Cade Lalim

Image courtesy of © Brad Penner-Imagn Images While it's impossible to prove the correlation, the New York Mets have been playing better since top prospect A.J. Ewing made his major league debut. They have since gone 6-1, after beginning the season with a disappointing 15-25 record. He joins Juan Soto and former top prospect Carson Benge who all look to anchor the Mets outfield for years to come. Once Benge and Ewing really start to consistently produce at the big-league level, the Mets could have one of the best outfield trio’s in all of baseball. Ewing started the season in the minors, starting with the Binghamton Rumble Ponies before getting promoted to the Syracuse Mets in late April. Between both levels, he owned a .339 batting average complimented by a .961 OPS. He racked up 13 extra-base hits while walking more than he struck out (22/20 ratio). Throughout his minor-league career, Ewing has made a reputation out of providing professional at-bats, hence his 14.3% walk rate and 21.8% strikeout clip. Being an on-base machine -- favoring contact over power and drawing plenty of walks -- he’ll be a nice addition to a Mets offense that ranks 29th in on-base percentage (.295). This profile we’ve come accustomed to with Ewing has carried over the majors thus far. He’s already notched his first career home run and triple. His bat speed is below average, only averaging 69.8 mph, which isn’t going to lead to much power in the future. His minimal bat speed is what’s behind his 46.2% of batted balls hit up the center. Ewing is only pulling 23.1% of balls, which is below the 37.4% league-average mark. As expected, he’ll likely be a guy who’ll be able to spray the baseball all over the yard with gap-to-gap power. So far, Ewing’s average batted-ball exit velocity hasn’t been overwhelming, averaging 88.3 mph. You can see this translate from his minor-league play, as he only hit 15 home runs over four minor league seasons with a .290 batting average. Although Ewing may not blow fans away with his power, he’ll certainly bring a fun style of play to the Mets. On top of his aforementioned hit tool, Ewing has incredible speed, topping out at 29.2 feet per second thus far with the Mets, putting him in the 95th percentile among all MLB players. He’s considered a plus defender and should be easily able to man center field effectively. He won't produce a 185 wRC+ forever, but he won't have to thanks to his speed and defense. He’s only played seven games but is sporting a .467 on-base percentage. Ewing’s excellent approach at the plate has translated well, as he’s walked seven times, equal to his number of punchouts. Ewing is doing a great job not expanding the zone only chasing 18.2% of the time -- way better than the league average 28.5% mark. He’s only squaring up 22.6% of batted balls but is still doing a good job making contact and limiting his whiff rate to 18.4%. In just his small sample size, Ewing already ranks tied for fourth among Mets hitters with 0.4 fWAR, only trailing Juan Soto (0.9), Francisco Lindor (0.6), and Francisco Alvarez (0.5). Perhaps that's an indictment on the scuffling lineup, but it's also proof that the rookie has the goods to become part of baseball's most exciting outfield in short order. View full article

Image courtesy of © John Jones-Imagn Images Amidst the New York Mets' scuffling to start the season, the bullpen has actually performed exceptionally well. They currently rank ninth in MLB in ERA (3.64) and third in strikeouts (177). The only problem is that the Mets' relievers have been overused. They’ve pitched 165.2 innings, which is the eighth-largest total in the majors. Some of that success is coming from a pitcher who has never seen a consistent role out of the bullpen since making his major-league debut in 2021 with the Los Angeles Angels. We’re talking about Austin Warren, who’s in the midst of his sixth big-league season, but hasn’t pitched more than 20.1 innings in a single campaign thus far. Warren pitched for the Angels from 2021 to 2023 before being designated for assignment in February of 2024. He underwent Tommy John surgery in May of 2023 after only pitching in two games. Warren survived the winter with the Angels, but was designated for assignment in February of 2024. The San Francisco Giants picked him up a couple days later but didn’t get activated until July as he continued to recover from UCL surgery. The Giants called him up in August where he’d log 10.2 innings pitching to a 1.69 ERA and 1.31 WHIP. Warren stayed in the Giants organization until January of 2025, when they designated him or assignment and he found his new home with the New York Mets. Austin Warren's Strong Results with Mets Warren has been with the Mets organization ever since they claimed him last spring. He saw a lot of brief stints last year in the majors only pitching 9.1 innings, but he threw 