3 Mets most to blame for disappointing start to 2024 season

It was an ugly start to the 2024 season for the New York Mets, who were just 1-5 through the first two series. The team has bounced back since then, winning six straight games to get as high as four games above .500 before settling in at 14-14 as April comes to a close.

New York has plenty of time to turn things around in the 162-game season, but it is not too early to examine the club’s shortcomings thus far. A piecemeal starting rotation is holding up so far but the Mets’ big bats have yet to get things going at the plate. Here are three Mets most to blame for a disappointing start to the 2024 season.

Adrian Houser

A dependable fourth or fifth starter for many years for the Milwaukee Brewers, Adrian Houser joined the Mets in the offseason with the expectation that he would anchor the back end of a rebuilding New York rotation. So far this season, he has been anything like the consistent pitcher he was for the Brewers

The right-hander has an 8.37 ERA through five starts, earning him an 0-3 record. Houser has sixteen walks versus just 14 walks in 2024, leading to a WHIP approaching 2.000. His expected stats do not predict a turnaround anytime soon. Houser’s average exit velocity allowed is ninth-worst among eligible pitchers and his whiff rate falls in the 12th percentile among MLB hurlers. With a high walk rate, an inability to miss bats, and frequent hard contact, Adrian Houser’s poor start reflects larger issues with his pitching. Only a lack of healthy starting pitchers for the Mets is keeper Houser in the rotation for now.

Brett Baty

The Mets looked to add a solid third baseman in the offseason, pursuing J.D. Davis after his release from the San Francisco Giants. But without the promise of daily playing time, Davis chose to join the lowly Oakland Athletics instead of the Queens-based ballclub. The team brought in the light-hitting Joey Wendle — an All-Star in 2021, Wendle is handy with the glove but posted an OPS of just .554 for the Marlins in 2023.

Third base was an issue for the Mets last season, as New York third basemen combined for a WAR of -3.1 on the season — the worst among all third MLB teams. Brett Baty led the way with 100 games at the hot corner, finishing with a dismal .598 OPS (a mark that would have put him second-worst among qualified hitters) while striking out in 28% of his at-bats. Baty leads the Mets with 25 starts at third in 2024, but his bat has not been much better. The 24-year-old has an OPS of .632, though his strikeout rate is down to 17.6%.

While he is putting the ball in play more, Baty still only has three extra-base hits in the first month of the year and is providing little value at the plate.

Omar Narvaez

Teams don’t expect much from their backup catchers, but they would hope they would do better than committing four errors in just 90 innings of play. That is what Omar Narvaez has contributed thus far for the Mets. He is also batting .176 with a measly .458 OPS. Narvaez is filling in while youngster Francisco Alvarez is on the IL, and Mets fans will hope that Alvarez can return as soon as possible and save them from the veteran’s poor play behind the dish.