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Game 3 of the NLCS between the New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers is scheduled for tonight at 8:08 p.m. ET. The Mets were able to split the initial two games in LA and head back to Queens with the series tied 1-1. Luis Severino is making his third postseason start of the year and will be facing off against Walker Buehler, who is making his second start of the 2024 playoffs.
A lot of players have been hitting well for the Mets in the playoffs, which is why they made it to the NLCS. Mark Vientos has been leading the way for the Metropolitans. Vientos is batting .328 with three home runs and 11 RBIs this postseason. Vientos had the game-changing play in Game 2 of the NLCS when his 2nd inning grand slam gave the Mets a 6-0 lead. Francisco Lindor is batting .235 with two homers, one of which was a grand slam in Game 4 of the NLDS, which gave the Mets a 4-1 lead and sent them to the NLCS. Pete Alonso is batting .241 in the playoffs with three home runs; the first home run was in the top of the 9th inning to give the Mets a 3-2 lead in an elimination game against the Brewers in their Wild Card series.With that said, there are a few Mets players who have been struggling to find any kind of rhythm at the plate all postseason.
Here are three Mets players I would like to see more from in this postseason moving forward.
1. Francisco Alvarez:
I’ll cut Alvarez some slack because he’s only 22 and this is his first playoff experience in the MLB. However, it would really help the Mets' chances of advancing to the World Series if he could break out of his slump. Alvarez is hitting just .156 in 32 plate appearances this postseason. Alvarez batted .237 during the regular season, but he showed stretches of excellent hitting. In March, he batted.500, and in June, he batted .375. However, he has also had long slumps. In April, he batted .178 and in August, he batted .171. If Alvarez can bump his average back around the .250 range, he becomes a much bigger threat as the number nine hitter in the lineup.
2. Tyrone Taylor:
Taylor can’t seem to get anything going in the batter's box this postseason. In 28 plate appearances, he only has four hits, leaving him with a playoff batting average of .143. Taylor’s regular season numbers do not jump off the page, but they are significantly better than what he’s been putting up in the playoffs. During the regular season, Taylor batted .248 with seven homers and 35 RBIs. I'm not sure what happened to Taylor’s bat, especially since he was playing really well by his standards during the last three months of the regular season. From July through September, he had 43 hits while batting .265 and topped it off with three homers and 14 RBIs. Taylor is no stranger to playoff baseball; this is the fourth time he’s made the postseason in the last five years. It’s time for him to play like he’s been here before
3. J.D. Martinez:
Martinez was the starting DH for the first six games of the Mets postseason, batting sixth in the lineup. Martinez had a good batting average (.286) but has not been able to hit for power and is also a liability as a baserunner. In Game 4 of the NLDS, Martinez was replaced in the starting lineup by Jesse Winker and has not played since. Martinez was signed on a 1-year, $12 million contract this past offseason. The Mets were hoping he could replicate his 2023 season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he batted .271 and had 33 homers. However, the 37-year-old started to show big signs of regression this year, as his batting average dipped to .235 and he only hit 16 home runs. There were four other Mets players who hit more homers than J.D. this year; that is not good when you are known as a power-hitting DH. J.D.’s opportunities are now limited, but if his number is called, it would be great to see Martinez turn back the clock and show why he has been one of the best power hitters over the last decade.
2. Tyrone Taylor:
Taylor can’t seem to get anything going in the batter's box this postseason. In 28 plate appearances, he only has four hits, leaving him with a playoff batting average of .143. Taylor’s regular season numbers do not jump off the page, but they are significantly better than what he’s been putting up in the playoffs. During the regular season, Taylor batted .248 with seven homers and 35 RBIs. I'm not sure what happened to Taylor’s bat, especially since he was playing really well by his standards during the last three months of the regular season. From July through September, he had 43 hits while batting .265 and topped it off with three homers and 14 RBIs. Taylor is no stranger to playoff baseball; this is the fourth time he’s made the postseason in the last five years. It’s time for him to play like he’s been here before
3. J.D. Martinez:
Martinez was the starting DH for the first six games of the Mets postseason, batting sixth in the lineup. Martinez had a good batting average (.286) but has not been able to hit for power and is also a liability as a baserunner. In Game 4 of the NLDS, Martinez was replaced in the starting lineup by Jesse Winker and has not played since. Martinez was signed on a 1-year, $12 million contract this past offseason. The Mets were hoping he could replicate his 2023 season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he batted .271 and had 33 homers. However, the 37-year-old started to show big signs of regression this year, as his batting average dipped to .235 and he only hit 16 home runs. There were four other Mets players who hit more homers than J.D. this year; that is not good when you are known as a power-hitting DH. J.D.’s opportunities are now limited, but if his number is called, it would be great to see Martinez turn back the clock and show why he has been one of the best power hitters over the last decade.
Who else would you like to see play better on the Mets? Comment below.
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