50.2 frames with the Syracuse Mets. Jumping ahead to this year, Warren has already pitched 11 innings which is his most in a season since his 2022 campaign. He has been effective in relief, owning a 0.82 ERA to go along with a 1.09 WHIP. He is striking out 29.5% of batters, equivalent to a 10.6 K/9 ratio. It’s still such a small sample to look at, but he’s performed well. His 0.82 ERA is amazing, but will be tough to sustain. His underlying peripherals suggest he could maintain solid production even if he regresses, hence his 3.30 FIP and 3.22 SIERA. His expected earned run average sits at 3.52 which is good, but again showing where his real results would likely be with a larger sample size. He could improve his walk rate that currently sits at 11.4%, a below-average mark that, if improved, could make Warren an even more reliable bullpen arm. Two Pitches That Look Good, but Will Regress Over Time While Warren has featured six differently tagged pitches this year, he relies mainly on his sweeper (51%) and sinker (21%). Both of these offerings are getting the job done right now, but the underlying numbers suggest that they might start to get hit harder as he logs more innings. Overall, batters are making contact with 93.2% of Warren’s strikes, putting him in the bottom second percentile. His sweeper is his best offering looking at the pitch traits and shape. It’s averaged 85.4 mph with -15.4 inches of horizontal break. Warren’s sweeper is getting an incredible 2776 RPM’s of spin. It’s his best pitch by Stuff+ (113), per TJStats. Opponents are hitting just .200 against the pitch, but it has a .290 expected batting average. On top of that, it’s only generating an 18.2% swing-and-miss rate, signaling Warren’s sweeper is not as effective as it could be. The pitch is also responsible for a below-average .347 xwOBA. When Warren isn’t throwing his sweeper, he goes to his sinker more often than not. It grades out a tick below average (99 Stuff+) but has done its job thus far -- batters have yet to record a hit against it. Still, keep in mind he’s only thrown it 36 times and has poor underlying numbers. Warren’s sinker is only generating 8.3% whiff and also has a poor .348 xwOBA on its ledger. Warren also throws a four-seam fastball and curveball, which have both been generating good expected numbers, but given their extremely limited usage, it's hard to draw any firm conclusions at the moment. This is a guy who lives and dies with his primary offerings, which might make him due for regression as opposing hitters see his best stuff more often. Nevertheless, he's been one of the most valuable relievers in the Mets' bullpen thus far, making him a much-needed win on David Stearns' track record. View full article

Image courtesy of © Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images After the Mets lost closer Edwin Diaz to the Los Angeles Dodgers over the offseason, they made a splash and signed Devin Williams to take his place. He’s under contract for three seasons, but hasn’t gotten off to a great start. Williams earned the honors of National League Rookie of the Year back in 2020 and was made two All-Star rosters while with the Milwaukee Brewers. The Brewers are heavily driven by analytics and are considered to be one of the best teams year in and out with roster construction, especially when it comes to pitching. Ever since getting shipped out of Milwaukee, Williams hasn't been the same. Part of this could be as a result of him dealing with a back stress fracture during the 2024 season that limited him to just 22 games. In December that year, the Brewers sent him to the New York Yankees in a deal that would bring back Caleb Durbin and Nestor Cortes. The profile on Williams is simple: He doesn't have elite velocity, but will miss bats with his stuff and limit hard contact. His nasty changeup allowed him to fetch excellent ground ball rates during his best years. While he has maintained his ability to strike out a surplus of batters, his ability to get batters to hit the ball on the ground has seen a decline with the Mets this year. Why Is Devin Williams Generating Fewer Groundballs with the Mets? Williams’ changeup constantly has graded out to be well above average according to Stuff+. From 2020-2025, his changeup has graded as high as 140 and as low as 114 according to FanGraphs Stuff+. This year, it’s taken a significant and concerning dive down to 82. Diving into the traits of his changeup, it lost a noticeable amount of vertical drop this year. That offering had an incredible 44.3 inches of vertical drop last year which is his career best, but has sat between 40 and 42 inches throughout his career. So far in 2026 with the Mets, his changeup is only averaging 38.9 inches of vertical drop. That has led to Williams having the lowest groundball percentage of his career; his groundball rate has averaged 46.9%, but