That rebuild went fast. The Mets went from seller in 2023 to contender in 2024, as New York (NL) won 89 regular season games and two playoff series. The team from Queens ranked among the league’s best in several categories and with a strong farm system, are poised to be big buyers in the 2024-25 offseason. Here’s our recap of the 2024 New York Mets.
The Offense
| Stat | Number | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Runs Scored | 768 | 7th |
| Home Runs | 207 | 6th |
| OPS | .734 | 9th |
| Whiff% | 25.2% | 15th |
| Hard Hit% | 41.3% | 4th |
The Pitching
| Stat | Number | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Starters’ ERA | 3.91 | 12th |
| Relievers’ ERA | 4.03 | 17th |
| Strikeouts | 1,455 | 5th |
| Whiff% | 26.4% | 8th |
| Chase% | 28.5% | 16th |
The Good
It was a rollercoaster ride for the Mets, who made the playoffs for the second time in three seasons. Their 2024 season, though, was sharply different than 2022.
The 2022 Mets were a juggernaut that won 101 games and could have won the NL East with one more win. The 2024 Mets started 0-5 and went 23-33 over the first two months of season. From there, New York (NL) went 66-40 and clinched a playoff spot on September 30.
Aside from the ‘O.M.G. craze thanks to Jose Iglesias (aka Candelita), their were a lot of great stories that came from the 2024 Mets.
Francisco Lindor thrived in the leadoff spot, which was occupied by Brandon Nimmo over the last few seasons. Nimmo was a natural leadoff hitter thanks to his ability to get on base. But it was Lindor who was the sparkplug in 2024. Lindor hit .303/.374/.552 with 26 home runs in the leadoff spot. He finished second in the 2024 NL MVP voting.
Mark Vientos, in his second season, hit 27 home runs and turned into a middle-of-the-lineup threat. Vientos looked out of sorts at times in 2023, chasing and appeared to be in-between timing too much. He had no troubles at catching up fastballs in 2024, as Vientos hit .329 with 18 home runs off the heat.
On the mound, Luis Severino and Sean Manaea excelled in Queens.
For Severino, things went awry in The Bronx. The former Yankee was besieged by pitch tipping accusations and poorly executed breaking balls. Additionally, Severino lost a lot of induced movement on his fastball in 2023.
The Mets made some tweaks to Severino in 2024. He added a sweeper to his arsenal and heavily increased the usage of his sinker, something we speculated on last year. It worked, as Severino went from power pitcher to strike-thrower, giving batters different looks and getitng outs.
The 30-year-old struck out 161 and posted a 3.91 ERA over 182 innings, the most he’s thrown in a single season since 2018.
Manaea, meanwhile, underwent an incredible transformation after he signed with New York last winter. The 32-year-old became one of the game’s most effective starters in 2024, thanks to overhauling his delivery to become more crossfire. It not only makes it tough for left-handed hitters to see the release point but also gave his stuff more bite.
He could work side-to-side with his sweper. Manaea regularly pounded the zone, particularly the upper half, with both his four-seamer and two-seamer. He used the four-seamer significantly less in 2024 than 2023 — about 45% fewer four-seamers — but it was still tough to hit. Not to mention, the two-seamer was also a tough one to barrel, thanks to its running action.
The Bad
An interesting note from the Mets’ 2024 season was that their pitchers hit the strike zone to the tune of 47.6% last season, second-lowest, behind the Yankees. That strategy worked both in the regular season and against the Phillies in the NLDS. The Mets got enough teams to chase, plus worked the outside of the zone to set up out pitches. It didn’t, though, work against the Dodgers.
Mets pitchers walked Dodgers batters 42(!) times in the NLCS, a dangerous strategy that didn’t work. Granted, pounding the zone against the Dodgers would have been dangerous, as well, with their deep lineup. But, the strategy used by Mets pitchers didn’t lead to chases and ultimately, too many runners on that wound up burning New York (NL).
Getting back to the regular season stats, there were more positives than negatives. However, there were some issues with the Mets throughout the course of 2024.
Arguably the most notable trouble with the Mets during the second half was the lack of production from J.D. Martinez. Martinez was fine during the first half, as he hit .263/.349/.457 (.806 OPS) with 10 home runs. But in the second half, the 37-year-old batted .199/.282/.340 (.622 OPS) with six home runs and 63 strikeouts (29.0% K%).
The other notable offensive hitter with less-than-stellar production was Francisco Alvarez. Alvarez hit .237/.307/.403 with 11 home runs over 100 games, down from the 25 homers he hit in 2023. His .594 OPS was 20th-worst in the MLB (min. 175 PA) in the second half, while Brandon Nimmo had the 21st-worst at .596.
However, Alvarez suffered a torn thumb ligament in April that could explain some of the issues.
Early Projected Lineup for 2025
- C: Francisco Alvarez
- 1B: Mark Vientos
- 2B: Jeff McNeil
- 3B: Brett Baty
- SS: Francisco Lindor
- OF: Brandon Nimmo (LF), Tyrone Taylor/Jose Siri (CF), Starling Marte (RF)
- SP: Kodai Senga, David Peterson, Tylor Megill, Paul Blackburn, (FA Addition(s))
- RP: Edwin Diaz, Reed Garrett, Dedniel Nunez, Jose Butto, Huascar Brazoban, Danny Young, Sean Reid-Foley, Dylan Covey
The Mets’ projected lineup is very much a projection, as it could change significantly before the spring.
All eyes will be on whether the Mets can come away with Juan Soto, who would drastically alter their lineup and would form a dominant 1-2 punch atop the lineup with Lindor, who would likely be their leadoff hitter. A reunion with Pete Alonso is also a possibility.
Aside from a big bat, the Mets also need starting pitching. One could argue the Mets need starting pitching more, especially with Manaea, Quintana, and Severino now in the free agent market.
As of now, the Mets only have two to three penciled names for their rotation. Tylor Megill struggled with pitch tipping and ability to work all quadrants of the zone in 2024. Paul Blackburn had a spinal operation in October, and his recovery could bleed into the regular season. Meaning, Kodai Senga and David Peterson are their only firm starter options — unless Brandon Sproat can break through to the team’s Opening Day rotation.