The Mets have scored the fewest runs in the National League since May 1, which encompasses roughly 70 percent of the season. They also have the league's worst record during that time, 19-42, which is eight fewer wins than their NL East rival Marlins.
To make matters worse, they Mets have the fifth-worst run differential in all of baseball.
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Todd Frazier was put on the 10-day disabled list Monday for the second time in two months.
Prior to starting this season, Frazier had played in at least 150 games and hit at least 20 home runs in each of his previous four seasons.
Similarly, Jay Bruce entered this season with five consecutive seasons playing at least 145 games and hitting at least 25 home runs.
This year, after signing this past winter to join the Mets, Frazier and Bruce are both on pace to play in just 100 games, while hitting fewer than 20 home runs. In fact, Bruce is on pace to hit fewer than 10 home runs, which would be his worst total for a season.
Frazier is under contract through next season, during which he'll earn $9 million. Bruce signed a three-year deal this past winter and will earn $14 million each of the next two seasons.
Mickey Callaway said Monday that Triple-A infielder Jeff McNeil wasn't called up to replace Frazier because the Mets see him as a second baseman, not as a third basemen or utility infielder.
I was told by team insiders late last month that a legit debate occurred in the front office about promoting McNeil straight to the Mets from Double-A Binghamton. However, they concluded it made more sense to use Ty Kelly as a fill-in knowing he can live without at-bats and likely again pass through waivers when eventually needing the roster. It looks like they made the same decision again this week with Frazier's spot...
McNeil, 26, is hitting .346 with a .417 OBP and a 1.051 OPS this year for Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Las Vegas. As a result, he's become a popular, in-demand minor-leaguer this season among online fans and reporters.
It's been a head-turning shift in McNeil's game. For a guy that had initially been using a Luis Castillo-like slap swing for singles and gap hits, he has a 1.051 OPS during 78 minor-league games this season. He's also struck out in fewer than 10 percent of his plate appearances
The most unique thing about his pull-happy power is that his previous approach to hitting is allowing him to punch opposite-field singles against the shift.
The Mets may see him as a second baseman, but it's worth noting McNeil has played every position on the field except for pitcher and catcher during his professional career.
The point is, McNeil is on the front office's radar... and not just the Mets. According to a mid-June report from the Bergen Record's Matt Ehalt, McNeil had been drawing trade interest from other teams.
Brandon Nimmo is on pace to end this season a 4.0 WAR player with roughly 20 home runs, 20 doubles, 10 triples, 15 stolen bases and a .380 OBP.
Nevertheless, he was not included on the initial All-Star ballot nor was he was chosen as a bench player by fans or Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.
"To even be in these All-Star conversations, I should be really proud of that and really happy about that," Nimmo said Monday after receiving the disappointing news.
To date, Nimmo has produced the highest offensive output for all NL outfielders, according to FanGraphs.com, whose OFF statistic accounts for quality and quantity, park-adjusted hitting and base running. In other words, Nimmo has been an elite offensive player this season, just as Sandy Alderson predicted when joking about not needing Giancarlo Stanton.
Video: The Amazin' Life: Keith and Ron try to coach Nimmo!
Obviously, Stanton is Stanton and having a strong first season with the Yankees. Nevertheless, Alderson's point still stands, which is that Nimmo is pretty good and was worth not trading this past winter for Andrew McCutchen or Josh Harrison.
Yoenis Cespedes is set to resume baseball activities Thursday, the team's co-GM John Ricco told reporters this past weekend at Citi Field.
Cespedes first went on the disabled list with a hip flexor issue 54 days ago. However, he suffered a quad injury just before nearing a return in June.
Sandy Alderson later described the hip issue as 'chronic,' which is the same word Ricco recently used to describe the current debilitating pain in Yo's heel.
Nevertheless, somehow, reports indicate he could rejoin the Mets in late-July.
In the three years since he was acquired in trade from the Tigers, Cespedes has missed 31 percent of the team's games due to a multitude of leg injuries.
From what I can gather out of friends in St. Lucie, Cespedes has been doing light running as far as around the bases. He's expected to start taking batting practice and fly balls later this week. He's not going to want to do it, but I've heard he'll 100 percent be told to do a rehab assignment, probably with High-A St. Lucie. If that's the case, I assume we'll see him back with the Mets no sooner than late July, early August... assuming no further setbacks.
Cespedes, 32, is due roughly $13 million the remainder of this season. He will earn $29 million each of the next two seasons, after which he can be a free agent.
Matthew Cerrone (Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Contact) is lead writer of MetsBlog.com, which he created in 2003. He also hosts the MetsBlog Podcast, which you can subscribe to here. His new book, The New York Mets Fans' Bucket List, details 44 things every Mets fan should experience during their lifetime. To check it out, click here!