In the seventh inning of the Mets' game against the Detroit Tigers on Monday night at Citi Field, Starling Marte started things off by ripping a single to left field.
As Brett Baty, Harrison Bader, and Joey Wendle batted following Marte's hit, the speedy outfielder made no effort to steal second base.
It was a relatively small thing on a night when the Mets' offense was again close to non-existent (they've scored eight runs total over their first four games, with six of those runs coming on Saturday), but the lack of aggression was certainly notable -- especially following a series-opening sweep at the hands of the Brewers where Milwaukee ran wild on the bases.
Additionally, when you consider that Marte swiped 24 bases in just 86 games last season while not 100 percent healthy, his passivity on Monday was a bit of a head-scratcher.
It's hard for a team to look anything but lethargic when the offense is scuffling as badly as the Mets' group is right now, but one thing they can control is their aggression.
Instead, they've been passive during the rare times they've reached base (the Mets haven't stolen a base yet this season), and -- with the exception of Francisco Alvarez and Marte -- their at-bats have left a lot to be desired.
In the early going, it feels like New York's hitters are doing one of two things far too often. They're either letting hittable pitches go without offering or expanding the zone. The approach has led to them being behind in the count a lot, and to plenty of weak contact when they connect.
And a look at the stats of three of the Mets' most important lineup catalysts shows an almost to impossible to believe level of futility.
- Brandon Nimmo is 1-for-16 with a walk.
- Francisco Lindor is 1-for-16 with two walks.
- Jeff McNeil, who was out of the lineup on Monday in favor of Wendle, is 1-for-12.
DJ Stewart is not being viewed as a catalyst, but he's been the regular designated hitter over the first four games with Mark Vientos in Triple-A and J.D. Martinez getting into game shape. And Stewart is hitless so far, going 0-for-7 with a pair of walks and four strikeouts.
As ugly as things have looked over the first four games, Nimmo, Lindor, McNeil, and the rest of the offense is too good for this to continue much longer. But the approach has to change immediately.