101 mark. A Season Derailed By Injuries: Francisco Lindor's 2026 In Review It’s important to clarify that Lindor needed hamate bone surgery in February, around the start of spring training, and was on a race to be ready for the start of the regular season. These injuries are notorious for impacting offensive performance, particularly in the power department. Lindor was ‘ready’ in time for the season opener, but he was clearly still adjusting to the fact that he got virtually no time to properly train and get ready. Then, in late April, he was placed on the injured list with a left calf strain. He was activated in late June, a little over two months after hitting the list. Lindor had to start over again, for the second time this year. Naturally, his 114 second-half wRC+ was much better than his 89 mark before the break. He played better as he got further removed from his injuries, but he never hit the kind of ceiling he's shown in the past. From a power standpoint, Lindor didn’t do so badly considering the wrist injury and the limited number of games played. His stolen base output plummeted, though, which is likely related to the significant calf injury. Whether it was because of the two major injuries, the natural aging process (he’ll be 33 next month), or just a bad season, Lindor showed some signs of decline. Here is a comparison of some of his metrics over the last three campaigns: Usually a star in all facets of the game, Lindor was merely average in hitting and fielding this year, and well below-average in baserunning value, in the 29th percentile. As his sixth percentile LA Sweet-spot% suggests, he rarely squared up the ball in the most ideal angles, and that was reflected in his low batting average. He did manage to put up an elite hard-hit rate, in the 91st percentile, but his 20.3 percent strikeout rate was the highest of his career. Lindor helped himself out a lot by pulling fly balls at a 25.7 percent rate, and that likely helped him maintain his power despite the problematic wrist injury early in the season. Both the .225 batting average and the .309 on-base percentage were career-worst marks, though, limiting his offensive output. Is Lindor starting to decline? It’s possible, but it’s hard to tell when almost his entire 2026 campaign was severely impacted by injuries. Perhaps it’s best to wait to see how he does in 2027 before we go down the doom-and-gloom route. For now, the shortstop is still part of the long-term plans of the organization. Chances are that he bounces back in a big way next year if the league and the union give us a chance to enjoy baseball. With a fully healthy wrist and a calf that is 100 percent, Lindor has some serious bounce-back potential, even if he probably won’t be the 7.6-fWAR player he was in 2024, when he was an MVP candidate and his Statcast profile was full of red. View full article

Image courtesy of Brad Penner-Imagn Images Yes, Juan Soto is the one with the mammoth contract, the accolades, and the talent level to be the New York Mets’ face of the franchise for the next decade. He said it himself, though: Carson Benge is the reason why New York can, and probably will, return to contention in 2027. Benge put together an NL Rookie of the Year-worthy campaign in 2026, slashing a cool .282/.346/.430 with 20 home runs, 22 stolen bases, 86 runs scored, a 118 wRC+, and 4.3 fWAR. He was a net positive in every part of the game: hitting, running the bases, and fielding. The vast majority of major leaguers would kill for that kind of season. However, there’s the feeling that the 23-year-old rookie could have another gear to hit in the future. That brings up the million-dollar question: what’s Benge’s true upside? What will he look like as a ballplayer in his absolute peak? Well, let’s see how sustainable his 2026 performance was, re-analyzing each of his tools. Carson Benge's Updated Mets Scouting Report After Brilliant Rookie Season Hit Tool Benge’s .279 expected batting average (xBA) ranked in the 89th percentile in the entire league, which puts him in the elite tier. His swing is geared for hitting line drives, and his 38.1 percent launch angle sweet-spot percentage was in the 87th percentile. The LA Sweet-Spot% is the percentage of balls hit between 8 and 32 degrees. That’s commonly known as the sweet spot, which yields the most ideal types of contact. Benge usually lives in this spectrum, which partly explains why his batting average floor is so high. He did strike out 142 times, but above-average whiff and chase rates suggest that Benge could one day approach