The Mets entered spring training aspiring to be a defensively excellent team, with several additions designed to shore up what had been a 2023 weakness.
They left spring training thrilled with their ability to cut down on opposing running games, Francisco Alvarez appearing to emerge as a real weapon.
Through the sample size of 2 ¹/₂ weeks worth of games, both aspects of their defensive game disappointed.
The Mets entered Tuesday’s game against the Pirates at Citi Field having allowed 15 unearned runs, second-most (to the Red Sox) in the majors, which qualifies as a surprise for a team that was built to limit mistakes. Sports Info Solutions rated the Mets as MLB’s worst defensive team; the Mets ranked last on FanGraphs’ Defensive Runs Saved.
“That’s an area we can get better and we will from a defensive standpoint,” president of baseball operations David Stearns said Tuesday in his first news conference of the season. “I think we’ve probably had a few too many lapses there — more than we would have expected coming into the year.
“But I do believe we have good defenders on this team. And some of those lapses can get magnified early in the season.”
The Mets entered play with a middling 11 errors on the season, but the errors they have made — and the plays they have not — occasionally have loomed large.
Starling Marte’s dropped fly ball helped lead to a big inning in a loss to the Royals on Saturday. A loss in Cincinnati last week included a poor decision from Omar Narvaez to throw down to second on a double steal that enabled a run to score from third, and several lightly hit ground balls found holes in the Mets’ infield.
Offseason additions such as Harrison Bader, Tyrone Taylor, Joey Wendle and Zack Short were expected to help a defense that was poor last season.
The Mets also hoped Marte, in particular, would rebound from a subpar 2023, but his bat has shown more hope than his glove. The 35-year-old entered play as the worst MLB right fielder — among 39 qualifiers — according to Outs Above Average.
The sample size is still small — and the Mets have found a way to bounce back despite the unexpected shortcomings — but the problem has not gone away quickly.
“That’s an area where we can stand to improve, and I think we will,” Stearns said.
It has not just been the defenders behind the pitcher who have disappointed in the early going. Mets catchers entered play 0-for-24 attempting to throw out opposing base-stealers.
The Mets consistently have painted the issue as bigger than their catchers — their pitchers must deliver to the plate quicker — but this issue, too, has lingered.
Alvarez threw out 8 of 16 base-stealers during the Grapefruit League season, having adjusted his footwork to get off a better and more consistent throw. The 22-year-old had gone 0-for-10 in his first 13 games.
Narvaez, meanwhile, had started five of the Mets’ first 16 games and yet had been victimized by 14 base-stealers without throwing one out.
“It has been a little bit of a surprise,” Stearns said of the team’s overall problem cutting down on running games. “It’s something that we talked a lot about during spring training; that we focused on during spring training. And certainly, yes, that’s an area where I think we will get better.”
Pitching coach Jeremy Hefner pointed out that some of the steals have come in lower-leverage situations — and some with two outs and two strikes — but acknowledged that the pitching staff will have to improve in holding runners on. He called it a “major focus.”
“I think as a group we can get better with our time to the plate, how we’re holding the ball and mixing and matching to try to throw the base runners off and give [Alvarez and Narvaez] a chance,” Hefner said. “We’re just trying to limit the attempts, we’re not necessarily trying to catch people stealing.”
The message from everyone around the Mets: They need to, and will, improve defensively.
The message from Stearns: It’s early. He would prefer analyzing the team after about 45 games, with Game 45 set for May 17.
“I think getting to that point and doing a check-in on where you are as a team in the various elements of your roster is probably a healthy thing to do,” Stearns said.
— Additional reporting by Dan Martin
