The 2022 New York Mets come into the season missing their #1 Starting Pitcher Gabriel Ynoa who Tore his Rotator Cuff in August of last year. Having traded ace John Gant last season to Division Rival the Nationals. The New York Mets had a serious Starting Pitching Problem.
As we finish the month of April the Mets sit in 3rd place in the NL East with a 14-14 record and their starting rotation has the 5th best ERA in the league. The biggest surprise has been the Free Agent signing of Eric Jokisch.
He leads the team with a 4-1 record and a 2.52 ERA and his best performance year to date was in his last outing against the Phillies with a 7 inning, 2 hits, 11 strikeout outing to get his 4th win of the season.
The Mets five-man rotation is made up of the following players:
Cody Anderson (31 year old) – Claimed off Waivers in 2020
Jesus Garcia (25 year old) – 2018 3rd Round Draft Pick
Tyler Anderson (32 year old) – Claimed off Waivers in 2021
Mike Love (26 year old) – 2022 Free Agent Signing
Eric Jokisch (32 year old) – 2022 Free Agent Signing
We are under no illusion that this rotation that has been patched together will struggle this season but so far this season we are enjoying what we are getting out of them. Not listed above is Masahiro Tanaka another Free Agent Signing who was impressive in his first start of the season where he did get the win but also got injured and is another month away from returning to the team. He will be a welcome return when the time comes.
Defense, Speed, and a Power Hitter Lead the way for the Mets!
The Mets lineup consists of players from Trades made over the last couple of seasons and are shining with the Mets.
Starting Lineup
C Elys Escobar – Acquired by Trade with Tigers in 2020
1B Greg Henderson – 2017 1st Round Draft Pick
2B Gene Weeks – Acquired by Trade with Tigers in 2020
SS Kenny Hernandez
3B Cecilio Aybar
LF Jim Hayes – Acquired by Trade with Padres in 2020
CF Juan De Leon – Acquired by Trade with Pirates in 2020
RF Yasiel Puig – Acquired by Trade with Dodgers in 2019
DH Roderick Shoulders – Acquired by Trade with Rangers in 2017
Catcher Elys Escobar was acquired in a trade with the Detroit Tigers in July of 2020 where the Mets sent DH Danny Schaeffer for C Escobar and SP Perez and Lopez. He has thrown out 5 of 8 runners so far and leads the league with a Catcher’s ERA of 3.19. He has been platooning with veteran Catcher Travis d’Arnaud but has started 8 more games than d’Arnaud and has been impressive with the bat as well as his catching ability.
The Mets have been built around Defense and Speed which was very evident last season and has carried over this season. With 19 steals the team is tied for 1st in the National League, 3B Ayabar leads the way with 6 steals, and SS Hernandez with 4. The Defense has been strong and is 5th in Defensive Efficiency.
The experts in Pre-Season predicted the Mets would finish last in the NL East with a 70-92 record. There is a very long way to go this season and that could very well be where the Mets end up. For now, though they are enjoying sitting in 3rd with a .500 record. You could say the Mets have been unlucky, they are 0-1 in extra-inning games and 5-8 in one-run games. They have also been very poor on the road with a 4-8 record. If they can start winning the close games and the pitching continues to perform, this team could surprise a few people this season.