a .300 average. The foundation is there, starting with a compact swing built for line drives. Power On the other hand, Benge might not have such a lofty power ceiling unless he fills out his frame or implements a swing change. With 32nd percentile bat speed, a 40th percentile hard-hit rate, and a 44th percentile barrel rate, his profile doesn’t exactly scream power breakout. His doubles output was also surprisingly low, at 22. Nothing in his current profile points to a major breakthrough in the home run department. Of course, he should be good enough for 15-20 bombs every year, and that’s absolutely fine considering his wide array of skills and ways to impact a game. Speed/Base-stealing Benge stole 22 bags in 2026 and was caught just five times. He ranked in the 82nd percentile in sprint speed, too, and we all saw that he can run. If he shows a bit more aggressiveness in the basepaths, he could definitely push that total closer to 30. It all comes down to how willing Benge is to put his body on the line a few more times a year, but he does have 20-30 potential despite not stealing even 25 bases in a season in the minors or while at Oklahoma State. Regardless, he has good instincts on the basepaths and is excellent at taking an extra base when the opportunity presents itself. Fielding Benge racked up +7 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) in 1,388 innings in the outfield this year, most of them in right field. He also had one +1 Out Above Average, or OAA. His +8 Fielding Run Value (FRV) puts him in the 85th percentile of all players in the league. It’s clear that Benge is a rock-solid defensive outfielder, and could be even better in 2027 as he cleans up his routes and becomes used to certain ballparks. Thanks to the emergence of fellow rookie A.J. Ewing in center field, he should be able to focus all of his time on right field moving forward, which is the perfect fit given his ludicrously powerful arm. Arm Speak of the devil. You may not believe this, but Benge’s best tool might just be his throwing arm. You can tell he used to be a pitcher, because he was top of the league in Arm Value (+7) and ranked in the 99th percentile in arm strength, at 96.6 mph. This is the key component of an otherwise well-rounded defensive profile. Benge tied for sixth in outfield assists this year with 10, all of them from right field. He is a threat from back there, and has the ability to get anyone out at any point of the game. How Good Can Benge Become? Despite the fact that his power ceiling seems somewhat limited, Benge does have potential to improve in just about every other area. His ceiling has the sort of tantalizing aura usually reserved for future MVP candidates. How good can he be? Well, think of a .300 batting average, 20 home runs, 30 doubles, 30 stolen bases, a 125-130 wRC+, solid defense, and an elite throwing arm. That’s early career Carlos Beltrán stuff right there, which I think we'd all sign up for right now. There's work to do for him to get to that point, but it's clear that he's set up for a prosperous future in Queens as one-third of a blossoming outfield trio. View full article

Image courtesy of Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images Left-hander Jonathan Santucci, the New York Mets’ second-round pick back in 2024, had a year to remember. No, he wasn’t the minor leaguer with the lowest ERA in the organization, but he was named the Pitcher of the Year in the Mets' farm system for a reason. The growth Santucci showed throughout 2026 was notable, and thus, we'll join the Player Development team in New York in announcing him as our pick for Mets’ Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2026. After mastering Double-A, he encountered some issues in the much tougher environment of Triple-A, but the potential is there for him to contribute at some point in 2027. Between Binghamton and Syracuse, the southpaw made 27 starts and tossed 125 innings, with a 4.03 ERA and a 3.63 FIP. His 50.2 percent groundball rate is awfully promising, as is his 30.8 percent strikeout rate. That's a combination of weak and limited contact that will play at every level of affiliated ball. Santucci did his best work in Double-A. There, he posted a 3.57 ERA and a 3.08 FIP in 90.2 frames, with 120 strikeouts. His 45 walks were a tad high, and it’s certainly something to keep an eye on, but the potential to miss bats at the highest level is exciting. Santucci earned a summer promotion to Triple-A, where he struggled with a 5.24 ERA in eight outings. His walks went up, as did his