When the New York Mets began their recent road trip series with the Philadelphia Phillies, Miami Marlins, and Cleveland Guardians, they went 2-6 and blew lots of leads in most of the six losses. The same fate happened this past weekend at home against the San Francisco Giants, in which they let leads get away and thus lost the first two games. However, on Sunday, May 26, 2024, they managed to avoid the sweep from the Giants and won in walk-off fashion thanks to an Omar Narváez RBI single that led them to a 4-3 victory.
Now, with a 22-30 record right at Memorial Day, many people are excited that the five-game losing streak is over. Some people are thinking “It’s only one game…” Well, if you look at the situation carefully, there are some players who are capable of providing sparks to help turn this season around.
Three Mets Players Who Have the Capability to Salvage the 2024 Season
Harrison Bader
In his first season with the Mets, Harrison Bader has been a great bright spot for the team with two months or so of this season already completed. He may have gotten off to an early-season slump, but man he has been something else ever since. When the Mets were down 3-1 in the bottom of the 9th inning on Sunday, he hit a game-tying two-run double. That’s probably the biggest hit he has had with the Mets so far compared to all the other highlights made by him. Plus, he has been good defensively in center field, as he robbed a home run to help the team stay alive in the game while trailing.
With the emergence of Bader and how valuable of a player he has become for the Mets, it’s such a great sign for things to come in the future. So, it would be very wise for manager Carlos Mendoza to continue playing him every day. We’ll see what the starting lineups look like moving forward because of everything Bader has done for this team.
Luis Severino
After his most recent outings, Luis Severino has been very reliable as a starting pitcher for the Mets this season. Even though it started rough, he has picked himself back up and has looked sharp on the mound. To put this in a critical perspective, there have been multiple outings from Severino in which you think he is going to throw either a no-hitter or a perfect game. Look at how dominant he was in his last outing against the Giants on Saturday, May 25. He didn’t allow a hit until the sixth inning. That’s on top of striking out six batters over seven innings.
Severino is bound to have a remarkable veteran season if he continues to stay consistent and provide length in starts. The Mets’ pitching hasn’t been bad, but there have been lots of instances where they throw too many pitches before they can even qualify for a win in the fifth inning. When Severino pitches, it feels like that logic doesn’t exist. It’s all about his consistency and accuracy.
Mark Vientos
Now, here is a guy who’s been through quite an adventure throughout this season and his entire Mets career. As of now, Mark Vientos has been getting some decent playing time as Mendoza tries to see who’s the better fit at third base. It’s either him or Brett Baty. Baty is the one who’s been under tense pressure with the way he has struggled. Despite his home run on Saturday, it appears that he still needs to show more, especially at the plate. With Vientos, however, it looks like he is taking advantage of his opportunities a bit more than Baty.
Vientos has 11 hits in 32 at-bats so far this season, including at least one in his last four game appearances. He has hit three home runs, including a walk-off one that gave the Mets a victory against the St. Louis Cardinals on April 28. Thus, he has maintained a .344 batting average, compared to Baty’s .231.
If Mendoza puts Vientos in the lineup for more games moving forward, chances are he’ll continue to provide good at-bats and depth. It may not be known yet if he’ll eventually be the everyday third baseman for the Mets, but based on what we’ve seen from Vientos so far, he has a chance to help the team in a big way.
What about the other veterans?
Of course, there are the usual everyday players on the Mets who have opportunities to make a difference. Brandon Nimmo, Francisco Lindor, and Pete Alonso are among those who could, and should, do great things for the team as the season progresses. However, have they been performing at their best? Honestly, not really. Let’s hope that they can get it all together starting now. But, for the time being, the above-mentioned players have the best chance to salvage the 2024 Mets season.
Main Image: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