he's down to 37.9% in 2026. This is reflected very clearly if you look at Williams’ run value on off-speed pitches, which only accounts for his changeup. It currently has a run value of -2 (8th percentile), but it’s been as high as 15 during the 2023 season. Batters are whiffing less against it and it has not been as effective at putting opponents away. Williams’ changeup has drawn a 40.4 swing-and-miss rate which is down from where it’s sat between 43% and 48% in the past. That figure is still pretty elite, but margins like these are the difference between an All-Star closer and a middling reliever. Will Devin Williams Return to Elite Form? For a guy who’s relied heavily on his changeup for success, it’s definitely concerning to see decline in the effectiveness of his best pitch. During his best years, he went to his changeup between 57-63% of offerings. This year is the first time in Williams’ career that he’s used his four-seamer more than his changeup. Williams hasn’t seen great results when batters put his changeup in play. Opponents are hitting .357 against the pitch with a .424 xSLG and .410 xOBA. While the expected batting average against his changeup is lower at .257, batters are still crushing the pitch with a .500 slugging percentage. He’s been a tad unlucky thus far through 11 innings of work. While his 6.55 ERA doesn’t look good, Williams has a 3.49 xERA and a 2.69 FIP. Seeing his FIP under three is what’s encouraging with Williams. He owns a career 2.46 mark in that category because of his high strikeout rate while not allowing many home runs. It might be the Mets wanting him to use his fastball more, or maybe he’s just not confident with his changeup right now. There is still plenty of time left in the year for Williams to figure things out, but it’ll be important to monitor how effective his "airbender" will be going forward. View full article

Image courtesy of © Brad Penner-Imagn Images Even though it’s very early in the year and Clay Holmes has only made five starts, if you leave out the one game he pitched in 2020, he’s currently sporting his lowest ERA of his career. You’d think that a guy with a 2.10 ERA and 1.03 WHIP would be dominant, but has Holmes really been as good as his surface numbers suggest? Holmes’ underlying data suggests that he’s been outperforming his expected stats, hence his 4.28 FIP and 4.35 SIERA. Even his expected earned run average is double his ERA, sitting at 4.20. There are a couple of different factors that are playing into Holmes’ situation. So far through 30 innings of work, Holmes has only struck out 19 batters, which is a 15.8% clip. It’s a below-average mark putting him in the 18th percentile. He hasn’t allowed an unhealthy amount of walks, but he is currently giving out free passes at a near-league-average 8.3% rate, good for the 59th percentile among all qualified pitchers. He’s done a respectable job of keeping balls in the yard, only giving up three home runs thus far. That equals a 0.9 HR/9 IP ratio, which is more than workable; him allowing home runs at a league-average clip isn’t what’s really blowing up his FIP and SIERA. Clay Holmes' Change of Role and Results Since Joining Mets Since Holmes joined the Mets last season, his FIP sits at 4.17, whereas it had previously been in the threes and twos dating back to the 2021 season with the Yankees. This is as a result of him striking out less batters causing his FIP to rise, while maintaining around the same walk rate. Since his early campaigns in Pittsburgh, each year since 2021 he’s been walking around 8% of batters. Holmes has never lacked the ability to compensate for that with strikeouts. He averaged around a 26% strikeout rate between 2021 and 2024, while with the Pirates and Yankees. During this stretch of four seasons, his FIP sat between 2.65 (his best) and 3.28 (his worst). Remember that Holmes was primarily a reliever his whole career until joining the Mets. When he worked out of the bullpen, he worked with three pitches; a sinker, slider, and sweeper. Since converting to a starter, he’s worked with at least five different pitches each of the last two seasons, including a cutter that's getting bashed to the tune of a .500 slugging percentage. This is the difficult of converting relievers. They often don't have deep-enough arsenals to power past lineups multiple times through. Better command will go a long way, but Holmes' underlying numbers will remain terrifying until and unless he can find a mix of more than two or three pitches that works. View full article