home run rate (1.57 per nine innings, as opposed to just 0.40 in Double-A). He did, however, make some adjustments and earn better results in his last four starts at the level: a 3.54 ERA and 25 punchouts in 20.1 frames. The left-hander was named a 2026 Double-A Eastern League All-Star during the season after his quality stint with the Rumble Ponies. His 163 Ks between the two levels led the organization's minor-league system. Grand Central Mets 2026 MiLB Pitcher of the Year: Jonathan Santucci Santucci is ranked as the Mets’ No. 7 prospect here at Grand Central Mets, and he's sure to jump into the top five once an offseason re-ranking is released. The organization loves his ability to get swings and misses, and it all starts with his incredible pure stuff. The southpaw sits in the low-to-mid-90s range, mostly around 93 and 94 mph, but can touch 96 or even 97 if the situation demands it. He throws his fastball from a high release angle, which helps it generate a good amount of carry at the top of the zone. His best offering might be his slider, which usually checks in between 86-89 mph and gives a true bat-missing weapon with two-plane break. He complements it with a curveball and a changeup. In order to take the next step, Santucci needs to prove he can lower the 5.50 walks per nine innings he issued in Triple-A this year, as well as the elevated home run rate that began to plague him against the most advanced hitters in the minors. If he can do that, he can certainly be at least a mid-rotation starter at the MLB level someday. There’s a non-zero chance that Santucci is given an opportunity to compete for a rotation spot next spring if there is one to be had. The most likely outcome, however, has him starting the year in Triple-A, proving that the gains he made in the last four starts of this year were no fluke, and earning a place in New York at some point later in 2027 with his performance in Syracuse. View full article

Image courtesy of Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images The New York Mets have officially missed the playoffs for the second straight year, a highly disappointing outcome after the organization invested so much time, energy, and money in the roster. Whether they were the right investments remains up for debate, and the evidence—a 73-86 record heading into the final weekend of the season—is revealing for those making the calls in the front office. Making things worse for the 2026 Mets (but somehow better for the organization in 2027 and beyond) is the fact that they have not one, but two legitimate NL Rookie of the Year candidates in pitcher Nolan McLean and outfielder Carson Benge. It’s bad for obvious reasons: the Mets had a young foundational piece both in the rotation and the batting order/outfield, yet they're destined for last place in the NL East. That means things went really south around the rest of the roster. However, the Mets of tomorrow will have the chance to build around these two young stars, plus established veterans Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto and other interesting pieces such as A.J. Ewing, Francisco Alvarez, Brett Baty, Christian Scott, Zach Thornton, and Nate Lavender. Back to the NL ROY talk, Sal Stewart’s September slump is making it increasingly likely that one of McLean or Benge might end up with the prestigious piece of hardware on their trophy cabinet. The Reds slugger might still be the favorite, but he is hitting .263/.301/.303 with a 66 wRC+ this month and is at .266/.333/.465 with 32 home runs, 110 RBI, 85 runs scored, 15 stolen bases, 2.2 fWAR, and a 115 wRC+ for the season as a whole. Have McLean or Benge done enough to leapfrog Stewart or St. Louis Cardinals infielder J.J. Wetherholt for the award? Carson Benge's Case for NL Rookie of the Year Benge impacts games on an everyday basis, and he has done an excellent job both on offense and on defense. The stats, as always, don’t lie and paint a full picture of the rookie’s enormous contributions to the 2026 Mets despite an ugly start. Heading into the final series against the Nationals, Benge is hitting .274/.338/.419 with 20 round-trippers, 22 stolen bases, 83 runs scored, a 112 wRC+, and 3.7 fWAR. Unlike Stewart, he is getting it done with the bat and on the field. Wetherholt, the other favorite for the award, is a phenomenal defender, but his 103 wRC+ is rather middling in comparison with the rest of the candidates, including Benge. He has a higher fWAR (4.6), but fewer homers (17) and steals (14) than the Mets' star. In more than 1,300 innings between