The New York Mets are playing with fire right now. As the 2022 season begins to come down the homestretch, their grip atop the National League East is beginning to slip. After the Mets win in the first game of their doubleheader with the Pittsburgh Pirates today, the Mets hold just a half game lead over the Atlanta Braves for the top spot in the NL East.
The Mets have been working hard to hold off the Braves all season long, and while they have done a good job for the most part, they are running the risk of coming up just short in their quest to win their division title. With just a few weeks left, the Braves are making their biggest push to snatch the division right out from under the Mets nose.
New York has put together a strong season, but they can't afford to let the division title end up in the Braves possession. If they want to hold onto their slim lead, they are going to need this key piece of their lineup to step up in a big way over the next few weeks. Otherwise, the Mets may find themselves with a wild card spot by the time the season ends, and they aren't going to be happy with that.
New York Mets player who needs to step up: Eduardo Escobar
Eduardo Escobar is what many sports fans would refer to as a late-bloomer. He had some strong seasons early in his career with the Minnesota Twins, but it wasn't until he ended up on the Arizona Diamondbacks that things took off for him. Escobar had a monster 2019 season (.269 BA, 35 HR, 118 RBI, .831 OPS) and quickly became one of the best power-hitting middle infielders in the game.
After getting traded from the Diamondbacks to the Milwaukee Brewers last season, Escobar decided to join the New York Mets as a free agent this offseason. Escobar can play all over the infield, which certainly helps, but he addressed a clear need for them at third base, which is where Escobar has spent most of his time this season.
Based on what we have seen Escobar do throughout his career, it's clear that his production during the 2022 season has been wildly disappointing. Escobar's numbers (.223 BA, 15 HR, 49 RBI, .681 OPS) have been horrible for much of the season, and have created another black hole at third base that the Mets were looking to eliminate by bringing him onboard.
Escobar has basically been a replacement level player this season. Baseball reference has him at a WAR (wins above replacement) of just 0.1, which means he's barely contributed anything to his team this season. Sure, his counting stats aren't horrible, but Escobar's production has dropped drastically this season, and it's really beginning to hurt the Mets.
Not only has Eduardo Escobar been bad at the plate, but he's also been a liability in the field at third base for much of the season. Escobar has already committed ten errors this season, and it seems likely that number will increase before the end of the season. Escobar had always been a reliable fielder prior to his stop in New York, so you can add this to the list of ways Escobar has disappointed this season.
New York clearly needs more from Escobar down the stretch of the season. Pretty much everyone on the Mets aside from Escobar and their catcher platoon of Tomas Nido and James McCann have held their own this season, and for the most part, it hasn't hurt New York. But now it's beginning to hamper their quest to win the NL East.
The thing with Nido and McCann is that they both had virtually no expectations entering the season, so nobody is really bothered by their struggles. But the Mets went out and added Escobar this offseason with the hope that he would be the missing link in their lineup. Instead, he's been probably their biggest problem all throughout the 2022 season.
Escobar is quickly wearing out his welcome in the Mets lineup, and he's running out of time to figure things out, not just for himself, but for his team as well. Escobar has proven he can produce throughout his career, and he's going to have to break out of his season-long slump if the Mets want to have any shot at making a deep playoff run this season.
If Escobar can produce like he has in the past, the Mets will have a chance to hold off the Braves. But Atlanta is hot right now, and New York isn't going to be able to hold them off for long without everyone in their lineup producing. It's not a stretch to say that the NL East could be determined by how well Eduardo Escobar plays, and he's going to have to pick things up now if the Mets intend on winning the division.
Follow Us
Subscribe