Image courtesy of © Brad Penner-Imagn Images Despite the New York Mets’ early struggles that required them to snap a 12-game losing streak dating back to April 8, Huascar Brazoban has been a rare bright spot on the roster. The righty is in his fifth major-league season and has appeared in 10 games thus far. Over 10.2 innings, Brazobán has yet to allow a run and has only issued two walks; resulting in an excellent 0.94 WHIP. He’s also done a good job forcing soft contact and has yet to give up a barrel so far. Likewise, batters have an average exit velocity of 86.7 mph off him, ranking in the 80th percentile. Combine that with the fact that the 36-year-old has been good at limiting walks, and you get a pitcher with a 1.83 FIP. If there's a hole to poke, it's in his middling strikeout numbers, but that's not abnormal, with his career strikeout rate sitting at 24.3%, just a tad better than league average. Brazobán's signature pitch is his sinker, which has a Stuff+ grade of 101, per FanGraphs, leading to an excellent 53.3% groundball rate. He works mainly with only two offerings -- his sinker and a changeup -- but does occasionally mix in a four-seam, cutter, and slider that have only accounted for 14% of his pitches this year. Interestingly, his pitch usage has evolved over time; during his first three seasons, he featured all four pitches and used them all at around the same rate. Last year, he leaned more into favoring his changeup and sinker to the point that they combined for a 75% usage rate. The same trend has carried into 2026, but he’s used his sinker more this year, whereas he favored his changeup more last season. His cutter was his main pitch with the Marlins, but the Mets smartly weened him off the pitch, which flashed subpar ride up in the zone. Of everything we've discussed so far, what's most worth revisiting is his newfound command of the strike zone. Brazobán has had a reputation in the past for issuing walks at a pretty high rate. He’s seemed to have fixed this problem in his 10 games so far, hence his 4.8% walk rate. For his career, Brazobán has walked batters 11.5% of the time. which is worse than the league average mark of 8.4% during that stretch. Notably, his career Location+ according is 96, signaling that he is below average when it comes to locating and commanding his pitches. This year, it’s up to 108, which is a career best. Naturally, he's been throwing more strikes this year than previous seasons, with roughly two-thirds of his offerings going for strikes, a career high. That's the sign of a confident reliever who knows he can challenge batters and win while living in the zone. The Mets' bullpens has had its ups and downs this season, especially when it comes to the late innings, but through most of April, Brazobán has been unshakeable on the mound. Bright spots are few and far between on this roster right now, but the 36-year-old set-up man has certainly been one of them. View full article

Image courtesy of © Jim Rassol-Imagn Images The New York Mets' farm system remains loaded with notable prospects, and now that Grand Central Mets' Top 20 rankings have reached the top ten, we can really hone in on those with huge upside and long-term star potential. If you missed any of the prospects ranked 11-20, you can find them here (11-15) and here (16-20). No. 10 Nick Morabito (Syracuse Mets) Morabito is an outfielder who the Mets drafted in the second round of the 2022 draft out of Gonzaga College High School. He’s definitely a speed and defense first outfielder with little power, but has shown to be a solid contact hitter in the minors. In seasons where he has logged at-least 475 at-bats, his isolated power has not exceeded .112 and has been as low as .086. His 70-grade speed is by far his best tool and it’s shown so far. He totalled 59 stolen bags in 2024, and stole 49 last year. His smaller frame of 5’10”, 185 pounds fits his style of play well. He’s shown defensive versatility and has played all three outfield spots in the minors. Since making his affiliated debut in 2022 with the FCL Mets, he has steadily climbed through the system logging time at every affiliate in the Mets system. So far across five minor league seasons, he’s got a slash line of .293/.383/.391 with 56 doubles and only 12 home runs. In 2024 at High-A, he posted a .294 batting average with a 18.7% strikeout rate. Last year in Double-A, his batting average dropped to .273, while his strikeout rate climbed to 23.4%. Morabito was assigned to the Triple-A Syracuse Mets this season, where he’s looked good so far. Entering his age-23 season and showing that he can play at all levels, he is projected to debut in the majors sometime this season after being added to the 40-man over the winter. No. 9 Mitch Voit (Brooklyn Cyclones) Voit was the Mets' first-round draft pick last summer, selected 38th overall out of the University of Michigan. He spent three seasons with Michigan, two of them as a two-way player. He decided not to pitch anymore during his junior year, after undergoing internal brace surgery on his throwing arm in 2024. After being drafted last summer, he later made his affiliated debut with the Single-A St. Lucie Mets, where he appeared in 22 