Francisco Alvarez and Mark Vientos Keys to Mets’ Offensive Success

The New York Mets‘ success since the beginning of June has been attributed to many things, including a fast-food mascot throwing out the first pitch before one of their games and a backup infielder teasing and releasing a new song.

While Grimace and Jose Iglesias’ “OMG” put the vibes surrounding the Mets at an all-time high, perhaps the most significant contributors to the team’s success over the past month are the two youngest players on the 26-man roster: Francisco Alvarez and Mark Vientos.

Francisco Alvarez Has Been A Key Mets Contributor

Alvarez has been especially integral to the Mets’ success, not only because of his bat, but because of his stellar work behind the plate. The 22-year-old has done a lot with his bat though, and that has certainly transformed the Mets’ lineup.

The Mets started the season 10-8 and were about to be 11-8 when Alvarez suffered a left thumb injury. Alvarez had to be sidelined for just under two months and during his absence, the Mets had an awful 17-28 record. Since his return on June 11, the Mets are 18-9.

In the 25 games since his return, Alvarez is batting .346 with an OPS over 1.000. He’s also hit three home runs and driven in 15 runs. Compare those numbers to Tomás Nido (.623 OPS with Mets) and Omar Narváez (.376 OPS with Mets), neither of whom are even in the organization anymore, Alvarez has been a massive upgrade.

Mark Vientos Is A Huge Upgrade at Third Base

Vientos has been just as impressive, and just as much of an upgrade. Brett Baty entered the season as the Mets’ starting third baseman but was sent down to Triple-A as he couldn’t sustain a hot start to the year. Enter Vientos, who made an immediate impact and never looked back.

On the year, the 24-year-old is slashing .293/.346/.551/.897 with 11 home runs and 30 RBI in 167 at-bats across 47 games. Vientos obviously hasn’t played enough as other regulars this season, but it’s not hyperbole to say he’s been one of the best third basemen in the league.

The Mets’ lineup during their down stretch was very top-heavy. Beyond the usual contributors at the top in Lindor, Nimmo, Alonso, J.D. Martinez, and Starling Marte who is currently hurt, the team was receiving very little everywhere else. Jeff McNeil, Baty, and the tandem of Nido/Narváez were essentially automatic outs at the bottom of the lineup.

Insert the bats of Alvarez and Vientos and you can see just how much deeper the lineup gets. With a fully healthy lineup, Vientos, Alvarez and Marte are batting in the 5-6-7 holes in no particular order.

Harrison Bader (110 OPS+), an elite defender who’s having an above-average offensive season, slots into the eight-hole while McNeil, who’s been terrible offensively, hits ninth. Perhaps the Mets look to upgrade second base with a trade, or with a promotion of a player like Luisangel Acuña or Luke Ritter.

Regardless, a healthy Mets lineup is dangerous and that’s only possible because of Alvarez and Vientos. Both have shown an ability to come up clutch, hit for contact and also for power.

While the Mets’ offensive numbers from June are certain to regress, they should continue to be one of the better lineups in the league, especially if they make additions at the deadline. If the team can get some bullpen help, there’s no reason why they shouldn’t be a playoff team.