left, center, and (mostly) right field, Benge has +6 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) and +7 Fielding Run Value (FRV). He also has 10 outfield assists, tied for fifth in MLB and third in the National League. Benge can do it all, as he contributes in every department. Nolan McLean's Case for NL Rookie of the Year There’s a difference between being a good, young, up-and-coming lineup anchor growing up and developing among a solid group of veteran hitters and a pitcher becoming a staff ace while being rookie-eligible. In cases like these, the hurler should always get the nod because becoming a frontline starter isn’t an easy task. That’s what McLean is for the Mets: an ace. In a rotation that had Clay Holmes, Freddy Peralta, Christian Scott, and Zach Thornton at different points of the season, he managed to stand out to the point that he currently has a 3.5 fWAR and a 3.16 ERA in 179.2 innings. He leads New York in all three stats. McLean has struck out 194 batters. Only five National League pitchers have more: Jacob Misiorowski, Jesus Luzardo, Christopher Sanchez, Chris Sale, and Cade Cavalli. That’s it. After the talented right-hander posted a 2.06 ERA in 48 innings in his first taste of MLB baseball last year, some people had doubts about his ability to dominate for 30+ starts, and while McLean didn’t maintain an ERA in the low-2.00s, he did pitch like a No. 1 over a much larger sample in 2026. Who Will Win The NL ROY Award? A few weeks ago, Stewart looked like the overwhelming favorite to lift the individual trophy. That’s not the case anymore, though, and while he might still be the frontrunner in the race given his lofty totals, Wetherholt’s defensive prowess gives him a fighting chance. As for our two emerging stars here in New York, the stats and the circumstances both say they deserve to be closer to the other two in the race. Perhaps voters give us all a surprise in a few weeks. View full article

Image courtesy of © Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images The New York Mets and the Baltimore Orioles opened a new series at Citi Field on Monday. Pete Alonso, who was drafted, developed, and became a star in Queens, is in the first season of a five-year, $155 million contract he signed in the past offseason with the O’s. On Tuesday, Alonso hit his 300th home run as a major leaguer, which is incredible considering he is just 31. A whopping 264 of them came while he was wearing a Mets uniform. Fans gave him a curtain call while they lamented what could have been. By now, it’s quite clear that Mets’ president of baseball operations David Stearns was always wary of offering Alonso a lucrative long-term deal. In fact, they never even sent him a formal offer once the bidding entered a zone in which they weren’t comfortable. The Mets’ highest offer to Alonso was a seven-year, $158 million extension back in June 2023, but Billy Eppler was the one in charge of baseball decisions back then, not Stearns. The evidence suggests that the former architect of the Milwaukee Brewers and current baseball head of the Mets wasn’t too keen on a long-term marriage with Alonso, and all that comes with it. His stance has some logic, if we’re fair. Alonso is 31 and has no defensive or baserunning value. He isn’t particularly athletic, either. There have been warning signs about a decline, which is hardly unusual for a power-dependent hitter in their thirties. Baseball, however, defies logic sometimes. Pete Alonso's Return To New York Brings Mostly Regret The ‘Polar Bear’ was a fan favorite in Queens, the franchise’s home run king, and a prolific power hitter with a really high offensive floor. He was the guy fans paid to watch him play. He brought people into the stadium, and his homers got fans out of their seats on countless occasions. He also had the clutch gene, producing his best when it mattered most. Monday at Citi Field served as the perfect setting for the crowd to let their feelings be known. They gave Alonso a standing ovation, which he happily received and acknowledged, and turned against Stearns, calling for him to be fired. It’s important to clarify that the Mets’ 2026 collapse can’t be completely chalked up to losing Alonso, as the team also failed with him on the roster in 2025. Plenty of other factors contributed to their demise this year, but that’s exactly where Stearns comes into play. He was, after all, the one who constructed the roster, the one who decided to bring in too many people to play out of position, and the one who failed to properly replace Alonso’s