games, proving below-average offensive results. He only collected three extra-base hits including a home run, while hitting for a .235 average with a 89 wRC+. His poor .059 isolated power tells us that he didn’t hit for much power at all. He did show solid plate discipline walking 13.1% of the time, but he did strike out at a 24.2% clip as well. By stealing 20 bags, he also provided some nice value on the basepaths. He’s a very versatile defender, and appeared at every position except catcher while in college. So far while in the Mets system, he’s only logged innings at second, third, and short. His arm strength is considered a plus tool. Even though he showed minimal power in his first minor-league season, it is something that will come with time and development. He’s got 50-grade power and hit 35 home runs while in college. This year, entering his age-21 season, he was promoted to the Brooklyn Cyclones, the High-A Mets affiliate. He is projected to make his major league debut around 2028. His defensive versatility could help him climb faster through the minors, opening more opportunities at various levels. No. 8 Elian Pena (St. Lucie Mets) Pena was the No. 3 ranked international prospect in the class of 2025 per MLB Pipeline, behind only Roki Sasaki and Josuar Gonzalez. He was signed by the Mets as a 17-year old and to a deal worth $5 million. Pena was given an overall grade of 60 and has five average-to-above average tools, his best being his hit tool, but he’s also really talented defensively. Pena is a lefty batter who throws right, and still has some growing to do. He stands 5’10” weighing 180 pounds, signaling he still has room to add muscle to his frame. Last year, Pena was assigned to the Dominican Summer League to play for the DSL Mets Orange during his age-17 season. He showed signs of being an all-around offensive player as he hit for average and power, hence his .236 ISO, while being a threat on the basepaths and drawing walks. Across 55 games, Pena posted a slash line of .292/.421/.528 while hitting nine home runs and thirteen doubles. His plate discipline is what really elevates his game, though; he walked and struck out 36 times each, giving him an elite 16.1 strikeout percentage and walk percentage. Pena also swiped 21 bags, only being caught four times. This year, Pena was assigned to the St. Lucie Mets, which is the Single-A affiliate of the organization. Still only 18 years old, he is just about three years younger than the average player in Single-A this season, making him far ahead of schedule in his development. Francisco Lindor is a free agent after the 2031 season, which is a little after Pena is projected to debut in the majors. If he keeps developing and producing, he’s on track to be the Mets' shortstop of the future. No. 7 Jack Wenninger (Syracuse Mets) Wenninger has spent four seasons in the Mets' minor-league system since being drafted in the sixth round of the 2023 MLB draft out of the University of Illinois. He was part of a Mets draft class including notable arms Nolan McLean and Brandon Sproat. He stands 6’4” with a high arm angle, making him an intimidating presence on the mound. He’s moved through the minors as a starting pitcher with 47 of his 54 outings coming as a starter. Wenninger features a four-pitch mix headlined by his nasty splitter, as well with a four-seamer, curveball, and slider. His fastball has sat around 95 mph, but has touched 98. His deadly splitter is part of what has fueled his 10.3 SO/9 ratio in the minors. After being drafted in 2023, he made his affiliated debut later in the year but only pitched 2.1 innings across two games coming at rookie ball and Single-A. Wenninger split the 2024 season between Single-A and High-A. His ERA was high at Single-A at 5.90, but improved to 4.57 with the High-A Brooklyn Cyclones. Between both levels, he struck out an impressive 11 batters per nine. He also did a great job of not allowing home runs, only allowing 11 across 150 innings. Last year, we saw him spend the whole season with the Binghamton Rumble Ponies, the Mets' Double-A affiliate. He had a really good year spanning 26 starts, pitching to an impressive 2.92 ERA with a 1.15 WHIP. His theme of tons of strikeouts and limiting long balls continued, which was really good to see at a higher level of play. In 2024, Wenninger’s FIP outpaced his ERA, but last year in Double-A, his 3.36 FIP was the higher of the two. Now 24 years old and starting this season in Triple-A, he is on track to debut at some point this year or next year in the majors. He is projected to be a middle-to-back end starter at the big-league level. Even though he’ll likely be major-league ready at some point this year, it might be hard for him to find his way on the roster considering that Jonah Tong and Christian Scott are also sitting in Triple-A. Wenninger will also be Rule 5 eligible this winter, making him a near-lock to be added to the 40-man in the offseason if he has to wait until 2027 for his debut. No. 6 Jacob Reimer (Binghamton Rumble Ponies) Reimer is a first and third baseman whom the Mets selected in the fourth round of the 2022 MLB Draft out of Yucaipa High School in California. Reimer was committed to the University of Washington, but instead got drafted and signed for $775,000. Since then, he’s seen time at all minor league levels except for Triple-A. He is a 22-year-old standing six feet and weighing 205 pounds. He hits for power with an average hit tool, but has below average speed and defense. Reimer saw brief minor-league action in 2022 appearing in seven games for the FCL Mets, posting an .892 OPS while walking more than he struck out. He’s since bounced around spending time at multiple levels each season. He spent the 2023 season across three levels from rookie ball to High-A while hitting for a .265 average and a .774 OPS. That year, he drew a good amount of walks while maintaining an average strikeout rate. His 2024 campaign was delayed due to a hamstring injury he suffered during spring, training limiting him to only 25 games. His batting average fell to .218 , and didn’t hit for much power. His wRC+ sat at a league-average 100. He had a great bounce-back season last year, bringing his prospect stock back up. He split the season between High-A and Double-A playing in 61 games at each level. He mashed in High-A posting a 163 wRC+ with eight homers; he saw a slight dip at Double-A with a 150 wRC+, but did hit nine home runs. His power returned with an impressive .209 ISO mark, coming from 32 doubles, five triples, and 17 homers. Overall last season, he had a solid 11.1 walk percentage and a 21.5 strikeout rate, with an above-average .338 BABIP. If Reimer builds on his success from last year, a call-up to Syracuse should be in his near future. Like Wenninger, he will be eligible for the Rule 5 draft this winter and will have to be added to the 40-man roster by then if the Mets don't want to potentially lose him to another club. View full article

Image courtesy of © Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images An offseason trade that came out of nowhere this winter has not looked good on the New York Mets' behalf thus far. Back in November, the Mets and Rangers came together on a swap that sent Marcus Semien to New York while sending Brandon Nimmo and cash considerations back to Texas. Nimmo has been off to a great start with the Rangers, but Semien hasn’t really gotten things going yet offensively. Through 17 games this season, Semien is only batting .188/.243/.266 with .508 OPS and a 47 wRC+. In a one-week stretch from April 7-14, went 3-for-29. The only positive is that he only struck out three times in that stretch, but he didn't draw a single walk. We’ve seen Semien start to decline in production dating back to the 2024 season. He’s a career .253 hitter and usually is capable of hitting at least 20 home runs per season or more; he hit a career high 45 back in 2021 with the Toronto Blue Jays. Including this year, though, his OPS hasn’t surpassed .700 in three consecutive campaigns. What's Plaguing Marcus Semien At the Plate? Batted-Ball and Contact Quality Semien has been hitting a lot more balls in the air compared to previous years. He's only hitting 23.5% of his balls in play on the ground, a huge improvement over his career 36.8% rate. This is as result of him topping a lot less balls; on average, Semien tops 26.2% of his contact, but that number has fallen to 11.8% early in 2026. It's also interesting to note that when Semien's topped% was higher, it resulted in less weak contact, averaging 3.4% for his career. This year, when he’s cut his topped% by more than half, it’s led to him making weak contact at a 9.8% rate. That's by far his highest in the majors, and more than double than the MLB average mark of 4%. There is an advantage to this situation. Even though Semien is making way more weak contact, with him reducing his topped rate, it’s causing a rise in solid contact. He’s sitting at a 12.2% mark where he’s sat at 6.9% for his career. That may sound oxymoronic, but let's dig a bit deeper to understand. Since squared-up rate was introduced to Statcast back in 2023, Semien’s 35.0% squared-up rate is the highest it’s been since being introduced. This comes from him just making a lot of solid contact; not getting on top, but also not barreling the baseball as much. This also explains why his average exit velocity is down nearly two mph from last year. In essence, he's traded some of his hard contact for a much wider dispersion of weak and solid contact. That may not be the best path to head down, but it does give us a basis to understand what's causing the downturn in his numbers. Plate Discipline Semien has always been known to take a "professional" at-bat. He’ll