lofty production. And that’s why fans turned against him; had he put the Mets in a position to compete and consistently win, perhaps fans would have understood his call to not bring back the beloved slugger. Mets Left To Wonder What Could Have Been The situation is complex and many things need to be considered in the analysis, but letting Alonso walk without even being among the finalists to sign him seems to be an inflection point for the franchise. With their financial power, the Mets could have had a consistent 35-40-homer, 100-RBI, 130-140-wRC+ guy who doesn’t miss a game. Maybe the 2026 campaign would still have been a disaster with Alonso on the field as their starting first baseman. Or maybe not. It’s impossible to prove either way, but they would have had more of a chance, and they would have been much more entertaining. Alonso would have offered much, much more than what New York’s first basemen have done this year: a .235/.290/.392 line with an 89 wRC+ that was next-to-last in the entire league through Monday. Alonso? He is slashing .267/.362/.499 with 36 dingers, 101 RBI, and a 142 wRC+ after Tuesday’s game. In other words, fans still haven’t forgiven Stearns for not bringing back Alonso and rightfully so. The former’s tenure will be, in part, tied to the latter’s departure given the Mets' lack of success in the last two years. View full article

Image courtesy of © Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images Decline is every superstar’s worst fear. Father Time, after all, remains undefeated in professional sports, and every player, impactful or not, will start experiencing skills erosion at some point. Francisco Lindor of the New York Mets is no exception. No, we don’t necessarily think Lindor has reached the point of no return. He has had a rough year from the word "go," getting hamate bone surgery done in February and racing against time just to be ready for the start of the season. Then, he suffered a moderate left calf strain in late April. Lindor is hitting a rather mediocre .228/.312/.422 with 16 home runs and a 105 wRC+. In the second half, however, the 32-year-old shortstop is slashing a much better .238/.324/.464 with a 118 wRC+. Since the start of July, he has hit 13 home runs, so he has gotten better as he has been further removed from his injuries. Funnily enough, Lindor hasn't necessarily rediscovered his peak form since the All-Star break, with a 46 percent hard-hit rate in the second half. That would be well above the league average, but it’s actually lower than his 50 percent mark in the first half. So, why has he been able to put up some impressive power numbers after the Midsummer Classic? Well, basically, it's because he has taken the power-hitting book and applied its two most basic principles: pulling the ball very often and lifting it. Breaking Down Francisco Lindor's Latest Makeover For the season, Lindor has a 0.78 ground-ball-fly ball ratio and a 49.8 percent pull rate per FanGraphs. The latter is actually a career-high. He has taken things to another level since the All-Star Game, though. After the break, he has hit 0.61 balls in the ground for every fly ball and has a pull rate of 51.1 percent. Hitting the ball in the air and pulling it has given a lot of folks a remarkable career at the MLB level, but it’s much harder to achieve than it seems, at least consistently. Lindor, a seasoned and talented veteran who knows everything there’s to know about the game and the nuances of hitting, is doing it. What’s the sacrifice with this approach? Contact, essentially, and a lower batting average as a direct consequence. Basically, his power is up, and his batting average is down. Even if his overall production has been undoubtedly better since the break, his average is still a rather low .238. Is this the new Lindor, though? Is it safe to assume this is what we will see from him as he ages? It all depends on health, specifically given the injuries sustained this season. Calf strains are particularly tricky and can limit lower-body explosiveness, and hamate bone surgery almost always saps power in the following weeks or months because the muscles and tendons around the area are debilitated. Perhaps a healthier Lindor can produce closer to what he has done for his entire career rather than this low-average, high-power version. Or, maybe he decides this is the best path for him going forward. Perhaps this is what his body will allow him to do from this point on. Home runs are, after all, the quickest avenue to run production in the majors. View full article