take his walks at an average rate and keeps his strikeout percentage better than average. For his career, Semien has swung at pitches in the zone 49.6% of the time, just a tad over the league average 48.8%. This year it’s been the highest since his debut season in 2014 at 51.6%. Nothing really has dramatically changed in this sector of his play other than his chase rate. It’s is up to 28.4% this year, whereas it sat at 23.4% last year; this is a huge contributing factor to his 20.0 strikeout percentage which is the highest it’s been since 2021 when it was 20.2%. We know that as players age, their bat speed tends to slow down, leading to more whiffs and strikeouts. That decline in swing speed is likely our missing link. There’s two more key metrics that have seen a dip in recent seasons, not just this year. While his chase rate has been climbing, the contact he’s been making when he chases out of the zone has seen a steady decline. It’s been up to 62.5% in his career, but currently sits at 50%, the same mark as last season. Can the Mets Unlock A New Version of Marcus Semien? It’s still very early in the year, but maybe Semien will have a different type of offensive season this year. He’s always had pretty good power considering his bat speed has always been pretty minimal, which should hopefully mitigate some of the earlier issues we discussed with whiffing and chasing. With Semien in the back half of his career (he's 35), he could lean into his newfound contact trends and try to turn into Luis Arraez-type hitter who just slaps singles around. They have very similar tendencies at the plate being contact hitters with minimal bat speed, while also showing good plate discipline. That's probably an unfair comparison for someone with 254 career home runs under their belt, but what Semien is doing right now isn't working. A late-career renaissance is on the table, but only if he leans into the above-average skills he still possesses. View full article

Image courtesy of © Kyle Ross-Imagn Images Jared Young has been given a clear role for the first time in his major-league career after breaking camp with the New York Mets this spring. It’s the first Opening Day roster that Young has been a part of and he’s been taking advantage of the opportunity. Young, a former 15th-round pick by the Chicago Cubs, has never played more than 23 MLB games in a season so far in his career. He’s a 30-year-old utility player who is a career .220 hitter with 14 extra-base hits and a 102 wRC+. He spent his first two major league seasons with the Chicago Cubs after debuting in September of 2022. He took his career overseas in 2024 to play with the Doosan Bears of the KBO. He had a solid season posting a slash line of .326/.420/.660 spanning 38 games, which was good enough to earn him a major-league contract with the Mets in December of 2024, where he’s been ever since. Jared Young's Contact-Fueled Emergence Aiding Mets' Ailing Lineup This year across 23 plate appearances, Young has hit for a .350 average with a 139 wRC+. He has not hit a ball out of the yard yet, but has logged two doubles. His surface stats are backed up by his .268 xBA and .362 xwOBA which are both well above league average. There have been some intriguing improvements to his process that are keying those results. In his small sample size so far in 2026, Young has been swinging a lot more pitches in the zone; he’s up to a 77.1% rate. His overall contact percentages have also seen a healthy jump. Young’s zone-contact percentage has jumped from 81.8% last year to 88.9% this year. Looking at his overall contact numbers, he’s posted a 82.5% contact rate, compared to 69.9% last year. Of course, with more contact often comes worse contact quality. It's a trade-off nearly every hitter faces, and Young is no exception. So far, his average exit velocity has only been 87.6 mph. That's likely due to his drop in bat speed (sitting around 73.3 mph this season, a small drop but is still a good place to be); less swing speed leads to better bat control, hence his improved contact numbers. And while he’s only managed two extra-base hits so far, he does have an excellent 18.8 barrel% to go along with a 50% hard-hit rate. The power is definitely in his bat, but has yet to be seen so far in the majors. His hardest-hit ball this year had a recorded exit velocity of 113.5 mph, a career high from his previous best of 109.4 in 2023. He hit 10 home runs in a very small sample size in the KBO, and it would be nice if he could tap into that with the Mets. To do so, he may need to sacrifice a little bit of the gains he's made in the contact game (and he definitely needs to stop hitting so many ground balls), but the overall process he's undertaken has clearly led to better results. From the fringes of the roster to a lineup staple, Young is making a name for himself in 2026. View full article